Peter
Viggers, MP for the Gosport constituency, will again highlight
the problems with local NHS dental care when the House of
Commons resumes next week.
Peter continues to receive a large number of complaints
from local residents, unhappy at the fact that they are no
longer able to receive dental care on the NHS in Gosport
and the surrounding area. Many local dentists have closed
their books to NHS patients, with more and more practices
switching to offer private care instead.
A large part of the problem is that dentists are not reimbursed
sufficiently by the state to cover the costs that they incur
when offering treatments on the NHS.
Audit Commission figures have shown that 40% of dental practices
nationally now do not accept children or adults for continuing
care, and in August, the British dental association stated
that millions of people were now unable to register with
an NHS dentist.
Locally, the impact has been heavily felt by residents,
with many former NHS patients having to decide whether to
now pay for private treatment within the town, or travel
further afield to places such as Chichester or Portsmouth
for dental treatment on the NHS.
Peter said, “It
is absolutely unacceptable that people are unable to receive
NHS dental care locally if they should
wish to do so. I have raised the issue repeatedly in the
House of Commons, and it is my intention to continue to put
pressure upon Ministers until the problem is addressed.” |
