Ed Davey raises Somerset dentist shortage at PMQs

EMBARGO: For Immediate Release

• 280,000 people in Somerset have not seen an NHS dentist in past two years

• Somerset woman left without a dentist after surgery closes without notifying her

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has today raised the issue of a Somerset woman whose local dental surgery has closed at Prime Minister’s Question, amid people across the country struggling to get an appointment with a local dentist. 

Ed Davey challenged Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden over the case of Emily from Illminster, who booked an appointment at her local dentist in Chard for June, only to find out later that it had closed in April. The surgery never told Emily it had closed and there are no other NHS dentists in the area taking on new patients, leaving her without a local dentist. 

It comes as the latest figures reveal that 280,000 adults in Somerset have not been seen by an NHS dentist in the last two years. Well over half of all children in Somerset haven’t seen an NHS dentist in the last year.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to tackle the lack of local dentist and GP services in Somerset, ahead of next week’s by-election in Somerton and Frome. The party is calling for an emergency rescue plan for NHS dentistry including increasing funding to boost the number of appointments, providing additional resources for mobile dental clinics and removing VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Sadly Emily’s story is far too common in rural communities across the country, from Somerset to Shropshire. Something has to change. Local NHS services are stretched far too thin, leaving millions of people unable to see a local GP or NHS dentist. 

“The NHS must be protected, but under this Conservative Government, it has been left high and dry. 

“This Conservative Government is taking communities in Somerset for granted by refusing to invest properly in local health services. We urgently need more NHS dentists and GPs, as well as funding for crumbling hospitals.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

The text Ed Davey’s full question at Prime Minister's Questions can be found below. A clip of the exchange can be found here.

In January, Emily booked an appointment with her local dentist in Chard, Somerset for June 14th, only to be told by her neighbour at the end of May that the surgery had closed in April.

Now she doesn’t have a dentist. None of the remaining surgeries are taking on new patients. Emily says she has no idea what she’ll do.

So can the Deputy Prime Minister tell Emily and millions of people like her: when can they get an appointment with a local NHS dentist?

Sources

280,000 adults in Somerset have not been seen by an NHS dentist in the last 2 years and 55% of all children in Somerset haven’t seen an NHS dentist in the last year. 

House of Commons Library Research: Number of People Not Seen by a Dentist.xlsx

Original Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England, 2021-22, Annual Report