HAFSON has been campaigning to pressure the Government to make funding available so that dentistry can again become an integral part of our NHS.
Our latest leaflet – below – which we are using on our stalls, makes clear what needs to be done to restore NHS dental services. Please take a moment to sign our petition to the Secretary of State for Health to ensure adequate funding for NHS dentistry so that services are available to all: see SIGN A PETITION.
NEED A DENTIST? IT MAY COST YOU LOTS… OR YOU’LL WAIT… AND WAIT…
- It’s getting harder to find an NHS dentist. 9 out of 10 NHS dental practices in the UK are not taking new NHS patients.
- 8 in 10 NHS practices are not taking on children. NW London health bosses are having to pay many thousands of pounds to send local kids for necessary treatment over to St Barts in East London. We risk a generation of kids with few teeth.
- If you are a patient, you can pay to be seen quickly. But as an NHS patient you may have to wait for months for treatment. So we now have a 1st and 2nd class dental service.
- It may cost you hundreds for simple but necessary You may pay thousands for complex but necessary treatment…
- And dental check-ups are about more than teeth: they can discover diabetic conditions, heart conditions, mouth and other cancers, stroke indicators – but check-ups also cost money.
The Government is not training enough dentists AND they are NOT paying dentists enough even to cover their costs for NHS patients.
You can download our leaflet by clicking here