That this House expresses deep concern over the crisis of NHS dentistry in Hazel Grove constituency; notes with alarm that a recent health survey of local residents found that 46.4 per cent were not registered with an NHS dentist, and 44 per cent had been forced to pay for private treatment because they could not access NHS care; further notes that around 10 per cent of residents surveyed reported that they were neither registered with an NHS dentist nor paying for private care, suggesting that they are going without dental treatment altogether; highlights that in Romiley the last NHS dentist closed more than two years ago, leaving large parts of the constituency without local access to NHS provision; believes this situation is unacceptable and risks worsening health inequalities, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis; calls on the Government to urgently reform the broken NHS dental contract, incentivise dentists to provide NHS services locally, and ensure flexible commissioning so that residents can access timely care; and urges Ministers to act further and faster to tackle the emergence of dental deserts so that every constituent can access an NHS dentist when they need one.
