NHS Dental Contracting Framework

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the excellent work he does for the people of Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme. The scale of the problem that he points out is massive. One of the most shocking statistics I have discovered since taking up this position is that the most common reason for children aged five to nine being admitted to hospital is tooth decay. That is completely and utterly shocking—truly Dickensian. We cannot fix the matter overnight, but we are committed to reforming the dental contract and working with the British Dental Association to focus on prevention and on the retention of NHS dentists. We are also working at pace to ensure that patients can access an additional 700,000 urgent dental appointments.

The horror stories I hear in my constituency are just awful: from the mum on the Isle of Axholme who could not find an NHS dentist after five years and who carries out her own treatment on her son, to a gentleman in Doncaster East whose teeth are crumbling due to illness, causing him horrendous pain, and who cannot get an appointment. The Government’s pledge to provide more emergency appointments is great, but I know that it will take time to rebuild dentistry. Can the Minister reassure me that people in my constituency will be given the priority they deserve?

My hon. Friend is right. South Yorkshire has the highest level of hospital tooth extractions in England, and I want to assure him that we will target interventions at the areas of greatest need. For example, integrated care boards have started to advertise roles through our “golden hello” scheme, which will drive recruitment of graduate dentists to areas of greatest need for three years. We have inherited a mess and we are working at pace to clear it up.

The Minister is right to underline the issues for children, but can I remind him of the issues for those above the state pension age—which is increasing to 67, including for ladies—in particular when it comes to certain benefits, such as attendance allowance? Will he look at the contract for those who are elderly and in receipt of such benefits?

We are in a situation where a staggering 28% of the country—13 million people—have a need that is unmet by NHS dentistry. There are so many issues that we need to resolve. We are looking at the contract with the BDA and I am more than happy to look into the issue raised by the hon. Gentleman.

Last month, the Secretary of State for Wales told the Labour party conference that this Labour Government will “take inspiration” from Labour-run Wales on dentistry. That is the same health system in which less than 60% of dentistry courses are being completed in comparison with pre-pandemic figures—a rate that is far lower than in England. Does the Minister agree that the Secretary of State for Wales is right and that Wales is a blueprint for what a Labour Government will do in England, or will they drop the bluster, get serious and commit to the dental reforms set out in the dental recovery plan, including a tie-in to NHS dentistry for graduate dentists?

I find it extraordinary that yet again we see a total lack of humility and contrition from the Opposition. The key difference that we will see in how our United Kingdom works is that we now have some grown-ups in charge in Westminster, who will work with colleagues in Cardiff Bay to ensure that a rising tide lifts all boats and we improve the state of NHS dentistry across the United Kingdom.