NHS DENTISTRY
Access to NHS dentistry is something I have been campaigning on since the day I entered Parliament. It was the very first issue I raised in my maiden speech, and I have continued working ever since to improve access to NHS dental care across Lowestoft and the surrounding communities.
Alongside campaigning for long-term improvements, my office regularly helps residents who are struggling to access NHS dental care. Every week we support people facing urgent dental problems, helping them navigate the system, signposting available services and raising individual cases where appropriate. Those experiences reinforce why improving NHS dentistry remains such an important part of my work.
I have worked closely with local dentists, healthcare providers and community organisations to better understand the challenges facing NHS dentistry, including hosting a dentistry roundtable at Sam’s Wellbeing Hub and visiting practices across the constituency. Those conversations have helped shape the work I continue to do in Parliament, ensuring the experiences of patients and dental professionals are heard directly by Government.
That campaigning is beginning to deliver results. More than 21,500 additional NHS dental appointments have been allocated to our area as part of the Government’s commitment to provide 700,000 extra urgent appointments across England, with Norfolk and Waveney receiving the eighth-highest allocation in the country.
I have also worked alongside neighbouring MPs to make the case for a new dental school at the University of East Anglia, helping to train more dentists locally and improve long-term recruitment and retention across our region.
Recognising that coastal communities face particular challenges in recruiting NHS dentists, I hosted the launch of the parliamentary report Creating Dental Oases: The Solution to Dental Deserts, bringing together experts, parliamentarians and campaigners to focus on the action needed to improve access in areas like Lowestoft.
I have also continued pressing ministers to remove barriers that prevent qualified dentists from joining the NHS workforce, including expanding opportunities for overseas-qualified dentists to practise in the UK. Plans are now in place to increase the number of overseas registration examination places from around 180 each year to 1,800 by 2028, helping more dentists enter the profession.
Rebuilding NHS dentistry will take time after years of decline, but I will continue working with local providers, ministers and colleagues across Parliament to improve access and ensure everyone can get the NHS dental care they need.