MP Bob Seely has written to Health Secretary Steve Barclay seeking government support to help improve dental access on the Isle of Wight.
Mr Seely is calling for action to address what he says is an acute shortfall in NHS dental provision on the Island caused by a lack of dentists – a shortage that meant Islanders had to wait too long for treatment if they could access services at all.
He said:
“I have received numerous representations from both constituents and dental professionals informing me that there are no dental practitioners on the Island accepting new patients.
“This has forced patients to cover the time and cost of travel to the mainland or forgo vital dental care.”
In his letter to Mr Barclay, Mr Seely highlighted research by Island health watchdog Healthwatch that had revealed the extent of the problem. Healthwatch concluded that some Islanders were suffering debilitating and excruciatingly painful symptoms, in some cases forcing them to wait in pain or to seek treatment on the mainland.
Yet despite the clear need for NHS dentists, the Island has been unable to attract them, leaving patients desperate for treatment with the NHS saying there was a wait of between three months and two years between check-ups.
Mr Seely, having also held discussions with local dentists, is urging the Government to take a series of steps to solve the recruitment problem.
These include launching a dental training scheme on the Island with Government funds to boost the salary of interns, making it easier to recruit experienced dentists and qualified practitioners from overseas and also allowing more treatments without a prescription from a dentist.
In his letter to Mr Barclay, the Island’s MP said:
“I was pleased to see that a number of these suggestions relating to hiring overseas dentists will now be included in the Department for Health and Social Care’s approach to tackling the shortfall in dental staff nationally.
“I would again urge the Government to identify what steps it is taking to improve NHS dental provision on the Isle of Wight and to confirm that it will consider in full the initiatives outlined in this letter
Couldn’t even be bothered to read this article. Why has he waited this long there haven’t been enough Dentists or GPs or Nurses on the Island for over 4 years he has been local MP since 2017- obviously doing something now due to election time. Sorry in my book too little too late. If he fought for a motion to be passed in controlling the charges private dental care charges. i.e get them capped (excuse the pun) then he may stand more chance of succeeding at something that will benefit the whole Country. Same goes for the massive water board price hike, especially as most of our water is contaminated by sewage fallout.
Couldn’t agree more. Well said
You still a pot head
Brexit means Brexit, no dentist is better than a foreign dentist!
What are pathetic thing to say
I tried to get a dentist appointment recently, due to a cracked tooth. I called round a few dental surgeries but no joy. I was spoken to as if I had done a wee on their Christmas tree and all the presents, how dare I ask for a dentist appointment! Apparently there is a ‘dental crisis’. everything is a crisis these days. I was advised to call 111 if the pain is bad. What a sh*tshow! In the end I went to my old dentist on the mainland, she told me that its almost impossible to operate as an NHS dentist, due to lack of money and that the funding for (NHS) dentists is likely to be withdrawn altogether soon and going private will be the only option. Good luck with that Bob!
SURELY you naive people can see the amount of illegal, without counting the ‘legal’ new comers to the UK, who will all need costly health care that WE and our parents have all paid in for.
Then you still ‘wonder’ why the health service cannot cope nor the housing stock, as we are now treating and housing the third world’s impoverished who pay in nothing but get everything.
SEE the reason yourselves, as MP’s cannot DARE tell the truth about such. THINK
I imagine even the “illegal” have better literacy than you!
You know it’s old farts like you, rather than young and fit migrants, who make most use of dentistry and healthcare in general, right?
You know most of the housing problem on the island is down to old farts like you moving here to retire, right?
Don’t forget improved access to GPs as well Bob.
I’m sure, in this, that Half-Sausage-Seely will, as usual, be as effective as a chocolate fire-guide.
I’ve asked Mr Barclay to get his magic wand out and conjure some new ones up, after the last ones left the country during Brexit.
What a load of Bobby Bull***t there are no dentist to be obtained and those we have already prefer to work ‘Privately’ as they can earn more.
It is not only the IOW this is a Nationwide problem and Mr Seelys letters to Mr Barclay are I’m afraid not going to achieve very much at all.
Laughable.
Seely is a Brexiter. Either he’s an utter imbecile who didn’t appreciate that Brexit would drive away the E European dentists who where the backbone of NHS dentistry, or he did and didn’t care as long as the swivel eyed vote for him, because “brown people”.
Because he can always gaslight them some more and blame the 40,000 illegal and 500,000 legal migrants that came to the UK in 2022 on anything except what actually caused it (Brexit) and they will be stupid enough to believe them.
Still, we got a nice trade deal worth a 0.08% boost to our GDP. Another 50 of those and we’ll make up for the 4% drop caused by Brexit.
Well all be like one tooth David the cleaner
Has he just noticed there is a problem?
Sadly he hasn’t noticed an even bigger one”hecis our Mp”!
Not only has this idiot been willfully out of touch with he harsh reality of the NHS dentist crisis on the Island (lets just pretend there isnt one is his mindset) he literally doesnt give a sh*t. Why would he, he and his Conservative lets privatise the NHS chums are ok thanks very much.
Where have you been Bob all these years, of course at the private dentists of course
Absolute rubbish. You can always tell when there is a general election on the distant horizon, Tories start pretending to give a sh*t. Don’t be fooled! Most of us will be pulling our own teeth out if they win again.
I would love to get my nhs dentist back or another nhs dentist after all who can afford private dental prices. But I spoke to an ex nhs dentist who explained to me just how dire the nhs terms and conditions were.
NHS dentistry is broken along with every other public service in the country and Mr Seely is a fool to loopk any further than his own party’s government which has single handed been responsible for breaking it. Every service has been defunded yet we pay the highest tax in decades. Where is all the money going – into the pockets of the 1% at the top of the pile – chums and donors of Mr Seely’s Consrevative Government. He is only saying anything now because elections loom. It is treachery and corrution every which way.
Oh how cynical. These issues mean a great deal (of votes) to me and I’m doing everything I can to resolve things to maximise the vote….erm…..dentistry available.
I had a dentist, but didn’t go while covid was ripe, then when I phoned to make appointment I was told As you haven’t been for 18 months your name has been taken off the list..never heard of this before, never..p***ed me right off..
I don’t hold much faith in having one in the future either if Seely has anything to do with it…