Rachael Maskell MP holds summit on ‘dental crisis’ in York

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, called the meeting with local dental providers, trainers, public health practitioners and health leads to discuss the future of dentistry in York.

The Labour MP said following the transfer of NHS dentistry from NHS England to the new local Integrated Care Boards in April this year, local health leads have been working “tirelessly” to understand the scale of the dental challenge and how to fix it. 

The York Dental Summit reviewed the state of dentistry in the city and need for accurate data about the issue. 

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central (Image: Danny Lawson/PA)

It also identified the work needed to rebuild an NHS dental service. 

While still waiting for the Government to publish its long-awaited NHS Plan, Healthwatch has been monitoring the dental situation in York, while the Health Select Committee (of which Ms Maskell is the vice chair), has undertaken its own inquiry into the state of NHS dentistry nationwide.

Ms Maskell said there is a “shortage of good data” to understand the number of dentists, the demand, and the costs, which she said needs to be understood both nationally and locally.

She added that this shortage is “holding back” local ambition.

At the summit, how oral healthcare can be provided in schools, care homes, to pregnant and nursing women and to vulnerable groups was discussed, as well as to how dentists, dental nurses, dental technicians and dental hygienists can work more collaboratively to meet local demand.

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A need for better city-wide training, and discussions about a Centre for Dental Development in partnership with the University of York were also raised, as was the possibility of a dental school to train the next generation of dentists. 

Ms Maskell said: “A lot of work is being undertaken across the city to fix the dental crisis in York, however people still need to be able to access services.

“Having first set out my Dental Charter for York, I am determined that we must see a high-quality NHS dental service return to York.

“Good oral health provision under the NHS is a fundamental right that must be accessible to all. I am glad that today’s summit has been so productive at mapping the way forward.” 

The summit addressed the state of dentistry in York (Image: PA)

Amanda Bloor, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer for NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said: “We are pleased to have had the opportunity to get together and have constructive conversations with Rachael and dental colleagues from across York.

“This has given us a fantastic opportunity to talk through well-known challenges facing dental care in the city and consider how we can, working together, look to improve oral health within our area as a priority.”  

Mark Green, of North Yorkshire Local Dental Committee, said: “There were very refreshing conversations about NHS dentistry and hopefully we will see some positive changes. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”