Rachael Hamilton MSP and John Lamont MP have criticised the SNP Government for failing to provide the necessary resources to clear the backlog of appointments.
Constituents have contacted both parliamentarians concerned over long waiting lists for appointments and cancelled procedures.
The Scottish Conservatives brought forward a vote in the Scottish Parliament yesterday urging the SNP Government to reverse its decision to withdraw emergency funding to practices on April 1, following warnings from the British Dental Association that the move would severely reduce patients’ access to NHS treatment.
Recently the BDA has revealed that four out of five dentists plan to scale back their NHS commitments, while more than a third are ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to stop doing NHS work entirely if the emergency funding is cut.
The BDA findings are particularly worrying given recent figures from Public Health Scotland show that almost half of registered patients in Scotland have not seen an NHS dentist in the last two years – and the figure is lower still among those from deprived backgrounds.
Both Mrs Hamilton and Mr Lamont believe that a new, long-term funding deal between the Scottish Government and dentists is needed to clear the appointments backlog and ensure the public are guaranteed regular check-ups going forward.
In the meantime, both Borders parliamentarians are urging the SNP Government to maintain emergency funding beyond April 1 to prevent the crisis in NHS dentistry deepening.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“Many constituents have shared with me their difficult experiences of trying to book an appointment at dentists across the Borders.
“Local dentists are working hard to clear the backlog, some working longer than usual to ensure people get an appointment.
“It simply isn’t their fault, they are being let down by the SNP Government, as they are underfunded for providing NHS treatment.
“There is a real crisis looming and I worry both dentists and patients will suffer because of it.
“The SNP Government needs to properly support and resource Borders’ dentists to carry out vital NHS dental work”.
John Lamont MP said:
“I know that many local residents in the Borders have been struggling to get appointments ever since the first lockdown was eased in 2020.
“This is not the fault of our local dental surgeries, but rather a lack of funding to support their NHS work from the SNP Government.
“Every Scot deserves the opportunity to get a regular dental check-up. Investing in dental health now, prevents further problems down the line for people, which ultimately costs more money.
“According to the British Dental Association, more than a third of dentists in Scotland are saying they intend to leave the profession in the next 12 months. Healthcare professionals in our dental surgeries need more support from the SNP Government or there will be real long term problems for Scotland’s dental health.”
