Health Secretary Wes Streeting visited the dental access centre in Peterborough yesterday in a city labelled by its MP Andrew Pakes as an “NHS dental desert”. The MP said: “We lost 63 NHS dentists in Peterborough and surrounding areas in the last 5 years adding to the crisis.
“So, it was good to meet with NHS dentists today at the Dental Access Centre in the city centre.”
Mr Pakes said: “As part of the Labour Government’s commitment to fixing the NHS, we’ve just announced an extra 14,000 NHS dental appointments across the county.
“It’s going to take time to turn things around, but this is an important down payment on change.”
Mr Pakes was also with Mr Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when they attended at a conference in the city where 100 NHS staff as well as the voluntary sector came together “to learn more about local challenges and how we can improve things.
“The NHS is so important to all of us, but it needs care and attention to fix it. I’ll keep fighting to keep Peterborough on the map and to get the funding and resources we need.”
Mr Pakes had announced earlier that Peterborough is set to benefit from an increase in urgent dental appointments as part of a new government initiative to address the growing concern of “dental deserts” across England.
He said the Department of Health and Social Care announced earlier this week that Peterborough and Cambridgeshire will receive 14,000 new emergency dental appointments starting in April as part of a wider national plan to provide 700,000 extra urgent appointments across the country.
“The extra appointments will be available in April and have been targeted at dental deserts – areas where patients particularly struggle to access NHS dentists,” said the MP.
“The lack of NHS dentists is one of the biggest issues residents raise with me either through email or at regular advice surgeries.”
Last week health minister Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care, visited Thistlemoor Medical Centre in Peterborough where the issues of dentistry were also discussed.
Mr Pakes said the boost to dental services comes at a crucial time for Peterborough, which has been identified as one of the worst-affected areas in the country for dental access:
Between 2019 and 2024, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire lost 63 NHS dentists.
The most recent data shows that 44% of 5-year-olds in Peterborough have some form of tooth decay, compared to only a third elsewhere in Cambridgeshire.
Mr Pakes said: “The decline in NHS dentists under the last government is one of the biggest issues people raise with me. For too long, residents have struggled to access essential dental care. These additional appointments will provide much-needed relief for those in urgent need of treatment.”
Mr Kinnock said: “NHS dentistry has been left broken after years of neglect, with patients left in pain without appointments or queueing around the block just to be seen.
“The new appointments will be available for patients likely to be in pain, including those suffering from infections or needing urgent repairs. Residents can access these appointments by contacting their usual dental practice or calling NHS 111 if they do not have a regular dentist or need help out-of-hours.”
