This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate due to take place on 25 July 2019 in the House of Lords on the motion moved by Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative) that “this House takes note of the availability of National Health Service dentistry services”.
NHS Dentistry Services (212 KB , PDF)
As healthcare is a devolved matter, this briefing primarily focuses on dental services in England. However, information on the devolved administrations is set out in the sections on costs and usage, with additional information at the end as further reading.
NHS dentistry examinations are chargeable in England and Wales, with further fees determined by the course of treatment. In Scotland and Northern Ireland patients are entitled to free examinations but could pay up to 80% of treatment costs, up to £384. In recent years, although the number of children being seen by NHS dentists in England has increased, the number of adults being seen has fallen. This decrease has been partly attributed to labour shortages in NHS dental practices. It is said that dentists are scaling down their commitments to the NHS or leaving it entirely. For example, leading dental bodies and oral health charities, such as the British Dental Association and the Oral Health Foundation, believe that job dissatisfaction and the existing NHS contracts—which they contend are focused on targets and not patient care—are factors. They are argue labour shortages have impacted on patients, with some facing long journeys to find an NHS dental practice that can treat them or being left unable to see an NHS dentist. Consequently, in some cases people are visiting their general practitioners, hospital accident and emergency departments or undertaking their own treatment to tackle dental pain.
The Government has sought to improve access to oral health services by introducing several measures. This includes through policies such as the NHS outcomes and the starting well frameworks. The Government has also introduced a new prototype contract for NHS dentists. It hopes these measures will increase the number of staff working in NHS dental services and improve oral health, particularly, in children.
NHS Dentistry Services (212 KB , PDF)
While handling record demand, the social care sector in England is facing workforce, resource and funding pressures. There are also millions of people providing unpaid care. The new Labour government has announced an intention to create a ‘National Care Service’, and to improve NHS and social care integration as part of a 10-year plan for reform.
Between 1970 and the early 1990s, over 30,000 NHS patients were given blood transfusions, or treatments made using blood products, which were contaminated with hepatitis C or HIV. Over 3,000 people have since died, and thousands more live with health conditions. The infected blood inquiry called for immediate compensation, public memorials, and for lessons to be learned in medicine, government and the civil service. In August 2024 the government set out plans for compensation.
Vaginal mesh implants are used to repair damaged internal tissue. However, many women receiving these implants have experienced severe complications. In 2020, an independent review recommended establishing a compensation scheme for the women affected. The Conservative government rejected this recommendation, saying its focus would be on improving product safety. However, calls for redress have continued, with a subsequent review in 2024 also recommending the establishment of a compensation scheme.
