Data reveals “ticking timebomb” of dentists approaching retirement as hundreds of dental providers hand back NHS contracts

EMBARGO: 22.30 Thursday 24th April

In some areas, one in three NHS dentists are approaching retirement age with hundreds of dental providers having handed back their NHS contracts in the past few years, research by the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The research by the Library revealed that 4,079 NHS dentists are approaching retirement age (aged 55+). It accounts for one in eight of all dentists with some areas facing a much starker situation.

In North Lincolnshire, 22 of the 67 dentists there are approaching retirement age accounting for a third. In Norfolk and Waverly 91 of 328 (28%) are aged over 55, and in North East Lincolnshire it is 19 of 74 (26%). The analysis also found that in the past four years there have been more than 8,500 dentists who have left the NHS. Areas covering Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Cornwall, Devon and Cambridgeshire all have around one in six dentists approaching retirement age.

A separate Written Parliamentary Question by the Liberal Democrats revealed that 329 NHS contracts have been handed back by  providers compounding the issue of dental deserts. It means that at a time of “dental deserts”, providers are electing not to service NHS patients due to it being financially inviable.

The Public Accounts Committee recently said that the Government’s attempts at improving access to dentistry had been a complete failure and that the NHS dental contract is not fit for purpose. Previous Liberal Democrat research revealed the stark consequences with 16,100 people last year going to A&E last year due to issues with tooth decay.

The Government has previously stated that tooth decay was still the most common reason for hospital admissions in children aged between 5 and 9 years old. It comes amidst harrowing stories of people resorting to DIY dentistry due to the lack of dental care available. In Oswestry, North Shropshire, where one practice recently handed back its NHS contract due to not being able to balance its books, a man pulled his own tooth out with pliers after six months in agony not being able to find an NHS dentist. 

Dentists have also not been exempted from the Government’s rise in national insurance with one practice saying that “it’s another nail in the coffin of NHS Dentistry.” Another practice warned “the recent changes to Employers NI and raising of the living wage will lead to bankruptcy and breakdowns”. The Liberal Democrats recently revealed that the Government had not even carried out an impact assessment of this jobs tax on dentistry.

The Liberal Democrats have proposed a £750 million rescue package for dentistry which would end “dental deserts” and guarantee access to an NHS dentist for everyone needing urgent and emergency care. The plan would:

• Bring dentists back to the NHS from the private sector by fixing the broken NHS dental contract and using flexible commissioning to meet patient needs.
• Introduce an emergency scheme to guarantee access to free NHS dental check-ups for those already eligible: children, new mothers, those who are pregnant and those on low incomes

Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP said:

“We have heard countless harrowing stories of people resorting to almost medieval methods of using pliers to pull their own teeth out as the dental care they desperately need simply does not exist. This is nothing short of a national scandal.

“This dark situation is at risk of getting even worse with this ticking timebomb of dentists approaching retirement age. The Conservatives’ shameful record brought us to this point but the Labour government’s kicking of the can down the road is simply not sustainable.

“We need to see Ministers urgently enact the Liberal Democrats plan to end dental deserts and rescue countless communities from these great dearths in dental provision. Only then will we put the days of DIY dentistry behind us.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The research by the House of Commons Library and data from the Liberal Democrat Written Parliamentary Question can be found here.

PAC comments on the state of NHS dentistry can be found here.

Previous Liberal Democrat research on A&E attendance due to tooth decay can be found here.

Written Parliamentary Question on the national insurance impact assessment can be found here.

NHS dentist case studies about the national insurance rise can be found here.