Responding to the launch of the Conservative manifesto British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch said:
“Fixing a failed contract is the litmus test for any party serious about saving NHS dentistry. This manifesto leaves dentists with no sense if the Conservatives are offering change or more tweaks at the margins. Reheating the contents of a lacklustre Recovery Plan will not give this service a future.”
The professional body has expressed concern that there are no tangible plans outlined to end the crisis in NHS dentistry, beyond the very modest steps set out in February’s ‘Recovery Plan’.
The Manifesto pledges to make “further reforms to the dental contract to ensure its future sustainability” but leaves it unclear if the Party is prepared to change tack, and break with the failed system that is fuelling the exodus from the NHS workforce and the current access crisis.
