ADG: New figures show ‘dentists are deserting the NHS and poorest patients are paying the price’
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 27th August 2020
The Association of Dental Groups has responded to the recent publication of the NHS Dental Statistics for England 2019-2020. The statistics reveal that overall, the number of dentists with NHS activity in England went up slightly – from 24,545 in 2018/19 to 24,684 in 2019/20.
But they also reveal significant regional disparities – with 65 NHS clinical commissioning groups seeing dentist numbers go down over the past year. At seven NHS clinical commissioning groups, dentist numbers declined by 20% or more from 2018-19 to 2019-2020.
Neil Carmichael, Chair of the ADG, said: “The figures are just the latest proof that the number of dentists working in the NHS is plummeting in many of the areas where they are most needed. In large parts of the country, dentists are deserting the NHS and it is the poorest patients who are often paying the price. That’s why we urgently need to increase the pipeline of new dentists here in the UK while also making it easier for overseas professionals to enter UK dentistry.”
The NHS Dental Statistics for England 2019-2020 can be accessed here: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics
Workforce figures are taken from Table B1 in Annex 2 – Geographical breakdown of dental data.
They show that NHS Fareham and Gosport CCG, NHS Isle of Wight CCG, NHS Portsmouth CCG, NHS South Eastern Hampshire CCG, Southampton CCG and NHS Bassetlaw CCG saw a percentage difference of 20% or more from 2018/19 to 2019/2020.
ADG members consist of group providers of NHS and private dentistry across England and Wales. Find more information about the ADG on their website here.
