The Association of Dental Groups (ADG), the UK’s leading trade body for dental groups has welcomed recent ministerial appointments at the Department of Health & Social Care.
The ADG has extended a warm welcome in a letter to Rt. Hon. Yvette Cooper MP, newly appointed Secretary of State for Health & Social Care and James Frith MP who takes on the responsibilities of dentistry and innovation as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Health & Social Care.
Neil Carmichael, Executive Chair of the ADG, said: “Yvette Cooper has vast experience as a minister so her commitment to tackle issues ‘urgently’ is meaningful, but we trust her list of priorities also includes fair access for patients to NHS dentistry.
“Knowing Yvette as I did in the House of Commons, I am sure she will be a strong, influential and creative Secretary of State.”
Neil Carmichael added: “We warmly welcome James Frith and look forward to working with him. Under Stephen Kinnock’s term, the ADG made considerable progress in addressing the massive workforce gap, and we now look to him to ensure the implementation of the interventions he announced.
“In addition, NHS contract revisions remain essential if we are to secure long‑term access for patients. Meaningful reform of the GDC must also be addressed during his tenure.
“The ADG developed a close and constructive relationship with Stephen Kinnock, who recently emphasised how important collaboration with the ADG is to the Department. As we continue this partnership to improve dental access across the UK, we are inviting James Frith to the table so we can brief him on the dentistry landscape, the challenges – and most importantly the solutions the ADG is presenting to address our nation’s dental deserts.”
