Wes Streeting, MP for Ilford North, was appointed secretary of state for health and social care following the 2024 general election.
The letter outlines Toothless in England’s commitment to securing “an NHS dentist for everyone” and hopes that the Labour Party will be able to implement the rescue plan it proposed in June 2024.
The campaigners added that “urgent action” is needed to improve “access to basic NHS oral care and restorative dental treatments”.
Letter to secretary of state for health and social care
Dear Secretary of State,
RE: The deplorable state of NHS Dentistry and government’s responsibility to fix it.
Let me begin by congratulating you and your party on forming the new government. The public health responsibilities you have now taken on are demanding and challenging. We wish you and your ministerial team every success.
We closely followed each of the political party manifestos concerning public health throughout the general election campaign. The public health challenges your party set out and promised to meet must now be delivered without delay.
The deplorable state of NHS dentistry and what it has meant for patients left in agony, has come to dominate political and public discourse ever since Toothless in England began campaigning for ‘An NHS dentist for everyone’ back in 2021.
The public rightly expects that a new government will bring with it new energy and political will to address the growing oral health inequalities felt by tens of millions of families.
Labour’s Dentistry Rescue Plan pledged an extra 700,000 urgent and emergency dental appointments, supervised toothbrushing in nursery and primary schools, ‘golden hellos’ for newly qualified dentistry graduates to encourage them to operate in ‘dental desert’ areas, and long-overdue reform of the broken 2006 NHS dental contract – a contract that has forced dentists and dental practices out of NHS dentistry. We enthusiastically supported all four of these commitments.
However, they do not go far enough or quickly enough to address the major issues that we brought to your notice when we met earlier this year.
Access to basic NHS oral care and restorative dental treatments is something which we feel the government needs to show a much stronger sense of ambition to address. Provision of these services in the short, medium and long-term demands urgent action by your department.
Examples of untreated pain and patient suffering continue to rise unchecked, while the oral health of the nation declines at pace. Some extreme yet increasingly common consequences have meant wholly avoidable and preventable deaths from untreated sepsis and undiagnosed mouth cancer.
As we have seen reported all too often, Westminster continues to stomach what is a national embarrassment of children being admitted into hospital to have decaying teeth extracted. Mums who are suffering with pregnancy gingivitis are entitled to free dental care, but they are faced with at best, a lengthy patient waiting list or at worst, the prospect of continued anxiety and depression.
Even hospital consultants who advise their patients to get a dental check-up before having life-saving cancer treatment or heart surgery are irritated by the likelihood of additional delays in patient care due to inaccessible NHS dentistry.
The negative impact on people’s health and wellbeing continues to be felt and will do so long into the future. Not to mention that working days lost due to chronic pain have a detrimental influence on productivity, affecting both household income and the country's economy.
All of this serves to demonstrate that successive governments and NHS dentistry leaders have collectively failed the public over many, many years.
This is why Toothless in England is urging you, Secretary of State, to declare a dental emergency. The government must use its special authorities to address the accessibility issues, realising that a quick response and a firm commitment to fixing them are now required.
In declaring a dental emergency, the government will instruct:
· All dental practices to provide access to those needing emergency treatment
· All dental practices to provide a priority pathway for referrals from hospital departments such as cardiology and oncology
· Integrated Care Boards to procure mobile dental clinics to target vulnerable patients and underserved coastal and rural communities
Our campaign has grown rapidly since its inception three years ago. With 16 locally managed organisations across the country, Toothless in England is recognised by local, regional, and global news media as an organisation that represents and champions the issues of dental patients.
We are independent minded and pioneer in promoting practical and implementable solutions to fulfil the public's oral health demands in the 21st century. We are unique in that our viewpoint is not influenced by the prospect of financial gain or professional self-serving objectives.
As a grassroots campaign run by ordinary members of the public, we do our utmost to ensure dental patient voices are heard by government, Westminster’s health and social care committee, public health spokespersons. This is all helped by a hungry news media that’s become increasingly sympathetic to our cause.
When we met with you earlier this year, we made it plain that we wanted to be known as the government's critical friend. Toothless in England will continue to promote and support policies and activities that are recognised to address dental patient needs. However, where the needs of numerous underprivileged and disregarded communities are unmet, we will provide honest and constructive comments, which may be uncomfortable to hear at times.
Our struggle for 'an NHS dentist for everyone' continues, regardless of which political party occupies the government or opposition benches in the Houses of Parliament. The practical solutions derived from our ‘six-point charter’ go a long way towards satisfying the legitimate demands of dental patients and families. As such, they must be respected and given due regard.
You agreed to a follow-up meeting with us and your team. By continuing the regular conversations established by the previous administration at the DHSC, your department would demonstrate that it appreciates such dialogue and patient perspectives, as well as honouring earlier agreements. Toothless in England is a willing and active partner, and we believe that developing a tight working connection with you and department ministers will help to retain focus.
Parliament is about to go on a summer break, with no debates, votes or committee sessions scheduled. Will you now offer patients who are in unnecessary pain and despair a break?
We very much look forward to hearing from you soon and hope for positive news.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Jones
Founder
Toothless in England