SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, has called on the Welsh Government to ensure that no more NHS dental practices will close in his region.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Rowlands, who recently highlighted that six more practices in North Wales would not be offering NHS services from this March said he was very concerned at the situation.
He said: “Access to an NHS dentist is one of the most pressing issues that people in Wales face, and particularly in my region of North Wales.
“Just recently, we’ve heard it announced that six dental practices in North Wales are due to close from March this year, leaving thousands of my constituents in North Wales without access to their routine NHS dental care.
“It’s not an isolated problem, but it’s certainly an acute one for my constituents in North Wales.
“Dentists themselves are clear that the current system is unsustainable. Contractual arrangements, recruitment and retention challenges, and rising costs are driving practices away from that NHS provision.
“All of this is completely within your control and your gift to do something about it, as it is, of course, a completely devolved issue at the behest of the Welsh Labour Government here.
“So, with the new contract coming into place in April this year, will you be able to guarantee that no more dental practices in my region of North Wales will close?”
The First Minister, Eluned Morgan said they recognised there were pockets where they needed to run in and to reinstate the provision.
Mr Rowlands added: “The majority of dentists who are terminating their contracts blame the Welsh Government’s Dental Reform Consultation for their decision and it is an extremely worrying trend.
“I do not believe that the Welsh Government are doing enough to improve NHS dental services here in North Wales and they need to do a lot more to encourage dentists to sign new contracts in April.
“It is about time that the Welsh Government accepted that there really is a worsening crisis in NHS dentistry across my region.”
