NHS dentistry crisis sees 250,000 people sign Mirror campaign petition demanding Dentists for All
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A petition for the Mirror’s campaign to save NHS dentistry has hit a quarter of a million signatures. The Mirror ’s Dentists for All campaign is now backed by 257,000 people who have signed up and the petition will be handed in at Downing Street next week. The campaign has been nominated for three national journalism awards after shining the spotlight on an NHS issue that affects many but had been ignored for years as the oral health of the nation worsened. It revealed 96% of dentists are not taking on new adult NHS patients and told horror stories of people ripping out their own teeth and going into debt to travel abroad for private treatment.
Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, said: “As the Mirror’s Dentist for All campaign has shown, NHS dentistry is broken after years of neglect, and has failed patients and staff for far too long. We’ve heard deeply disturbing accounts of desperate patients being forced to take matters into their own hands because they were unable to get an appointment.”.
Our campaign, in partnership with the British Dental Association, is demanding a return to universal access. BDA chair Eddie Crouch said: “For every signature on this petition there are dozens for whom NHS dentistry has effectively ceased to exist. Labour pledged to save this service. Deeds need to match words.”.
