An MP says getting hold of Taylor Swift tour tickets is easier than securing an NHS dental appointment.
During a discussing in the House of Commons, MPs said their constituents are having to seek private care. Some even said families have been known to carry out “Dickensian” DIY dental work.
West Lancashire MP Ashley Dalton said: “It’s easier to get your hands on Taylor Swift tickets in 2024, than it is to get an NHS dental appointment.”
The US pop sensation’s Eras tour will reach the United Kingdom this year in a series of sold out concerts. Ms Dalton told Parliament her constuents were left feeling suicidal because they cannot access dental work, reports Sky.
The Labour MP said: “Under this government, we have arrived at a now dismal state of NHS dentistry services.
“A member of the public contacted Healthwatch Lancashire recently, reporting that they’re in so much pain that they’re now feeling suicidal.”
Former minister Steve Brine, who chairs the Commons Health Select Committee, urged ministers to come up with a plan to help dentistry recover from the pandemic. He said: “There is still no date for the publication of (the) dental recovery plan – to my committee’s continued frustration, it has to be said.
“If we don’t solve this crisis, then we are going to continue to hear about this in the House and we are going to continue to hear about it from constituents. It also places additional pressures on already-stretched NHS services.”
Health minister Dame Andrea Leadsom asked MPs to be “patient a little longer”. She insisted a plan on dentistry would be published “very shortly”.
The British Dental Association has been unhappy with a lack of action. It called for clarity from politicians.
Chairman Eddie Crouch said in a statement: “Ministers keep saying they want an NHS dentist for everyone. There is still no evidence of any plan to make that happen.”
A report last summer found people across the UK were pulling their own teeth out because they could not afford or access a dentist. While figures released earlier in April 2023 said only 44% of children in England saw a dentist.
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting claimed the government had left the country “toothless” as a result of the crisis.
