YORK Central MP Rachael Maskell has dismissed new government cash designed to lure dentists back to the NHS as a short-term ‘bribe’ that doesn’t begin to address the dentistry crisis.

Under the £200 million ‘dental recovery plan’, which the government says could boost dental appointments across the country by 2.5 million next year, officials will be offering dentists a ‘new patient payment’ of £15 to £20.

Dentists will be paid more for their NHS work. And officials also hope to incentivise 240 dentists to work in communities where there is less access to NHS dentists with one-off so-called ’golden hello’ payments of £20,000 for working in ‘under-served’ areas for up to three years.

Other measures outlined under the plans include:

  • ‘dental vans’ to be rolled out in rural and coastal areas so people in the most isolated communities can access help
  • -plans to enable people to see which local dentists are accepting new NHS patients at the touch of a button
  • a ‘Smile for Life’ campaign advising parents on good oral health for their children, and a consultation on a possible water fluoridation programme to help prevent tooth decay.

But speaking not long after it was revealed that another major York dental practice – Blossom Family Dental Care on Blossom Street – wrote to patients saying it would no longer be treating adults on the NHS from April, Labour MP Ms Maskell dismissed the proposals as a 'bribe’.

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She said: “While Government are announcing paying £20,000 to bribe just 240 dentists back into working under the NHS, their …proposals are silent on the central issue driving NHS dentists to work in the private sector; the NHS Dental Contract.

“While very short-term proposals are set out for a ‘golden hello’ for so few dentists, there is nothing to fix the contract which pays dental practices far below the real value of the work. As soon as dentists are recruited, they will be looking to leave.”

Ms Maskell questioned government claims that its plans would create an extra 2.5 million more dental appointments over the next year, saying the proposals did not set out how this would be achieved.

And she pledged that a Labour government would seek to re-negotiate the contract for NHS dentists to create a ‘long-term solution for NHS dentistry’.

York Outer Conservative MP Julian Sturdy today welcomed the proposals as ‘incredibly positive news’.

But he agreed with Ms Maskell that what was needed in the long term was an overhaul of the dental care contracts.

Mr Sturdy said: “I welcome the measures introduced to further incentivise dentists working in the NHS, namely the £20,000 bonus and ‘golden hello’ cash incentives to take on more NHS patients which will make a huge difference.

“Other great measures included in this much needed plan are the introduction of the new dental vans to target rural and coastal communities, and the prioritisation of prevention and good oral health for children.”

But he added: “While this addresses our immediate needs, it is clear that we will still need new dental contracts to replace the Labour-era contracts currently in place which have led to many dentists withdrawing NHS care."