Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 21 February 2024
21 Feb 2024 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
National Health Service Dentistry
That was a rookie error.
I move,
That the Parliament believes that there is a crisis in NHS dentistry; considers that it is deeply concerning that people are finding it increasingly difficult to see an NHS dentist locally, if at all, and in some cases are resorting to DIY dentistry; notes concerns that changes to the payment system, which came into force on 1 November 2023, will do little to stop the exodus of NHS dentists; recalls that the Scottish Government committed in 2021 to abolishing all dentistry charges by the end of the current parliamentary session, but that charges for NHS patients have since increased substantially and been expanded to cover emergency appointments and denture repairs; believes that there must be decisive action to resolve this crisis, and calls, therefore, on the Scottish Government to rewrite the failing NHS Recovery Plan to prioritise workforce planning, boost the number of dentists taking on NHS patients and increase the number of appointments available.
16:12In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-12215, in the name of Willie Rennie, on the crisis in NHS dentistry. I would be grateful if members who w...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
In case members have not had enough of me, I will speak in this debate, too. In preparation, I asked for people’s experiences of NHS dentistry. I had a tidal...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Can you confirm that the motion has been moved?
Willie Rennie
LD
That was a rookie error. I move, That the Parliament believes that there is a crisis in NHS dentistry; considers that it is deeply concerning that people a...
The Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care (Neil Gray)
SNP
The previous debate focused on the importance of care being delivered in our communities through, and in partnership with, general practices. This debate is...
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
The cabinet secretary speaks about the preventative agenda being foremost in his thoughts, but how can dental treatment be preventative when there are two ye...
Neil Gray
SNP
I will come on to talk about some of the detail of the work that we are doing with the industry to provide greater capacity, so that Sue Webber can be reassu...
Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
Can the cabinet secretary explain why private sector dentistry is not facing the same pressure as NHS dentistry, post-pandemic?
Neil Gray
SNP
There are pressures across the dentistry sector. I do not think that it would be fair to say that any one part is facing the pressures alone. That is why we ...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Thank you, cabinet secretary, you must conclude.
Neil Gray
SNP
I move amendment S6M-12215.2, to leave out from first “believes” to end and insert: “recognises the significant challenges in dental services, compounded by...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I should say that we are very tight for time this afternoon—we have no time in hand. I call Sandesh Gulhane to speak to and move amendment S6M-12215.3. You h...
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con)
Con
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests—I am a practising NHS general practitioner. There we have it from the cabinet secretary: e...
Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I take this opportunity to welcome the new cabinet secretary to his place. It was remiss of me not to do so during the previous debate, but I do so now. I al...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
We move to the open debate. I call Liam McArthur, to be followed by David Torrance. 16:28
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
A year ago, in a similar Scottish Liberal Democrat debate, I suggested that any objective analysis of NHS dentistry across Scotland could only conclude that ...
David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
SNP
We all know that Opposition parties do not like talking about Brexit, but given that approximately 60 per cent of the dental workforce is European, to simply...
Willie Rennie
LD
Will the member give way?
David Torrance
SNP
I am short of time.
Willie Rennie
LD
I will be very brief.
David Torrance
SNP
No, thank you. It is fair to say that the rate of NHS registration is also significantly higher in Scotland than in the rest of the United Kingdom, with mor...
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
Two years ago, the Scottish Conservatives held a debate called “Preventing the Collapse of NHS Dentistry in Scotland”. Two years on from that debate, NHS out...
Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
As Willie Rennie highlighted, we are seeing more people struggling to get access to NHS dentistry in Fife. David Torrance can defend the Scottish Government ...
Gillian Mackay (Central Scotland) (Green)
Green
As I did in the previous debate, I thank all the professionals working in the sector for their hard work. I also thank the BDA for its briefing ahead of the ...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
SNP
Like the offices of all other members in this debate, my constituency office receives a huge number of contacts from people who present with very serious pro...
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
Fergus Ewing is right to talk about the issue of potential bonds on new dental graduates, but is he also interested, as the Liberal Democrats are, in how eas...
Fergus Ewing
SNP
I totally agree with that point. Unnecessary bureaucratic imposts are one of the things that are really holding Scotland back across the range. Incidentally,...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
We move to winding-up speeches. 16:53
Carol Mochan (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased to close the second debate for Scottish Labour. As before, I thank the Liberal Democrats for bringing this important debate to the chamber in th...
Tess White (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
Shocking new figures that were released yesterday have revealed the scale of the crisis in Scottish dentistry. In December last year, the number of patients ...