Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 23 February 2022
I am very conscious of the time; I apologise to the people who want to intervene.
Only yesterday, I was contacted by a woman who raised the issue of appointment deposits, which was new to me. To attend her free NHS check-up and receive a £13 basic dental clean, she is being charged a £20 deposit. At a time when the cost of living is sky-rocketing, many families cannot afford to part with £20, especially for an appointment that should be routine.
Let me turn to the subject of inequality. Public Health Scotland tells us that fewer than half of adults from the most deprived areas have seen an NHS dentist over the past two years. For the wealthiest areas, it is well over half. Those inequalities are only starker when it comes to children’s dental care, with only 55 per cent of children from the most deprived areas being seen by a dentist over the past two years, while the figure is 20 percentage points higher among those from the least deprived areas.
It was of course Scottish Labour that introduced childsmile. We did that to tackle inequalities in oral health and to ensure access to dental services for every child in Scotland, regardless of their background. I am pleased that the Scottish Government has continued it. It is depressing, however, that the considerable progress that has been made in child dental health is now going backwards. That, coupled with the fact that those from poorer backgrounds are less likely to have received treatment, is nothing short of a national disgrace. Under the SNP’s watch, dental care is fast becoming the privilege of the few who can afford to go private. That is why Scottish Labour’s amendment calls for action to avoid a two-tier dental system.
It is essential that emergency funding for dentists does not stop at the end of March. I do not understand how any Government could look at the current state of NHS dentistry and deem now to be an appropriate time to end support. I note the list of moneys that the minister outlined, and I welcome it, but it is not just a case of needing more money—the current model of funding for dental services needs to change.
The current model is about as old as the NHS itself, which is older than me, and it is no longer fit for purpose—a fact that has been recognised by the chief dental officer. The current fee-per-item model is not sustainable, as it relies on high-volume turnover and does not reflect the need to prioritise prevention or give dentists the time to care.
It is a question not of more examinations but of better outcomes. The Government should really listen to the Scottish Dental Association and the British Dental Association on that point. Consultation on changes was promised two years ago, and again last year, but nothing has happened. I say to the Government: please stop promising to consult and actually do it, before stopping support of any kind—