PROVISION OF NHS DENTISTS

That this House notes the crisis in dental provision in Cumbria; expresses its concern that over half of all adults in Cumbria haven't seen an NHS dentist in the last two years whilst over one in three children in the county do not have a place with an NHS dentist; further notes South Cumbria is the worst area in the country for NHS dental places, with people in Barrow and Windermere forced to make 90-mile round-trips to the nearest NHS dentist which has available places; recognises that a primary reason for failure in provision of NHS dentists is the failed NHS dentist contract that restricts the initiation of a course of treatment to dentists alone; recognises that this creates a bottleneck that prevents patients receiving the treatment they need; urgently calls on the Government to take action to change the dental contract to enable dental technicians to initiate a course of treatment to alleviate the pressure on dentists and enable people to access the treatment they need.