Nuffield Trust response to PAC report on dental recovery plan

Responding to the Public Accounts Committee report on DHSC and NHSE's 2024 dental recovery plan, Nuffield Trust Chief Executive Thea Stein said:

"We warned more than a year ago that NHS dentistry in England had fallen apart as a universal service, and small tweaks could not bring it back. This report today from the PAC confirms the worst, with little to show or even steps backwards. Our recent British Social Attitudes survey results with NatCen and The King's Fund show that the public see the state of dentistry quite clearly. Satisfaction has plummeted to yet another record low of just 20% [1]. Dissatisfaction is at 55%, the highest for any NHS service.

"We have a broken contract which doesn't pay dentists enough to deliver care even when there is money available, and which creates dental deserts across England. As the PAC notes, that needs to change fundamentally. If governments are not willing to put in the billions required to bring back dentistry for everyone, we also need a serious conversation about who should be first in line. That might mean a service which focuses most on bringing back services for those who cannot afford private dentistry, and vulnerable groups like children."