Member of the Senedd for Monmouth, Peter Fox, has called for clarity on the Welsh Government’s new dental contact proposals.
Mr Fox stated that he has received several emails from concerns residents about the proposals, which in their previous format suggested that patients would need to travel for miles to get to their appointments.
This aspect has since been removed, which has been welcomed by the Monmouth MS, but he highlighted to the Welsh Government that at the time they said ‘it will make NHS dentistry more attractive to dentists and that is good for patients.’
Peter Fox queried that if the Welsh Government got this so wrong, how do the people of Wales know they are not making similar decisions and mistakes elsewhere in our health services?
In his question to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on Tuesday, the Monmouth MS referenced Doctor Bassett, who on Radio Wales had said that dentists in Wales will still have to continue to deliver NHS services at a loss.
Mr Fox asked if the Welsh Government believed the new contract is a sustainable way forward for residents to retain access to NHS provision across Wales.
Local MS for Monmouth, Peter Fox, has said:
“Access to dental services in Wales has been a very hot topic for a number of years, but my inbox has been inundated with concerns in recent months.
“The recent proposals by Welsh Government, that would have seen patients potentially travelling all over the county for different stages of their treatment were naïve and un-workable. I called them out on it at the time, and put concerns forward to Ministers.
“I am pleased to see that aspect has been removed, but I have serious concerns that if the Welsh Government got this so blatantly wrong, how do we know they are not making similar mistakes when it comes to managing our health services?
“We need clarity on these plans once and for all, and assurance that any new contract will ensure a sustainable way for Welsh patients to retain their NHS dental provision.”
