– in the Scottish Parliament at on 2 November 2023.
Foysol Choudhury
Labour
5. To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that dentists are suitably funded to be able to continue taking on NHS patients, in light of reports that some dentists in Edinburgh are ceasing to accept NHS patients altogether. (S6F-02489)
Humza Yousaf
Scottish National Party
That is a serious problem, which has been exacerbated by the global pandemic. I am pleased to say that there has been an improving picture in NHS dentistry since the pandemic. Building on that progress is an absolute priority for the Government. We have been working closely with the British Dental Association Scotland and the wider sector on payment reform, which launched just yesterday. That is the most significant change to NHS dentistry in a generation and it provides practitioners with a whole new suite of fees that are designed to provide a full range of care and treatment to NHS patients.
I am confident that reform will provide longer-term sustainability to the dental sector and will encourage dentists to continue to provide NHS care, helping to further mitigate some of the access challenges that we are seeing.
Foysol Choudhury
Labour
My constituent Claire was informed that her dentist would be privatised from January and that her family would need to start paying monthly fees or leave the practice. That is not an isolated case; another family in the west of Edinburgh was also informed that their dentist would be privatised. Neither family has been able to find another dentist in their area who will take on NHS patients.
Can the First Minister outline what action the Scottish Government has taken to support dentists and their staff to ensure that their services remain accessible for all?
The First Minister:
As I have said, the issue that Foysol Choudhury has raised is extremely important. I hope that, when we can provide him with the details of the payment reform, he will see that we are doing our very best in our work with the sector to incentivise NHS dentistry. For example, a dentist who provides a full set of dentures will now receive £366.80, which is an increase of more than 60 per cent. We have increased the fee for providing surface fillings by almost 45 per cent. We are trying to incentivise NHS dentistry because of the issues that Foysol Choudhury is right to mention.
We are also working with the BDA and others on the recruitment and retention of dentists, particularly in areas where we know that the problem is most acute. I will ensure that the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care writes to Foysol Choudhury with a full and detailed response on all the actions that we are taking in that regard.
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