Access to Dentistry

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:06 pm on 8 December 2020.

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Photo of Darren Millar Darren Millar Conservative 2:06, 8 December 2020

First Minister, the issue of dentistry is a very hot topic in the Clwyd West constituency at the moment as a result of an announcement by Bupa Dental Care UK that they're going to be closing their clinic in Colwyn Bay. That's going to affect around 12,000 people in my constituency, and they've been advised by the local health board that they should seek to register with other NHS dentists in the north Wales area. Having contacted those dentists, they're told that they're not taking on extra patients. I heard what you said in response to Carwyn Jones's questions, but the reality is that you should have been training more dentists over the past decade; you shouldn't be having to rely on dentists coming in from overseas. If we had trained sufficient numbers—and you've been responsible for workforce planning for the past 20 years—then we wouldn't be in the pickle that we're currently in, with a shortage of dentists across Wales. 

Now, I've asked to meet with your health Minister and the chief dental officer to discuss the situation in Colwyn Bay, and they've refused to accept my request for a meeting. So, can you tell me what action is your Government taking to make sure that we've got sufficient numbers of dentists being trained in Wales now to meet the future needs of the Welsh population? And how can you reassure people in Colwyn Bay that they'll have access to NHS dental services as and when they need them in the future?