7. What is the Welsh Government doing to help residents in Alyn and Deeside access an NHS dentist? OQ57849

We are working on system reform in dentistry and moving forward collaboratively with the reform programme in 2022. This includes working with practices to improve access, experience and quality of dental care.

Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog, for the answer there. The First Minister explained just yesterday the challenges that we're facing in dentistry at the moment in Wales and across the United Kingdom. But residents in Alyn and Deeside are very much feeling the pinch of those challenges, and they are coming to me, as their directly elected Member of the Senedd, because they are struggling to see an NHS dentist. Will you commit today, Minister, to your officials speaking with not only the practices but also the health board, to work out a route-map to ensure that everyone who wants to see and needs to see a dentist in Alyn and Deeside can access an NHS dentist in Alyn and Deeside? 

Well, thanks very much, Jack. You'll be aware that there is real pressure on dental services, partly because of COVID and the fact that that aerosol spray really means that the spread of COVID is more likely. Recovery is happening, but obviously that is very difficult and very slow, and I acknowledge that there are areas where it's more difficult to access dental care than others.

I will be speaking and meeting with the health board chairs tomorrow, and the chief executives, and this is certainly something that I've very much got on the agenda, and I'll be making sure that they address this issue in their integrated medium-term plan proposals.

I have relatives in Flintshire who themselves have struggled to access an NHS dentist, who thankfully recently received treatment after weeks in great pain. We know that, in January, Betsi Cadwaladr insisted that action is needed to address dentistry in north Wales, after 83 dental posts were lost in Wales during the year, and the British Dental Association warned that significant numbers of dentists were planning on leaving the NHS, saying that NHS dentistry is hanging by a thread because without NHS dentists there would be no NHS dentistry. And earlier this month, Bupa Dental Care handed in notice of termination for their Flint branch, adjacent to Alyn and Deeside. It's 16 years since the North Wales Regional Committee raised concerns about a forthcoming NHS dental crisis in Wales, and here we are, all these years later, in these circumstances.

So, what action will the Welsh Government now take to engage with the British Dental Association to address their concerns with the dentistry contracts, that these reduce focus on regular check-ups, force dentists to choose between old and new patients, and fund dentists by 15 per cent less than six years ago?

Well, thanks very much. We're continuing to work with the British Dental Association to explore how the reform of the national dental contract can encourage dental practices to collaborate at a local level. I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear, in relation to Bupa in Flint, that the health board plans to recommission replacement services in the area as early as possible.

It is probably worth emphasising that we have provided an additional £3 million this financial year, and what we're seeing is, actually, dentists are not picking up that money. We're putting the money on the table, but they would rather work in their private practices, and that's a very difficult challenge for us, but we are making a longer term commitment: £2 million additional funding recurrently to support increased provision. We've also given almost £0.5 million to health boards to support dental practices to provide NHS services and to install new ventilation equipment. So, we're doing all we can. At some point—. There's more we can do. There's always more that we can do, and certainly that's one of the reasons why I have got this as one of my key points on the agenda to discuss with the health boards tomorrow.

Question 8 [OQ57838] is withdrawn, so, finally, question 9, Sam Rowlands.