Access to Dentists getting harder
January 17, 2005 12:00 AM
Figures collated by the Liberal Democrats show how difficult it has become for Thanet residents to get access to an NHS dentist. The figures show that just over half of adults and just over 60% of children in the East Kent Coastal Primary Care Trust area (Thanet and Dover Districts) were registered with a general dental service dentist on 30th September 1997. Today, after seven years of Labour Government, only 40% of adults and just over half of children are registered with a general dental service dentist.
South Thanet Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate Guy Voizey criticised the Labour Government for its failure to act. "Although the situation deteriorated in the period immediately after the Labour Government took office, this could be blamed on the disastrous system of central contracts introduced by the Conservatives", said Mr Voizey. "The reality is that in the last seven years, the Labour Government has failed to address the serious problem of access to dental services. The result is that local people are finding it almost impossible to access cheap dental services without travelling some distance".
Detailed figures are attached below:
Registrations with a general dental service dentist at 30 September in the years 1997 to 2004 in East Kent Coastal Primary Care Trust area:
Year Adults Children
1997 51.8% 61.2%
1998 44.7% 57.2%
1999 44.9% 56.9%
2000 43.9% 56.3%
2001 41.8% 53.7%
2002 40.9% 53.7%
2003 41.5% 54.0%
2004 41.7% 53.1%
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