Calls for north Wales dental school rebuffed

Chris Haines ICNN Senedd reporter

Senedd members backed calls to establish a north Wales dental school but the Welsh Government rebuffed the proposal due pressures on the public purse.

Siân Gwenllian made the case for training dentists in Bangor in her Arfon constituency, warning of an urgent need to improve services in north Wales.

Ms Gwenllian hailed last week’s opening of the North Wales Medical School at Bangor University which aims to train 140 students a year by 2029.

She said a school of pharmacy will also be established in a year, with up to 100 places.

The Plaid Cymru politician described a dental school as the next natural step.

She said: “It did take some time to convince the [Welsh] Government of the need for a medical school, I do hope we can make more progress much more quickly in terms of training dentists for the future in Bangor.”

‘Even worse’

Leading a debate on October 9, Ms Gwenllian pointed to a 32-page report, entitled Filling the Gaps, which she commissioned.

She told the Senedd that 31% of dental practices in Wales have vacancies but the figure reaches 40% in the Betsi Cadwaladr health board area.

“The situation is very poor across Wales but it’s even worse in north Wales,” she warned.

Ms Gwenllian added: “We need to improve dental services urgently in the area and establishing a dental school … would contribute to meeting those challenges.”

Quoting from the report, she said: “All in all, the case for establishing a school of dentistry in Bangor is very strong, offering opportunities to have a positive impact on the health, economy and education of the region.”

‘Short supply’

Labour’s Carolyn Thomas said: “At the last try, there were no NHS dentists available in north-east Wales and they’re in short supply across north Wales.”

She told the Senedd retention is difficult for the health service because dentists only need to see half the number of patients privately to make the same amount of money.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth warned another dental surgery in his Ynys Môn constituency has decided to withdraw from providing NHS services.

His party colleague Mabon ap Gwynfor warned of a crisis in dentistry, saying a constituent had to travel from Bala to Scotland to access NHS treatment.

Llŷr Gruffydd, a fellow Plaid Cymru MS, raised concerns about a three-tier service, saying a family of four faces paying more than £500 a year just for check-ups before any treatments.

The Conservatives’ Darren Millar added his voice to calls for a dentistry school, saying: “It’s absolutely clear that we have a dearth of dentists across the country.”

‘No plans’

Jeremy Miles explained that the Welsh Government agrees the number of training places, usually 74 a year, with Wales’ only school of dentistry in Cardiff.

The health secretary, who was appointed in September, said increasing the number of places would be challenging due to financial constraints.

Mr Miles said: “There are no definite plans for such a school, this is not to rule out a second school forever – in north Wales or elsewhere – should the financial climate improve.”

He stressed that increasing dental training alone will not improve access to NHS care as he raised contract reforms aimed at people who have historically struggled to access services.

Closing the debate, Mr Miles said therapists and hygienists will play an important role in the dental workforce of the future as Wales moves to a more preventative approach.