Welsh Lib Dems call for end to ‘dental drought’
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called for an end to what it calls “the dental drought” in Wales.
According to the latest figures from the Powys Teaching Health Board, there are currently 4,295 adults waiting to see a dentist, while in Cardiff and the Vale the most recent figures available list 15,500 people waiting to be allocated a dentist.
The Welsh Lib Dems are urging voters to send a “powerful message” to both the Welsh Labour Government and UK Conservative Government who it says have both failed to give dentistry the priority it deserves.
The party’s plans for solving the dental crisis in Wales include better recruitment and retention of dentists and more support for local services.
Waiting list system
Party Leader Jane Dodds MS also highlighted the success of getting the Welsh Government to implement a national waiting list system that allows health boards to assign a patient with a dentist quicker, something which the party had called for in the Senedd.
MS Dodds said: “The lack of available dentist services has effectively turned parts of Wales into a dental desert.
“People in Wales are desperately trying to access an NHS dentist with over 4,000 adults still waiting for access to care in rural Powys alone and even in urban areas like Cardiff, thousands are languishing on waiting lists.
Powerful message
She added: “This election will give voters here in Wales the opportunity to send a powerful message to the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay and the UK Conservative Government in London, both of which have utterly failed to get to grips with this issue.
“We want to end this drought in services by taking direct action in resolving this crisis, by recruiting and retaining more dentists and investing in local services.
“We as a party have already successfully pushed for a national waiting list system, which will allow health boards to assign a patient to a dentist more quickly.
“The implementation of a national waiting list is just the first step in our journey of delivering a better dental service to the people of Wales.”
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The lib-dems can foxtrot oscar!
They started the uk on the long road to where we are now by going into coalition with the tory scum back in 2010. They cannot be trusted to not do the same again!
I disagree, because in the political circumstances created by the outcome of the 2010 Westminster election the Lib Dems had no credible alternative other than to accept Cameron’s “big open and comprehensive offer” to them to enter into coalition. At that time, given that an alliance with Labour was then wholly unfeasible, no other response was possible for the Lib Dems without facing the politically fatal charge that their party had prioritized its ideological purity over the national interest at that time. I was a Lib Dem member back then, and I supported the party’s decision to enter the coalition.… Read more »