The Cornwall dentist visited by Rishi Sunak is giving up adult patients on the NHS

A dental practice in Cornwall, which Rishi Sunak told during a recent visit it was taking “very significant” steps to end the dental crisis, is now withdrawing patients from its NHS services. Gentle Dental in Newquay was visited by the Prime Minister earlier this year and it was found at the time that it was not accepting new NHS patients over a certain age.

Taking only new NHS patients under the age of 18, the surgery is now cut to existing NHS patients over that age group at that surgery. The surgery has confirmed it is dropping adult NHS patients from one of its lists.

It comes after the Tory leader visited the dentist in February where he spoke about plans to improve NHS dental services. People accused Mr Sunak at the time of failing to deliver on his promise to “restore” NHS dentistry when running for Tory leader.

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Two existing patients of the surgery said they were told verbally by staff that a recent appointment would be their last as NHS patients. The elderly couple’s daughter said: “My mum and dad went to Gentle Dental last week and have been NHS patients there for years, only to be told it was their last visit as Gentle Dental was getting rid of all NHS patients .

“So Rishi Sunak’s idea didn’t work for the people of Cornwall. They can either stay on the books and pay a monthly plan or go. Of course they have to go because they’re retired.”

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At the time of the Prime Minister’s visit, Mr Sunak admitted it had “not been easy enough” for people to access dental care in recent years. During his visit to Cornwall, he promoted plans to give dentists cash to take on new patients and a £20,000 hello to work in underserved communities.

He said: “It hasn’t been easy enough for people to access NHS dentistry over the last couple of years, particularly as a result of the impact of the pandemic, which has hit dental services harder than almost anything else as they have been the hardest hit things. to continue in any form during Covid.

“This week’s announcements will make a significant difference, and quickly. Two and a half million more NHS appointments to return to pre-Covid levels, attracting dentists to work in deprived areas. This will be particularly valuable in areas like the South West where I am today.”

“Mobile vans also go to underprivileged communities. Taken together, it’s a very significant new investment in dentistry so that everyone can get the access they need.” Mr Sunak also noted that his dental plan was part of a wider effort “to reduce waiting lists in the NHS”.

Labor criticized the government in response, with shadow health secretary Wes Streeting commenting: “People are waiting longer for NHS treatment than ever before and waiting lists are 400,000 longer than when Sunak became prime minister.

“The last Labor government reduced the maximum waiting time from 18 months to 18 weeks. After 14 years of Conservative vandalism of the NHS, more patients are waiting longer than 18 weeks than ever before and the number of patients waiting 18 months has doubled in recent months and things are getting worse and worse.”

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A spokesman for Gentle Dental, which has a second surgery in Cornish at Mylor Bridge, said: “Gentle Dental in Newquay has recruited an additional dentist to join our team, who will start in September. In the last 12 months around 30 dental practices in Cornwall have handed over their NHS contracts in full and we have subsequently been inundated with NHS applicants.

“However, we continue to offer NHS treatment to new patients under the age of 18 and hope to do so for the foreseeable future. We will be reducing the number of NHS adults we can accommodate to manage the demand under our contract.”

It did not address how many of its adult patients would be affected and how it decides which patients will be dropped from the service, but it confirmed that every NHS patient at its surgery in Newquay is affected. When pressed, he clarified that “they are patients on a list of our five dentists” being dropped.