Stephen Kinnock MP: speeches

Speeches

• 1 Apr 2025 · Access to Dentistry: Somerset · Hansard source

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  I am pleased to confirm that I am meeting the BDA in the coming days. The negotiations are moving forward. There is no perfect payment system, and there is a need to get the balance right between ensuring that we have a viable system that does not deliver underspends in the NHS contract, which is absurd, and that we deliver as much NHS dentistry as possible to the communities and people who need it. That is a complex process and it will take some time. The Government have taken intermediate measures, such as the 700,000 urgent appointments and supervised toothbrushing, which we will work on at pace over the course of the coming financial year while also working on a radical overhaul of the contract. By the time I came into government, the Nuffield Trust was describing the state of NHS dentistry as “at its most perilous point in its 75-year history.” As of March 2024, there are over 36,000 dentists registered with the General Dental Council in England, yet there are fewer than 11,000 full-time equivalent dentists working in the NHS.

• 1 Apr 2025 · Access to Dentistry: Somerset · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend puts her finger on the fundamental problem, which is that the NHS dental contract simply does not incentivise dentists to do NHS work. That is the fundamental reason why we are in this bizarre situation where demand for NHS dentistry is going through the roof, yet there is a consistent underspend in the NHS contract. It is a classic example of a false economy. The Conservatives thought they were being terribly clever by structuring a contract in a way they thought would deliver value for money, but in fact, it simply failed to incentivise dentists to do NHS work and they drifted more and more into purely private sector work. That is the very definition of a false economy.

• 1 Apr 2025 · Access to Dentistry: Somerset · Hansard source

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  We are very keen to ensure that targets are being met, and the ICB clearly needs to ensure that that is happening, so I would be happy to do that. Perhaps the hon. Lady could write to me so that we can get all the facts on the table, then we can take action accordingly. We will make the difficult decisions necessary to restore NHS dentistry to ensure that patients can access the care that they need, at the best value for taxpayers. Since coming into office, we have focused on implementing new initiatives and stopping the things that are not working. From today, 1 April 2025, the public will see 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments being delivered every year, as we promised in our manifesto. The urgent appointments will be available to NHS patients who are experiencing painful oral health issues, such as infections, abscesses, or cracked or broken teeth. Somerset integrated care board has been asked to deliver 13,498 of those appointments. That is 13,498 more chances for the hon. Lady’s constituents to get the urgent dental support that they need, every single year. Across the south-west region, there will be 106,776 extra appointments—that is more chances for patients in urgent need of care. However, to have a truly effective dental system, we cannot focus just on those who are already in pain; we must have a system that prioritises prevention. A cornerstone of the Government’s mission to prevent ill health is supporting children to live healthier lives. We want to ease the strain on the NHS and create the healthiest generation of children ever. As colleagues will be aware, too many children are growing up with tooth decay, which is largely preventable. That is why we have invested £11.4 million to roll out a national supervised toothbrushing programme for three to five-year-olds that will reach up to 600,000 children a year in the most deprived areas of England. The latest data shows that the rate of tooth decay for five-year-olds in Somerset is 20.2%, which is lower than the 22.4% for England but still far too high. We are taking a targeted approach to support those in the most deprived areas, which is why we have been able to allocate £50,000 of funding to Somerset to support around 2,000 three to five-year-olds. Our additional funding will help to secure and expand supervised toothbrushing based on local needs. This is extra resourcing to support targeted work by the local authority and its partners. I am determined that we will reduce inequalities faced by children living in the most deprived areas, helping them to brush their teeth daily in the nurseries and schools that they attend. Alongside this, we have launched an innovative partnership with Colgate-Palmolive, which is donating more than 23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes over the next five years. This is of incredible value for the taxpayer, and a fantastic example of how business and Government can work in partnership for the public good. A strong dentistry system needs a strong workforce. We recognise the incredible work that dentists and dental professionals do, and we know that the current NHS dentistry contract is not fit for purpose. We need to build an NHS system that works for patients and their dentists. A central part of our 10-year plan will be workforce, and we will ensure that we train and provide the staff, technology and infrastructure that the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities. We will publish a refreshed long-term workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service that we will build over the next decade, and to treat patients on time again. We know that some areas face challenges in recruiting and retaining the dental workforce they need. The golden hello scheme offers 240 dentists a £20,000 joining bonus to work in underserved areas of the country for three years. The recruitment process is well under way, with posts being filled by dentists in these areas as we speak.

• 1 Apr 2025 · Access to Dentistry: Somerset · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree. Two big things need to happen. First, the General Dental Council needs to do more to get more exams in place for those very well-qualified dentists. Of course, they have to pass the British exam. We cannot have people practising in Britain who have not passed that exam, but the availability of the exam has been too limited and that needs to change. The other thing is provisional registration. Some work can be done to expedite the registration of an international dentist, but more needs to be done on that as well. I will meet the head of the General Dental Council shortly, and I will convey those messages to him. Recruitment and retention issues are not limited to dentists; there are difficulties across the whole dental team, including dental nurses, hygienists, therapists and technicians. In the past five years, there has been a 15% reduction in courses of dental treatment being delivered across England, and 28% of adults in England—a staggering 13 million people—have an unmet need for NHS dentistry. As a result, we hear too many stories about people who are unable to access the care they need, and some horrific accounts of DIY dentistry that nobody should have to resort to. Dentistry rightly receives a lot of attention because of its dismal state, and I am grateful to the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee for their interest in the previous Government’s dentistry recovery plan. It is evident that the plan did not go far enough.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member raises an important issue. We are investing in 8,500 more mental health specialists, as well as specialists in every school, and in Young Futures hubs across the country, to ensure that we do whatever we can to prevent these tragedies.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right that shifting care from hospitals to the community is at the heart of our 10-year plan. I would be happy to meet the doctors leading this pilot to find out more about the excellent work that she describes.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right that the hospice sector has been provided with the largest capital spend in a generation—£100 million. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to children and young people’s hospices. I can confirm that hospices will play a key role in our shift from hospitals to the community, as he set out in his question.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I am very sorry to hear about my hon. Friend’s constituents’ experience. Accessing vital medicines while travelling between nations should be seamless, and I will ask NHS England to work with NHS Scotland to better understand what needs to change to make things easier for patients across the UK.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We are always looking for opportunities to unblock more capacity, and I would be happy to meet the right hon. Gentleman.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  That is a vital issue. The Casey commission will look at how best to create a fair and affordable adult social care system, and at which structural reforms will be needed where health and social care meet, because reform must always be married with investment.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Mental Health Act: Family Support · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend will be aware that we are bringing forward the Mental Health Bill, and an important part of that legislation will enable family members—when they are chosen as a nominated person—to have powers to request assessment under the Act, challenge decisions and request considerations of discharge in line with the nearest relative powers.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Mental Health Act: Family Support · Hansard source

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  I know that the hon. Member has met my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State about at least one of those constituency cases. NHS England has asked mental health trusts to review the care of high-risk patients and has published national guidance on the standards of care that are expected. Ultimately, the Mental Health Act is there to protect people and provide the necessary powers to enable clinicians to manage and support such patients—and to do so, where possible, in the community.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Mental Health Act: Family Support · Hansard source

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  When someone is detained, family involvement is extremely valuable, and families should be supported to maintain contact with their loved ones. Our Mental Health Bill will strengthen requirements to involve families in people’s care. We will require clinicians to involve patients and their families where possible when developing new statutory care and treatment plans.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for that question. I have met hon. Members from the area and made it clear that in principle we support any creation of new teaching capacity for dentistry. What I have also set out is that, before we can give an instruction to the Office for Students to go ahead with that work, we have to have the settlement of the comprehensive spending review, so we know what our financial envelope is. We will not have that until June, but certainly we will be looking at that as and when we know whether the funding will be available.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  It is shameful that tooth decay is the biggest reason for hospital admissions of children aged between five and nine, and the inequalities surrounding that are stark. On 7 March, we confirmed a £11.4 million investment in supervised toothbrushing for three to-five-year-olds. The scheme is targeted at children in the most deprived areas—those in index of multiple deprivation groups 1 and 2—and will reach up to 600,000 children. Our innovative partnership with Colgate-Palmolive will result in the donation of more than 23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes, providing outstanding value for taxpayers’ money.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right. After 14 years of Tory neglect and incompetence, far too many people are still struggling to find an NHS appointment. This Government are tackling the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care by delivering 700,000 more urgent dental appointments a year and by recruiting new dentists to areas that need them. My hon. Friend’s local integrated care board has been asked to deliver nearly 17,000 of the additional urgent appointments. I am in no doubt that she will continue to campaign tirelessly on behalf of her constituents.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  Rebuilding our broken dentistry system is a priority for this Government. We are already rolling out 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments a year, as promised in our manifesto; we have launched a supervised toothbrushing scheme for three to five-year-olds; and we are committed to reforming the dental contract and making NHS dentistry fit for the future in the long term.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  I find it quite striking when Conservative Members stand up and describe the abysmal state of NHS dentistry. It makes me think, “Well, who created this mess in the first place?” But that is as an aside. The fact is that we have the golden hello scheme for dentists to come and work in so-called dental deserts. We recognise that the fundamental problem is around incentives for dentists to do NHS work. That is why we are doing a long-term contract negotiation to ensure we have an NHS dentistry contract that is fit for purpose and where every penny allocated to NHS dentistry is spent on NHS dentistry.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  I am sorry to hear of the difficulties faced by Mr Buckley. Sadly, that is a challenge we face nationally after 14 years of abject failure from those now on the Opposition Benches. There are no quick fixes or easy answers, but we are committed to reforming the contract and helping those who need it most. My hon. Friend’s local ICB has been asked to deliver more than 46,000 additional urgent care appointments from April onwards, getting care to those constituents who need it most. The north-west has also been allocated 21 posts in the golden hello scheme to recruit dentists into underserved areas.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree. The state of NHS dentistry in our country is shameful. The golden hello scheme enables 240 dentists to receive a £20,000 joining bonus payment to work in dental deserts, and we are negotiating with the British Dental Association the long-term reform of the contract. The issue is not the number of dentists in the country, but the paucity of dentists who are doing NHS work.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend has demonstrated again that she is a tireless campaigner for the people of Aldershot, and I am sorry to hear of the challenges faced by her constituents. This Government will deliver 700,000 more urgent dental appointments a year, and will recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. My hon. Friend’s local ICB has been asked to deliver nearly 7,000 of those additional urgent care appointments in the year from April. In the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focusing on prevention and improving the retention of NHS dentists.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  As my hon. Friend says, we are delivering 700,000 additional urgent appointments. Patients are not limited to a registered practice in England, and practices are required to keep their status up to date on the NHS website. Anyone struggling to find a dentist should go to nhs.uk or call 111. It is also clear that while NHS England is not mandating an approach to the purchasing of these additional appointments, ICBs could consider either buying more appointments through new or recommissioned contracts or modifying existing contracts, and/or using flexible commissioning.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for that question and I congratulate him again on his 60th birthday. [ Laughter. ] He raises an important point on teaching and training in dentistry. There is not enough capacity in the system. We absolutely want to ensure that we are building that capacity. As I said, a lot of that will depend on the comprehensive spending review settlement in June. I would be more than happy to discuss the issue with him in greater detail once we have a better sense of where we are on the funding.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Access to NHS Dental Services · Hansard source

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  I thank the right hon. Gentleman for the constructive meeting and discussion that we had on this matter. As he will know, we are exploring the use of provisional registration for overseas dentists, and we are urging the GDC to arrange more examinations for dentists. I have a meeting set up in short order with the head of the GDC, and I will keep the right hon. Gentleman posted on that conversation.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Community Pharmacy · Hansard source

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  The right hon. Gentleman is right that a big part of the Government’s shift from hospital to community is the pivotal role that community pharmacies will play in that process. We are committed to the Pharmacy First model of enabling community pharmacies to do more clinical work, such as the type that he just described. That is at the heart of our 10-year plan.