13 million - or well over one in four adults – are now struggling to access care. That’s a rise from the 12 million we saw last year, and lightyears from the 4 million that was the norm pre-COVID.
Our analysis of the recently published GP Survey by Ipsos shows an estimated 5.6 million adults tried and failed to secure an appointment in the last 2 years. Nearly as many have given up trying, with 5.4 million not attempting to make appointments as they didn’t think they could secure care.
The costs of care pushed 1.25 million away, and around 780,000 indicated they were on waiting lists.
There’s precious little evidence that dentistry has ‘bounced back’ following the marginal changes rolled out by the last government, which failed to tackle the discredited NHS contract fuelling workforce and access crises head on.
In talks with the new Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP on the first working day after the election results came in, our Chair Eddie Crouch and GDPC Chair Shawn Charlwood made the case for fundamental reform, and pressed for a short-term rescue package to help keep practices afloat.
We are cautiously optimistic now that the new government has publicly admitted the NHS is ‘broken’. We are neither facing denials on the scale of the crisis, nor the role a failed contract is playing in fuelling it.
We now need to move rapidly to rescue and reform this service. We will keep up the pressure to ensure words are followed up with action.