As a Cheshire West and Chester Councillor, I have been asked by a local resident, who’s life was put in danger due to a lack of access to NHS dentistry locally, to launch an urgent public campaign. This lack of accessibility locally pre-dated the first COVID lockdown and has a much greater impact on those that cannot afford the money or time off work to travel to NHS provision in another town. In one instance, in the lead-up to their mouth cancer diagnosis, my resident was directed to travel on twelve separate buses from Winsford, in pain, just to be seen. Government have failed to listen to dentistry professionals and patients and allowed this crisis to build up over many years.

Regular, accessible dentistry has a direct impact on wider health outcomes and lack of access can, as in the case of my resident, be life-threatening. Help us demand Government listens to professionals and patients and urgently addresses inadequate accessibility and the scandal of disproportionate lack of local access in poorer communities and the health impacts on those already at greater risk of illness and premature deaths. This is an issue of access but also of equality of access, which government contract restrictions and lack of will and adequate funding are only making much worse. We have tried approaching our local MP for support to get this addressed but neither they nor NHS England have provided any answers or any commitment to sort this out. Please sign to show you are with us in seeking to draw attention to this urgent and worsening problem. Thanks.

Mandy Clare and Philip Carden