Let’s put NHS Dentistry to the vote
The Holyrood elections next May could signal a change in the fortunes of NHS dentistry.
The political landscape in Scotland has shifted significantly in recent years. For more than a decade, the Scottish National Party (SNP) has dominated Scottish politics, consistently winning elections and forming governments. However, recent polling and changes in leadership have introduced an element of uncertainty.
The SNP’s long period of dominance has been built on its clear pro-independence stance and its record in government. While recent polls suggest a decline in support, they still place the SNP ahead of Scottish Labour in both constituency and regional list voting intentions. The SNP’s ability to maintain a strong base of support, particularly among those who favour independence, remains its key strength. The party’s challenge will be to re-energise its support base and convince voters that it can effectively manage public services and the economy.
According to Ipsos, the SNP is still in pole position when it comes to Scottish Parliament voting intention, on 34% of the constituency vote. If replicated at the Holyrood elections next May, however, this would be a weaker performance than in 2021 when the party won 47.7% of the constituency vote.
Labour is in second place on 23% of the voting share, ahead of Reform UK on 14%. The same three parties top the regional list voting intentions, with the SNP on a 26%, Labour on 22% and Reform UK on 16%.
Labour’s strategy is to focus on domestic issues like the NHS and the cost of living, while largely sidestepping the constitutional question of independence. Its success will hinge on whether they can convince voters that they offer a credible alternative to the SNP’s long-standing rule.
As Scottish Dental was going to print, Anas Sarwar, its Scottish leader, was preparing to address dental professionals from across Scotland at Vermilion’s biennial symposium.
Unsurprisingly for a former dentist, he has strong views on the state of NHS dentistry in Scotland. He believes that the service is in crisis and is on the brink of collapse, leading to a “two-tier system” where those who can afford to pay for private care do so, while those who do not have the means are left without.
He has cited various statistics to support his view, including:
- A decline in the number of active NHS dentists.
- A significant number of patients who are registered with an NHS dentist but have gone without an examination or treatment for several years.
- Stark health inequalities, with a much lower percentage of children in deprived areas being decay-free compared with those in wealthier areas.
- A dramatic increase in calls to NHS24 about oral and dental health problems.
- Four out of five dental practices across Scotland are not accepting new NHS patients, and some health board areas have no practices taking on new patients at all.
Sarwar has blamed the Scottish Government’s funding model, which he argues is “broken” and forces dentists to take on more private work to remain financially viable. He has also stated that a key issue is the lack of incentives for newly qualified dentists to work in the NHS.
Scottish Labour’s proposed solutions include reforming the funding structure to incentivise dentists to take on NHS patients, developing incentives for newly qualified dentists to work in areas where they are most needed, expanding the Childsmile programme to better address health inequalities and ensuring that everyone can register as an NHS patient.
For its part, the SNP insists it is committed to securing equitable and sustainable access for patients to NHS dental services. In September, Jenni Minto, the Minister for Public Health, told the Scottish Parliament that its reform of payment for dental services in 2023, which introduced a prevention-based model, was delivering “high levels of service” and had been welcomed by the profession. For the year 2025-26 funding had been increased by 15%. Additional funding was also being provided from September to increase the number of domestic dental students by 7%.
It is to be hoped that the vote on 7 May next year is, indeed, helping to concentrate the minds of policymakers.
About the Editor
Will Peakin is Editor of Scottish Dental Magazine and Education Programmer for the Scottish Dental Show. Get in touch by emailing editor@sdmag.co.uk. Follow @ScottishDental on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and all of your favourite networks.
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