NHS dental investment | News and events

Thousands benefit from local NHS dental investment

Thousands of local people have already benefited from local investment in NHS dentistry, thanks to NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough’s local Improvement Investment Plan backed by £6.1m in funding.

Many people across the country, including in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, find it difficult to get the NHS dental treatment they need. That’s why NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough launched a £6.1m action plan earlier in 2024, to create more dental capacity to help local people.

Since the plan’s launch over 2,470 extra patients have already been offered dental appointments through this investment, with a total of approximately13,800 patients set to benefit from additional appointments by the end of the year. This includes 1,089 new patients across the area.

Extra funding invested in orthodontic services to support their waiting lists has resulted in 260 additional children and young people getting the treatment they need, getting them off the waiting list and into the right dental practice for support.

The local NHS has also funded 2,000 extra appointments for around 500 patients who historically qualified for special dental care, helping this vulnerable group of people get the treatment they need.

Nicci Briggs, Chief Finance Officer at NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, said:

“One of the top issues that people write to us about, is how difficult it can be to find an NHS dentist in the area. That’s why we’re investing £6.1m in local NHS dentistry, helping more people get seen quicker.

“We know people who haven’t been able to get the NHS dental treatment they need are more likely to turn up at other NHS facilities for care that aren’t best placed to help them, such as their GP surgery or an A&E department. Our local action plan will therefore help free up GPs’ and A&E departments’ time so that they can focus on helping those patients that they are best equipped to help, at the same time as making it easier for local people to see an NHS dentist.”

The local Dental Access Improvement Plan is being rolled out alongside the national NHS Dental Recovery Plan, with details of the implementation of the national plan expected in due course.