Tory minister proposed £10 monthly patient charge to fund NHS dentists

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A Tory health minister floated a £10 monthly charge for patients to fund NHS dentistry, just weeks before Rishi Sunak called the election.

Andrea Leadsom, the minister for primary care, who is standing down as an MP, suggested the insurance-style scheme with a monthly premium during government round-table events.

NHS dentistry services are at the centre of an escalating crisis, with reports of patients extracting their own teeth and rising levels of tooth decay.

Earlier this year, a survey of 53,073 year 6 children in England, by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, revealed 16 per cent had experienced decay, with those living in the most deprived areas of the country more than twice as likely to have problems.

According to reports first published in the Health Service Journal (HSJ), Ms Leadsom floated the idea of a dentistry insurance scheme at meetings held by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The Independent understands the round-tables took place as recently as April.

One source told the the HSJ: “They are framing this as some kind of pre-payment or quid pro quo, but of course, we already pay for the NHS through income tax, and in general that is a much more equitable way of doing it.”

The DHSC declined to comment.

Jacob Lant, chief executive of National Voices, which represents NHS patients across England, said: “Any proposals to change the existing charging structures and amounts would need serious analysis to ensure that existing health inequalities are not exacerbated.”

In May, the government published a consultation on proposals to require dentists to work in the NHS for several years after graduating.

The proposal provoked a backlash from the British Dental Association, which warned it would “shackle graduates to a service facing collapse” and said the plan would do little to improve access to NHS care.

The association said an insurance scheme would not meet the challenges facing dental services in the UK.

Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said: “Sunak and his Conservative colleagues have previously proposed charging patients for GP appointments and admissions to A&E. The public deserve to know what the Conservatives are planning for the NHS if they are given another five years.

“Working people can’t afford another Tory tax rise. Labour’s rescue plan will provide 700,000 extra emergency appointments, funded by clamping down on tax dodgers and non-doms, and restore NHS dentistry in the long-run.”

Last year the Labour party promised to offer incentives for new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need.

The Conservative Party was approached for comment.