Access to dental care locally has been a long-term concern of mine and, even before I was elected. I carried out a local survey which discovered just 31% of respondents had an NHS dentist while 97% who didn’t have access said they would like to.
From being out knocking on doors and listening, I have heard from many local people that this is an issue they face too.
The first-ever topic I raised in the House of Commons was about making sure we have the right infrastructure, including healthcare and dentistry, as new houses are built. I am pleased that locally, improvements are happening. We are beginning to turn a corner nationally thanks to the commitment of our Labour Government to provide better health care.
In 2025, nineteen practices were chosen to
provide the new 19,000 extra urgent dental care appointments in the NHS Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire ICB area, which include mydentist on Gloucester Road North in Filton.
Patients could save £225 thanks to these appointments, while dentists will be incentivised under a new standardised payment package, offering between £225-700 depending on course of treatment.
This was part of 700,000 new appointments funded by the
government nationally which since the election it has worked hard to provide.
I have also previously met with the team based locally at Bupa Dental Care to hear from them to understand the challenges they have faced.
I also have regular meetings with the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (BNSSG ICB) and Chief Executive Maria Kane, Joint Chief Executive of North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. I believe in working collaboratively and openly like this to get the best for us here.
I’ve made it a priority to raise the NHS in Parliament. If you’re interested, you can watch some of my recent contributions:
- My remarks on the urgent need to improve access to NHS dentistry here, and a full speech on the topic here
- A speech on the reform and investment needed across our public services, including the NHS, here.
- My comments on the challenges of booking a GP appointment, which you can view here.
- And my very first question in Parliament, which focused on access to NHS services like dentistry as our community continues to grow, is available here