Warning withdrawal of Covid support will ‘devastate’ dentists

The withdrawal of Covid support and a return to pre-pandemic ways of working will “devastate” dental surgeries in Scotland, a trade union has warned.

Delivering high volumes of care is “simply unsustainable under current conditions”, the British Dental Association Scotland said, after health secretary Humza Yousaf wrote to dentists on Thursday indicating that all emergency support provided during the pandemic will be withdrawn from April 1, 2022.

With continued high demand and growing incidents of abuse from frustrated patients not able to get appointments, this move may push NHS staff into the private sector or out of dentistry, the union said.

“The Scottish Government seems set to pull the rug out from under every dedicated NHS dentist,” said David Mccoll, chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee.

“If ministers had an objective to decimate NHS dentistry, this approach would offer a great starting point.

"To signal the return of a ‘business as usual’ model when the country is still in the grip of a pandemic is utterly reckless.

“Ministers put NHS dentistry front and centre in their pitch for government. To deliver on their promises we need real commitment to find a new and better way for delivering for patients that need us.”

Opposition MSPS urged the Scottish Government to reconsider its plan.

Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie called on Mr Yousaf to “think twice and heed the calls of our hard-pressed NHS dentists”.

She said: “For the government to remove support before practices are back on their feet is dangerous and damaging."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Our commitment as a Government is to build back NHS dentistry, and ensure NHS dental teams are focused on the need to tackle the backlog in routine dental care, our plans will help them to see more patients face-toface.

“This latest package builds on recent announcements with a particular emphasis on children and tackling oral health inequalities.”