'United' Somerset Council urging more action on NHS dental crisis
In a letter to the health secretary, they outline the challenges facing local people - and calls for reforms to the NHS dental contract
Last updated 6th May 2025
Somerset Council leaders are urging the government to act on the dental crisis.
In a letter to the health secretary, they outline the challenges facing local people - and calls for reforms to the NHS dental contract.
The cross-party appeal to the Government follows the findings of a report by NHS Somerset which calls for urgent reforms to the NHS dental contract in light of the worsening access to NHS dentistry across the county.
In a letter sent to the Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, the Council outlines the mounting challenges facing Somerset residents, including lengthy waiting times, rising costs, and a shortage of NHS dental provision.
The appeal is backed by evidence gathered from Healthwatch Somerset, which surveyed over 1,100 residents and found that 71% had struggled to access NHS dental care in the past year.
The letter was written after NHS Somerset presented the findings in its Somerset Dental Recovery Workplan report at an Adults and Health Scrutiny Committee meeting, where it was resolved that the leader of the Council should, in collaboration with all political parties at the Council, advocate for meaningful reform of the dental contract by writing to the Government.
The Council is urging the Government to deliver meaningful reform to the NHS dental contract, first introduced in 2006, which has been criticised for disincentivising care for high-need patients and pushing dentists towards private practice.
Cllr Bill Revans, Leader of Somerset Council, said: "We are united across all parties in Somerset in calling for immediate and lasting change. Dentistry in Somerset is at breaking point, and far too many residents are being left behind—particularly the most vulnerable. We need a revised national contract that puts patients first, supports the workforce, and ensures no one is denied the care they need due to geography or income."
Despite local innovations such as supervised toothbrushing programmes in schools and targeted recruitment incentives, the authority say Somerset’s dental system continues to operate under immense strain.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We inherited NHS dentistry services left broken by years of neglect. Through our Plan for Change, we are working to rebuild the sector and expand access.
“We are already rolling out an extra 700,000 additional urgent dentistry appointments to help those who need it most and introduced a supervised toothbrushing programme to prevent tooth decay in young children in the most deprived communities.
“We will also reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients.”