Rowen leads delegation of Rochdale Dentists to London

Date published: 29/04/2006

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen will be leading a delegation of dentists to London to demand answers.  NHS Dentistry in Rochdale is on the brink of disaster.  Paul has demanded a meeting with Rosie Winterton, the Health Minister to urgently discuss the problem.  This is following the new contracts brought in that pay on the basis of the number of treatments performed.

Since being elected in 2005, Paul has campaigned long and hard on this issue.  He has raised the issue of the NHS dental crisis on numerous occasions in Parliament, especially when the Balderstone Dental Practice closed its doors to NHS patients a couple of months ago.  Paul said: "This is a critical point for NHS dentistry. There has been a long-term decline with the proportion of people, adults and children, registered with a dentist falling for the best part of 15 years. Here in Rochdale, the decline is hugely visible."

Paul continued: "The worry is that Rochdale children in particular will not see a dentist and will build up a lifetime's problems with their teeth. They will end up in dental hospitals and casualty units, which will be much more expensive for the NHS in the long run."

The problem with NHS Dentists in Rochdale was illustrated at the end of January when people queued for hours at the opening of a new NHS surgery in Milnrow.  Dr Shamiso Ketani, the dentist at the surgery admits to huge problems.  These problems arise from too many NHS Patients and the lack of investment from the Government.

In March, the state of NHS Dentistry was highlighted in the National current affairs programme 'Tonight with Trevor McDonald'. Paul said, "The reason that Rochdale was chosen was because of the lack of NHS Dental Services offered in the Borough.  I don't like seeing such a negative story about Rochdale hitting national headlines.  This is why we need to act and demand clear answers from the Government."