Local MP Graham Stuart has written to Dame Andrea Leadsom MP, Minister for Primary Care, to request that a Mobile Dental Van comes to Withernsea.
In February Graham met the Minister to stress the need for more NHS dental appointments across Beverley and Holderness. Following this meeting, the Department for Health and Social Care published a policy paper which set out a range of measures to make it easier for people to see an NHS dentist.
Withernsea has already benefited greatly from the Breast Cancer Screening Centre and Lung Health Check Centre coming to the town in recent months. 78% of women who were invited for a mammogram attended their appointment and more than 1300 people took up the offer of a telephone assessment to determine whether they may be at a heightened risk of lung cancer.
A study published by the Association of Dental Groups found that the East Riding of Yorkshire is one of 20 emerging ‘Dental Deserts’ with only 32 NHS dentists per 100,000 people. It is clear that the answer to shorter waiting lists is more dentists in the area which is why Graham is fighting for this Mobile Dental Van.
This is the next step in Graham’s campaign to improve access to healthcare in Beverley and Holderness. In November he wrote to the Integrated Care Board to ask for more dental appointments to take place in Withernsea Community Hospital. In December Graham chaired a meeting of local health executives to discuss ways to create more medical appointments across South East Holderness and he will be receiving an update soon on their plans to deliver this.
South East Holderness Councillors Lyn Healing and Sean McMaster commented: “After the success of the mobile Breast and Lung scanning units, this new Mobile Dentistry Unit would be a very welcome addition to the town. Dentists play a vital role in our lives, they are not just there to clean people’s teeth, they can also ensure serious illnesses are diagnosed and treated quickly. We will continue to work with Graham to improve dentistry for everyone in Withernsea and the surrounding areas.
Graham Stuart said: “We need to improve dentistry capacity in Withernsea urgently. That’s why I’m working with the Minister and the Integrated Care Board to deliver more dental appointments in the town so people get the high quality care they need when they need it.”
