MP makes case for Lincolnshire dental school as she presses Government for better NHS dentistry access in county

Dr Caroline Johnson recently met with the Minister for Patient Safety and Primary Care, Maria Caulfield, to further discuss the matter.

The Conservative member brought the topic before the Minister and the House of Commons in an adjournment debate last month – adjournment debates are an opportunity for a backbench MPs to raise an issue and receive a response from the relevant Minister.

In their subsequent meeting, Dr Johnson gave the Minister further insight into her constituents’ difficulties in accessing NHS dental care, expanding on issues such as those experienced by current and former military personnel and their families posted to the area.

She also spoke in favour of setting up a dental school in Lincolnshire as a way of helping increase the number of dentists in the county.

It is an idea she will soon be presenting to Health Education England, which oversees the education and training of the nation’s health workforce, as well as others.

She said: “I believe that it is vital to ensure we have good provision of NHS dental care, which is something many of my constituents contact me about.

“Following my positive meeting with the Minister on this important topic, I will be speaking to Health Education England, Ministers and the relevant universities about my suggestion for a Lincolnshire dental school and I will assist them in their full report to analyse the feasibility and costings.

“Although these are early steps in discussions, it is my intention to campaign actively for a dental school in Lincolnshire as it is well-known that you stay where you train and I therefore consider this to be the best long-term solution for our county.”

Dr Johnson added there are also other short-term mitigations which could help improve access to NHS dental services in Lincolnshire, and that she will be working together with other local MPs to look into this further.