Rennie: Government breaking promises on dental charges

Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today accused the SNP government of breaking its manifesto pledge to abolish NHS dental fees, as he questioned public health minister Jenni Minto at Holyrood.

New fees which NHS dentists can charge patients were announced by the Scottish Government in July. Charges for the majority of patients who are required to pay for NHS dental treatment are set to increase from the  beginning of November. The cost of a filling will increase to £12.72, while the cost a tooth extraction will nearly double to £28.84. The SNP manifesto for the 2021 Holyrood election promised to abolish dental charges.

Mr Rennie challenged the minister to set out what the increases in patient charges will be but she declined to provide details, saying that costs depend on individual treatment plans.

Speaking in the chamber, Willie Rennie asked:

“The last time I asked the minister how many dentists would be returning to the NHS as a result of the new fee system. She didn’t know. This time I asked a very simple question: how much more will patients have to pay as a result of the retention of the charges and the increase of the charges? She still doesn’t know. Isn’t it the truth that not only have the SNP broken their promise on abolishing NHS dental charges, but they are presiding over the break-up of NHS dentistry?”

He later added:

“It was the Scottish Liberal Democrats who abolished charges for dental checks while in government. But under the SNP it is increasingly difficult to find an NHS dentist to get a check. NHS dentistry has been left to crumble. In the last three years Fife has lost of thirty dentists who were providing NHS care.

“Ministers might not want to admit it, but the  government’s response to this crisis has been to row back on their manifesto promise to abolish dental charges. They won’t set out clearly to patients what the new increased charges will be.”