Scot Lib Dems reveal soaring waits for dentistry treatment

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today revealed that the patients have waited more than three years for dental treatments as he called on the Health Secretary to deliver a new recovery plan to help the sector recover. 

Freedom of information requests submitted by Scottish Liberal Democrats reveal that:

• For inpatient and day case treatments, the longest a patient had to wait in 2022 was 146 weeks in NHS Borders, up from a longest wait of 67 weeks in 2019, which was recorded by NHS Tayside. 
• At least 11 health boards recorded patients having to wait more than a year for treatment, while average waits have also increased in at least eight health boards.
• For outpatient treatments, the longest a patient had to wait in 2022 was 169 weeks in NHS Lothian. Average waits have increased in 12 health boards.

Commenting on the figures, Alex Cole-Hamilton said: 

“The SNP are abandoning NHS dentistry. These figures show that over the past four years, long waits have soared. Scots are being left in pain. 

"Ministers are so obsessed with their plots to break up the UK that any pretence of doing the day job has fallen by the way side.

"Scottish Liberal Democrats are now calling for a rewrite of the NHS Recovery Plan so that dentists are properly recognised and fresh resources are provided for our NHS to tackle these long waits.”