Question reference: S5W-32452
- Asked by: George Adam, MSP for Paisley, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 9 October 2020
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Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 12 October 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when NHS dental services will be available for patients to access a full range of treatments through the NHS.
Answer
The pandemic has been an extremely challenging time for dentistry and the Government recognises NHS contractor efforts, patience and resilience throughout the period. The Government is committed to ensuring that the needs of patients to be seen for NHS dental treatment can be met, in a way that supports the good efforts of the dental community to maintain the high standards of health and safety needed to minimise the threat from COVID-19.
NHS dental services will be able to return to the High Street dental setting from 1 November to provide patients with access to the full range of treatments for all NHS patients. The Government is clear that this is not business as usual but by making available a full range of treatments for NHS patients, this enables dentists and dental teams to provide a wider range of NHS care for their patients, prioritised by clinical judgement and in line with wider public health protection measures.