MP to lead Parliamentary debate on Cumbria dental crisis

This Wednesday, South Lakes MP Tim Farron will hold a debate in Parliament to urge the Government to address the dental crisis in Cumbria.

According to the British Dental Association (BDA) over half of all adults in Cumbria haven't seen an NHS dentist in the past two years, whilst over 1 in 3 children in the county don't have a place with an NHS dentist.

The BDA also say that South Cumbria is the worst place in the country for access to dentists, with some people forced to make 90-mile roundtrips for their nearest available dentist in either Maryport or Thornton-Cleveleys.

Tim said: "This debate will give us a great chance to highlight the crisis we are experiencing with NHS dental care here in Cumbria.

"I'll be urging ministers to address this crisis now by investing in making NHS contracts more attractive so that we have a greater number of dentists to tackle the lengthy waiting lists.

"Local people have already paid for NHS dentistry through their taxes - it is high time that they should be able to get what they have paid for!"