Saffron Walden MP Kemi Badenoch recently visited Walden Dental Clinic to discuss access to dental services locally.
Mrs Badenoch met with practice manager Anna Sanday and owner Milan Patel and heard about the practice's concerns.
In February the Government launched the NHS Dental Recovery Plan, as part of its long-term plan to improve access to NHS dentistry and cut waiting lists.
The plan, backed by £200 million in Government funding, sets out a package of measures to deliver 2.5 million additional NHS dental appointments over the next 12 months.
To help improve access in the short term, new dental vans are being launched to help reach more isolated communities, including in rural and coastal areas.
In the longer term, around 240 dentists will be offered one-off payments of up to £20,000 for working in under-served areas for up to three years, helping to attract new NHS dentists and improve provision of care in areas with the highest demand.
Further measures include introducing a New Patient Premium payment to incentivise dentists to treat around a million new patients who have not seen an NHS dentist in two years or more.
Trainee dental places will be expanded by 40 per cent as part of the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, as the Government looks to target the expansion into areas of the country which are underserved by the dental workforce.
The Government will also consult on wider reforms to the dental workforce and contract in 2024, aiming to ensure dental services are there to support people who need them in the future.
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Mrs Badenoch said: "Access to dental services locally is a key priority and an issue that continues to come into my inbox.
"It was useful to hear from the team at the Walden Dental Clinic on the Government’s NHS Dental Recovery Plan and some of the local issues in the town and wider Uttlesford district.
"I will continue to work with our local ICB’s and dental practices across the constituency to improve access to NHS dental care for residents."
The Walden Dental Clinic is based in London Road.
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