Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Lindsay Whittle says more and more NHS dental patients are contacting him worried about their dentists moving to private care only.
Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Lindsay Whittle says more and more NHS dental patients are contacting him worried about their dentists moving to private care only.
The Caerphilly Senedd Member said that he’d been inundated with appeals for help from constituents although Lindsay Whittle admits there is little that can be done in the short term to ease the NHS dental crisis.
It comes in the wake of a Freedom of Information response from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board last month that revealed more than 100 people in the Caerphilly area were on a NHS dental waiting list. The longest patient had been waiting since May, 2025.
Lindsay Whittle said: “I share people’s frustration with dentists across Caerphilly dropping regular NHS patients. They feel that the new NHS Wales dental contract and its funding arrangements, prevents them from being able to continue to see long term NHS patients. The situation in Caerphilly is being replicated across Wales and I am deeply concerned by the scale of this problem.
“Unfortunately I cannot offer a solution that can change and reverse the situation quickly. I’m not able to reverse any decision of a private dental practice to switch to all private and remove NHS patients. Indeed, I’m a private patient myself now.
“Problems with NHS dental provision and capacity have been building for many years. Reforming dentistry is a top priority for Plaid Cymru and I will raise these real concerns.
“If Plaid Cymru forms a government this May, we will move to review the guidelines outlined in the new dental contract. We believe the NHS should provide a service that is proactive, not just reactive. To fix the system, we must address the "brain drain" of dental professionals. Our plan includes:
- Training Our Own: We have committed to creating two new dentistry schools. This will ensure we are training staff here in Wales to stay and work in Wales.
- Restoring Capacity: By increasing the number of qualified dentists, we can ease the pressure on current practices and return to a schedule of check-ups that prioritizes your oral health.
- NHS Focus: Plaid’s goal is to ensure that NHS dentistry remains a viable, accessible option for everyone in our community, not just those who can afford to go private.
“In the meantime, I am encouraging people to sign up and access the NHS Wales Dental Portal to check where they are best able to access NHS services.”
The link to the dental portal is https://dhcw.nhs.wales/product-directory/our-digital-services/dental-access-portal/