Dentistry continues to be a key priority for me so I’m very pleased that planning permission has been given for a new NHS dental facility in North Cornwall. The new practice will be built just outside of Launceston in Sheers Barton and has my full support. Although it’s very early on in the process I will keep you updated as we progress. As many of you will know, the lack of available dentistry has been a historical issue for the whole of Cornwall and something which is a challenge to solve. In my experience, the NHS Dental contract brought in under the previous government has been the main issue brought to my attention by North Cornwall’s dentists, who struggled to deliver care for NHS patients due to its terms. Along with my Cornish MP colleagues, I have taken this up with the Secretary of State and senior advisors in the Department for Health and Social Care, and I am pleased that the contract has now been amended. This is a welcome initial step, but we need to go further to ensure that dentists who deliver NHS care have the best possible terms, whilst ensuring the Cornish taxpayer gets value for money.
Although we are in the middle of summer it is important to look ahead, so I’m pleased to see that the NHS has set out its Winter Plan, with new measures to speed up discharge and improve patient care as we deliver on the Prime Minister’s promise to cut waiting lists. The winter months are particularly busy for the NHS so it is vital staff can coordinate the best discharge options for patients to alleviate pressure and improve patient care. That is why the NHS is setting out its Winter Plan, which includes the rollout of ‘care traffic control’ centres to help staff coordinate the best possible discharge options by bringing together teams from the NHS, social care, and voluntary services. This will help staff offer patients everything they need in one place, whether that is at home or in social or community care. The announcement builds our Long Term Workforce Plan and other winter preparations that are already underway, with over 800 new ambulances and 5,000 more hospital beds set to be in place to ensure patients receive the best possible care this winter as we work to cut waiting lists.
My team and I are always available to help you with casework and constituency matters. If there is something you would like me to look into on your behalf, or if you are having trouble contacting the government about benefits, health care, or anything else, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me via scott@scottmann.org.uk. I provide regular updates to the work I do on your behalf in Parliament and North Cornwall on my website www.scottmann.org.uk and on social media at www.facebook.com/TheRightMannForNorthCornwall.
