Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of NHS dentists in Hendon constituency.

The provision of National Health Service dental services has been limited since 8 June 2020. Dental practices are currently focussing first on urgent care and vulnerable groups, including children, followed by overdue appointments.

We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement to increase activity levels as quickly as possible based on evidence on the levels of care that can be provided safely whilst protecting staff and patients from the risk of COVID-19 transmission. NHS England and NHS Improvement are reviewing current capacity and the potential for extra commissioning to support access to NHS dentistry in London. Over 40 urgent dental care hubs are continuing to deliver care to patients and this service has been extended until March 2023 to continue the provision of urgent treatment. Work has also begun to identify the challenges facing the longer-term recovery of NHS dental services in London.