Kit Malthouse MP has met with health minister Neil O’Brien about serious problems with NHS dentistry services in Andover.
Kit emphasised the significant difficulties faced by his constituents and the long term issues that we face as a result, particularly for children, and the minister has agreed to an urgent roundtable with the local Integrated Care Board ICB.
Speaking after the meeting, Kit said:
“Lots of people have been contacting me about the lack of local NHS dentists. During my recent meeting with the health minister, I conveyed the severe and painful dental issues some residents have experienced, and stressed the long term problems that will arise in the absence of early years and childhood dentistry. The minister gets the problem and is arranging for us to meet the local Integrated Care Board in a roundtable to discuss their strategy for our town. I will be keen to see what urgent remedial action they are planning to address this.
“We are seeing massive health investment in our area, be it the brand new, up and running, multi-million-pound GP health centre at Andover War Memorial Hospital, the £6.5 million diagnostic hub (construction is well underway), or the new general hospital confirmed in Basingstoke. Now we must fix our local NHS dentistry, and I’ll keep up the pressure to make sure Andover gets the services it needs.”