The Telegraph
The SNP’s plan to scrap charges for NHS dentistry could mean cuts to services and may see more patients forced to turn to the private sector for treatment, Anas Sarwar has warned. The Scottish Labour leader, who worked as an NHS dentist in Paisley before entering politics, said he supported the principle of free care but was concerned at a lack of detail announced by Nicola Sturgeon. A pledge to scrap dentistry charges, expected to cost £100 million a year initially, was one of a series of expensive giveaways included in the SNP manifesto last week. Mr Sarwar warned the policy could prove counterproductive if it was not implemented properly, and said the nationalists had a track record of failing to properly fund services. “The devil is in the detail,” said the Glasgow MSP. “What risks happening is, and this has happened too many times under this government already, is you reduce the number of treatments that are available on the NHS, meaning you're pushing more people to getting private treatments. "I think we need to see the detail of what this policy means in practice before we can make a wider comment on whether it is fit for purpose or not.
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