'He was left without any sort of care' - York man's abscess nightmare

A YORK man was left with an untreated abscess for days because there were no emergency dentists available in North Yorkshire, his wife has claimed.

Lydia Harrison, 37, said her husband Mark struggled to eat or drink while waiting for treatment adding she knew others who have not seen a dentist in years.

York Outer’s Labour candidate Luke Charters said NHS dentistry in York was in crisis after 14 years of Conservative austerity as his party unveiled plans to improve services.

A Conservative spokesperson said they had a clear plan to improve NHS dentistry which had already created 2.5m additional appointments this year.

It comes as Labour claimed only one York NHS dental practice was taking patients but its waiting list had around 3,000 names on it, according to its research.

They claimed it means people were left facing two to three year waits for appointments in York.

The party also pointed to NHS figures showing the number of check ups in the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) area was 436,192 below target.

Labour Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it was virtually impossible to get an NHS appointment as he launched his party’s Dentistry Rescue Plan this week.

Mr Streeting said: “People are resorting to pulling their own teeth out- DIY dentistry should be the stuff of Charles Dickens’ books, not Britain in 2024.”

Mrs Harrison, of Huntington, said her husband’s experience had left her worried about the state of the NHS.

The 37-year-old said: “My husband had a really bad abscess the other weekend and he was left without any sort of care, he was able to get treatment the following Tuesday.

“I also know friends who’ve been waiting to see a dentist for years or they’ve had to pay a fortune to get a private appointment, but some have been unable to afford that.

“I know families through my work who have children aged three or four who’ve never seen a dentist, things need to change.”

Mr Charters said the situation with dentistry in York reflected a bleak national picture.

He said: “We need a radical new approach to NHS dentistry, and to work with our heroic NHS staff to fix the system.”

Labour has pledged to create 700,000 urgent dental appointments a year, incentivise graduates with £20,000 payments to attract them to ‘dental deserts’, supervise children’s tooth brushing and reform practitioner contracts.

The Conservatives have pledged to continue with their £200m plans announced in February which also include one-off payments and mobile dental vans for underserved areas.

The party has also pointed to figures showing there were 6m more courses on NHS dentristry treatment delivered in 2022-3 compared to the previous year.

The party’s spokesperson said 500 additional practices had opened their doors to NHS patients since the scheme launched.

The spokesperson said: “An unaccountable Labour majority means worse dental services like in Labour-run Wales, where 93 per cent of NHS dental practices are not accepting new patients – higher than any other nation in the UK.”