WQ94501 (e) Tabled on 14/10/2024

What assessment has the Cabinet Secretary made of whether Welsh Government targets are having a positive impact on patient dental care in Wales?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care | Answered on 21/10/2024

Since April 2022 practices have been offered the opportunity to work under a variation of their UDA contract that enables them to focus on prevention and risk and need based treatment. The overwhelming majority of practices have chosen to work under these arrangements.

A key aim of our reforms is to open up access to people who have historically struggled to get NHS dental treatment. As a result of these reforms, we have been able to provide access for more than 384,000 new patients to receive a full course of NHS dental care since April 2022. A further 118,400 new patients have received urgent care since April 2023.