UEA Dental School On Hold As Govt Gets Cold Feet Over Funding
The General Dentristry Council last year gave its approval for the new dental school at UEA, and work is already underway to create the facilities for this training. Things ground to a halt however when the government said they’d not be willing to allocate the funding to ensure these places were available in time for the applications deadline in 2026, saying we all needed to wait for the government’s spending review in June. This came and went, with no word on Norfolk’s dental school whatsoever.
Lib Dem MP for North Norfolk, Steffan Aquarone
North Norfolk’s Lib Dem MP Steffan Aquarone tabled a written question to the government just after the review, but the government, stunningly, simply point-blank refused to answer it.
The dental shortage in Norfolk and Waveney is so severe that the area has been labelled a dental desert. Newly trained dentists in our area would have to serve 3000 people each based on the current patient ratios. Norfolk Lib Dems are urging the government to be true to their word and keep their promise to expand this desperately needed service.
Steffan is asking anyone with the means to fill out the government's NHS dentristry consultation, which can be found here: NHS dentistry contract: quality and payment reforms - Department of Health and Social Care
See his speech in Parliament on this issue here: