Labour pledges to scrap dental check-up charges
3 min read
Labour have vowed to scrap frontline charges for dental services as part of a major overhaul of NHS services unveiled by the party.
Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth said giving the "free teeth MOT" to all adults in England would reduce barriers to access and help bring an end to "DIY dentistry".
Currently, one in five adults delay visiting the dentist as often as they should by the £22.50 cost, according to the party.
And they said the policy, estimated to cost £450m-a-year, would also reduce the number of children attending hospital due to tooth decay.
"It's shocking that so-called 'DIY dentistry' is becoming so commong with people resorting to doing their own fillings and seriously risking their teeth deteriorating further," Mr Ashworth said.
"With 135,000 patients presenting at A&E with dental problems every year, it's time we put prevention at the heart of our approach to dental health."
He added: "People should not be risking their teeth because they can't afford the care. With Labour dental check-up fees will be scrapped as we help live healthier lives."
But a Conservative spokesperson hit back at the plans, saying: "Dental check-ups are already free for those who don't have the means to pay.
"Labour's plans will force taxpayers to foot yet another bill amounting to hundreds of millions pounds, simply to extend to people who can already afford it."
Jeremy Corbyn said the plans were the "first step" to making all dentistry services free, as he pledged a further £26bn cash injection to the NHS over the next five years.
NHS PROTECTION VOW
It comes as part of a major overhaul of NHS policy, with the Labour leader vowing to introduce a new "protection" law to ensure US pharamaceutical companies cannot get access to UK healthcare services as part of any pro-Brexit trade deal.
Writing in the Observer, the Labour leader said: "Mega-corporations see Boris Johnson’s toxic alliance with Donald Trump as a chance to make billions from sick people in Britain and around the world."
He added: "Our public services are not bargaining chips to be traded in secret deals. I pledge that a Labour government will exclude the NHS, medicines and public services from any trade deals – and make that binding in law."
The party are expected to set out the policies in full when they unveil their general election manifesto on Thursday.
The Labour leader was facing a potential split among his senior team over the document after a row broke out over the party's future stance on freedom of movement after Brexit.
Senior trade unionists had hoped to curb the number of people coming to the country after Brexit in a bid to protect jobs, while other top Labour figures, including Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott had argued for open migration to the European Union to continue.
The Sunday Times reports that the party has shelved a conference pledge to "maintain and extend" freedom of movement, with the party instead committing to maintain EU freedom of movement if voters back Remain in a second Brexit referendum.
If the country voted to Leave, Labour would reportedly "renegotiate" Britain's migration policy to emphasise citizens' rights and clampdown on the exploitation of workers.
But speaking on Saturday evening, Mr Corbyn said an agreement had been reached on the document, saying: "I'm proud that we've just finalised our manifesto and I can't wait to publish it next week.
"This General Election is a once in a generation chance for real change in our society for the many, not the few."
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