Diagnosis and Dental Services: Witney

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

Recovering diagnostic services, including in Witney, is a priority for the Government, as part of our ambition to return NHS waiting lists to meeting constitutional standards. It is unacceptable that some patients are waiting more than six weeks for a diagnostic test.

Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing. This will include more straight-to-test pathways, increasing and expanding Community Diagnostic Centres, and better use of technology.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry and diagnostic activity, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Witney constituency, this is the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB.

I will write to the hon. Member to provide further detail.