Welsh Lib Dems secure key victory in battle against dental waiting lists- Centralised waiting list for Wales set to be piloted in Powys

This week in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have successfully secured a centralised dental waiting list for Wales to help resolve the current dental crisis.

According to the latest figures from the Powys Teaching Health Board there are still over 4,000 adults waiting for dental care.

Speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday, Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds MS urged the First Minister Vaughan Gething to adopt a centralised dental waiting list to help curb pressures on dental services throughout Wales.

The Mid and West Wales MS also argued that by adopting this system, health boards would be better able to find dentists for those stuck on waiting lists.

In his response, Mr Gething stated that the Powys Teaching Health Board is set to pilot the suggested system dental services in July, before being adopted throughout Wales at a later date.

The party have routinely called for the introduction of a centralised waiting list to help obtain a clearer picture of the state of Dentistry care in Wales.

Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

“I very much welcome the news that the Welsh Government will be adopting a centralised dental waiting in the near future, which will help us finally tackle the backlogs affecting dental services across Wales.

I am equally proud to see that my home constituency of Powys will be at the forefront of this, with local residents being the first in Wales to benefit.

People in Wales are desperately trying to access an NHS dentist with over 4,000 adults still waiting for access to care in Powys alone.

But now with the adoption of this system, the Powys health board will now be able to find them a dentist.

It is clear to see that, without a centralised waiting list system, both the First Minister and his cabinet have no real grasp of the issues affecting dental care here in Wales.

We as a party have continually called for the adoption of this system, and we are pleased to see that these calls have not fallen on closed ears.

This is a monumental first step in our journey of delivering an effective and accessible dental service to the people of Wales.”