Health Secretary Victoria Atkins faced a series of challenging interviews where she was questioned about the NHS dentistry budget and the current state of dental care in England. Sally Nugent of BBC Breakfast highlighted a £500 million reduction in the NHS dentistry budget since 2014, to which Atkins responded by stating the current budget is £3 billion. Despite being asked seven times, Atkins did not directly address the budget cut. Nick Ferrari of LBC pressed Atkins on the state of NHS dentistry before and after the pandemic and the number of new dentists being trained each year, a figure she was unable to provide. Additionally, Atkins was unable to confirm if she had found an NHS dentist for herself and her family, acknowledging that her constituents have faced difficulties in this regard and hinting at a new plan for dental care.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins twice refuses to say whether she has managed to find an NHS dentist for herself and her family - but admits her constituents have struggled https://t.co/lROnpd3d5i
‘We clearly need more dentists, how many are we getting a year?’ ‘You don’t know the figure.’ After a few tries, eventually @NickFerrariLBC has to tell Health Secretary Victoria Atkins how many dental school places are available every year. https://t.co/2a90GSM8qJ
Proper car crash stuff from Victoria Atkins this morning as she refused to admit seven times that the NHS dentistry budget has fallen over the last decade. Story 👇 https://t.co/tqfka7pdmy
‘It was terrible then and it’s worse now.’ @NickFerrariLBC challenges Health Secretary Victoria Atkins on the state of NHS dentistry before and after the pandemic. https://t.co/mV5WhwqOl5
'Has the budget for NHS dropped by £500 million sine 2014?' Health Secretary Victoria Atkins is questioned on #BBCBreakfast about funding for a new plan for dental care in England https://t.co/nQjndu2IS8 https://t.co/EaEUs5FWTA
Sally Nugent: Am I right in thinking the budget for NHS dentistry has dropped by £500m since 2014 Victoria Atkins: Our budget is £3b SN: Is the budget lower than it was... additional after a budget cut... it's not Labour asking you these questions, it's me #BBCBreakfast https://t.co/HdzdPUJ4Hz