Patients from across the region gathered in Middlesbrough on Saturday (November 16) to speak to the senior minister, who kicked off a regional tour in a bid to get feedback for the new 10-Year Health Plan - designed to reform regional disparities. Following his visit, he told The Northern Echo that there are "real pressures" in the region when it comes to the NHS. Health Secretary Wes Streeting talks to locals in Middlesbrough.
(Image: DFH) Earlier this month, what was described as a "sophisticated scam" dentist was set up in Shildon - and conned locals out of cash despite no such practice existing. Trading Standards at Durham County Council at the time had five complaints about the supposed new venture and warned people to stay alert. The state of dentistry was one of the subjects included in The Northern Echo's manifesto in the run up to the last General Election, calling for the new government to fix care in our region something dentists warned was "hanging by a thread" in what was described as a "denhtal desert".
But still, as of November 17, no dentists in Darlington are accepting new NHS patients. When asked about this, Mr Streeting was surprised by the scam and claimed the government has "prioritised" dentistry. He said: "It says a lot about the rot that has set into NHS dentistry that people are setting up scams to con people out of money because they are also desperate to get a dentist.
"It’s why we’ve prioritised dentistry in our manifesto. We are going to deliv.