Only two dentists sign up for NHS work in region

Just two private dentists signed up to provide NHS dentistry as part of a government drive in Greater Manchester.

Despite a £20,000 "golden hello" on offer for practices that got involved, the response to the scheme was "embarrassing", said Liberal Democrat Hazel Grove MP Lisa Smart.

The government said it recognised there was "a long way to go" to recruit NHS dentists, of whom there is a national shortage.

Junior health minister Stephen Kinnock said there had been an "absurd" £392m underspend on NHS dentistry before Labour came to power because private firms were not being incentivised to take on NHS patients.

Smart told MPs the scheme has "recruited two dentists, two in the whole of Greater Manchester, neither of which is in my constituency".

Kinnock said he had now "got the underspend down to £36m".

Dentists in Greater Manchester predicted two years ago that the scheme, which is available to available to up to 240 dentists - about 1% of the workforce - was not an attractive proposition.

Salford-based Dr Jeremy Cooper warned in February 2024 that he did not think the payment over three years was "going to crack it", as the cost of setting up a practice was too expensive.

He said there was "no quick fix" as costs have "risen exponentially".

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