DENTISTRY IN LEEDS MUST BE HIGH ON AGENDA: MULHOLLAND

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 21st Nov 2005

Greg Mulholland will put dentistry in Leeds North West at the top of the agenda when he meets with top dentistry officials in Parliament early next month. As a new member of the British Dental Association's Parliamentary Panel, Greg will be meeting Lester Ellman, chair of the BDA's General Dental Practice Committee who is leading on the current dentists' contract discussions with Department of Health.

The meeting is particularly timely as by December:

The latest draft of the Government's new GDS contract will be available.

The Government's response to the consultation on the draft NHS patient charges regulations should be published.

The implementation of both the NHS GDS contract and patient charges regime are now less than five months away.

On joining the Parliamentary Panel, Greg said:

"With so few practices in my constituency currently taking on new NHS patients the situation is increasingly desperate and I intend to put dentistry in Leeds North West high on the agenda.

"I will be speaking to as many local practices as possible before the meeting to ensure those who work tirelessly on the ground rightfully have their voices heard.

"I'll directly communicate the concerns of the dentists I represent and will be pressing the BDA to take those concerns into their negotiations with the Department for Health."