England’s ‘dental deserts’ are just the latest blow. We have to learn from other countries that are getting healthcare right
Now England has “dental deserts”. According to the Association of Dental Groups, large areas of the country are devoid of their care. Dentists are leaving the NHS in record numbers – more than 2,000 last year alone – leaving an estimated 4 million patients having to go private, dial 999 or just suffer.
Not a week passes without a bad news cloud enveloping Britain’s healthcare systems. This is partly shared with pandemic-hit services worldwide, but the British headlines seem particularly awful. The Shropshire maternity hospital horror piles on to the scandals of PPE procurement, care home Covid deaths, epilepsy drug failures and children’s mental health services being “at breaking point”.
Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist, author and BBC broadcaster
