Campaigning for Better Dental Services

1. In the short term, consider what are the options if you can’t get free treatment and how much does it cost?
2. You might want to contact local dentists to understand better why they’re not accepting NHS patients and what is the waiting list for NHS spaces.
3. To respond to the lack of NHS dental services, you could check if there are any emergency NHS dental services nearby or look for cost-reduction schemes.
4. You could speak with neighbours to see who else is affected. What is the extent of the problem? Working together with others will make your voice stronger.
5. You feel strongly that you should not have to pay for treatment. So, you arrange a meeting with a local health campaigner to explore possible actions. You could join or start a community campaign, sign or create a petition, or contact local media to highlight the problem. A petition or local campaign could put pressure on the government.
6. You may also want to reach out to your elected representatives to raise the issue.  Given this is a national problem, your MP could raise it in Parliament. MPs can advocate for better services, but they need public pressure to act.
7. Change on a national level will take time. It might be useful to draw up an action plan which specifies your objectives, most appropriate actions, timescales and resources to better coordinate your approach.