EXCLUSIVE: No dental practices in Makerfield are taking on new NHS patients as polling suggests it’s a key issue in the most important by-election in recent political history
12:50, 05 Jun 2026Updated 12:53, 05 Jun 2026
Lack of dentists in Makerfield could decide key by-election
Lack of dentists could be a key issue to decide the Makerfield by-election for Andy Burnham, polling suggests.
A probe by the British Dental Association (BDA) also found no dental practices in the constituency are taking on new adult NHS patients.
Polling by Survation for campaigning organisation 38 Degrees lays bare how it is a major issue on the doorsteps in the most important by-election in recent political history in Britain.
A phone poll of 500 Makerfield constituents found 63% of voters were concerned they will not be able to access affordable dental care on the NHS. Only 32% said they were not concerned.
Separately, the BDA contacted all dental practices listed on the NHS website as accepting new NHS patients and found none were right now due to waiting lists of up to two-and-a-half years. The BDA said the only location in the constituency where NHS dentistry is available is Hindley Prison.
Andy Burnham is standing in key by-election which could help decide the next Prime Minister(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said: “The only place new adult patients stand any chance of getting NHS dental care in Makerfield is behind bars. This Government has made the right promises. But warm words need to be met with action, and pledges need to be underpinned by proper funding.”
It comes as it was confirmed our Dentists for All campaign will be debated in Parliament in response to a Mirror petition which has gained more than a quarter of a million signatures.
A week on Monday will see the dental access crisis debated in the House of Commons, citing the Mirror petition ‘Save NHS dentistry and make it fit for the 21st century’ which has now been signed by 262,000 people.
The last decade saw most dental practices in England stop taking on new NHS patients(Image: Getty Images)
The petition was launched after a decade of real terms cuts under previous Tory governments which left a £3 billion funding pot for NHS dentistry in England which is only enough to provide care for half the population.
Labour has not yet committed to increasing it substantially but is working on reform of the hated NHS dental payment contract in England that results in dentists making a loss on some complex procedures. The flawed contract system and lack of funding has triggered an exodus of NHS dentists to the private sector.
Labour’s Andy Burnham is standing in Makerfield and this week confirmed his intention to challenge Sir Keir Starmer as leader and Prime Minister if he wins.
His main challenger in Makerfield is the Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon who has been embroiled in controversy over historic social media posts.
Reform UK’s policies on the NHS are unclear but they have not committed to increasing funding. The party’s leader Nigel Farage has suggested he would scrap the NHS funding model and move towards an insurance based system but that this would remain “free at the point of delivery”.
Veronica Hawking, campaigns director at 38 Degrees, said: “All eyes are on Makerfield right now, and with a by-election underway, politicians of all parties must listen to voters’ concerns.
“Two thirds of people here are worried about a lack of access to affordable NHS dental care, and it is clear that whoever the next MP for Makerfield is, they must fight for this to change. In Makerfield and in every other constituency, we should all be able to access the NHS dental care we need, when we need it.”
Both Labour and Reform UK have been approached for comment.
Dentists for All campaign
Sign our petition
FUND NHS DENTISTRY NOW!
Our 3 demands
Everyone should have access to an NHS dentist
More than 12 million people were unable to access NHS dental care last year – more than 1 in 4 adults in England. At the same time 90% of dental practices are no longer accepting new NHS adult patients. Data from the House of Commons Library showed 40% of children didn’t have their recommended annual check-up last year.
Restore funding for dental services and recruit more NHS dentists
The UK spends the smallest proportion of its heath budget on dental care of any European nation. Government spending on dental services in England was cut by a quarter in real terms between 2010 and 2020. The number of NHS dentists is down by more than 500 to 24,151 since the pandemic.
Change the contracts
A Parliamentary report by the Health Select Committee has branded the current NHS dentists’ contracts as “not fit for purpose” and described the state of the service as “unacceptable in the 21st century”. The system effectively sets quotas on the maximum number of NHS patients a dentist can see as it caps the number of procedures they can perform each year. Dentists also get paid the same for delivering three or 20 fillings, often leaving them out of pocket. The system should be changed so it enables dentists to treat on the basis of patient need.
Have you had to resort to drastic measures because you couldn’t access an NHS dentist? Are you a parent struggling to get an appointment for a child? Email [email protected] or call 0800 282591
