​The British Dental Association (BDA) has urged the new secretary of state for health and social care, Steve Barclay MP, to act now on the crisis in NHS dentistry.

In an open letter, the BDA has urged him to press ahead with announcements on modest, marginal changes to the failed NHS contract – trailed as coming ahead of Parliament’s summer recess – and move rapidly to negotiations on real reform and fair funding.

The scale of change across government is likely to have an impact on the sign-off of new policies that require input from multiple departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care and the Treasury.

The BDA has stressed only meaningful change can halt the exodus from the workforce and improve access for patients.

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