Adam Evans And Nhs Dentistry

EDM number 1703 in 2003-04, proposed by Gordon Prentice on 11/10/2004.

That this House expresses its regret and disappointment at the decision of Adam Evans to abandon NHS dentistry from January 2005 and only offer private treatment from his Diamond Smiles practice in Barnoldswick; understands the shock and dismay felt by many people in the town at the loss to the private sector of a dentist whose NHS credentials were paraded with such fanfare in 2001 when his practice opened; recalls that Mr Evans sought the help and assistance of the honourable Member for Pendle in securing a grant of ú30,500 from the NHS to establish the practice, telling the honourable Member on 20th February 2001 that he felt 'there is a severe need in the Barnoldswick area for NHS dental provision'; further notes Mr Evans' statement of 25th January 2001 to the Consultant in Dental Public Health at the East Lancashire Health Authority that the grant 'will enable me to create a modern NHS practice available to all those people in the East Lancashire area who are seeking to register for NHS dental care'; believes Mr Evans has let down his patients and public alike after proclaiming so loudly his commitment to the NHS; further believes that he has cynically used NHS funds to help him set up shop in the town; calls on him to return the ú30,500 to the Primary Care Trust in January 2005 when he ceases to take NHS patients; and urges the primary care trust to take steps to establish a new NHS dental surgery in Barnoldswick to allow those patients at Diamond Smiles who wish to stay with the NHS to transfer across to the new practice leaving Mr Evans with those who are content to go private.

This motion has been signed by a total of 37 MPs.