Speaking during a debate in the House of Commons, Milne shared powerful testimonies from Horsham constituents struggling to access basic NHS dental care, describing the crisis as the worst in 75 years.
Following the debate John Milne MP said:
“I warned ministers today that in West Sussex, the NHS dental system is at breaking point. The workforce is shrinking, contracts are failing, and access is disappearing.
“We urgently need to reform the contract, invest in the workforce, and prioritise prevention — or NHS dentistry could vanish entirely from communities like Horsham.
Mr Milne referred to a select few of the many constituents who have contacted him. One woman, Annie, asked him, ‘When will an alternative to private dentistry be made available?’ after being forced to pay over £200 for a private tooth replacement due to a lack of NHS provision.
He also highlighted the case of Sally, whose family members were told that NHS root canal treatment was unavailable, but the same treatment was offered privately for £800 — an unaffordable sum.
The MP warned of a looming two-tier dental system where the quality of care is dictated by income — and that areas like Horsham are already there, echoing the concerns of the West Sussex Local Dental Committee.
It comes as national data reveals that 8,500 dentists have left the profession in the last four years, with a further 4,079 approaching retirement age. Meanwhile, 329 NHS dental contracts have recently been handed back, many due to financial unviability under the current system.
Last year in West Sussex, only one in three adults reported regularly accessing NHS dental care, a sharp decline from nearly 50% a decade ago. The region has over 200 full-time dental vacancies, with 84% of these in NHS roles. In a majority of key staff categories, including general dentists, nurses, and receptionists, more staff are leaving than joining.
The knock-on effects are being felt across the country. In 2024 alone, over 16,000 people were forced to go to A&E due to untreated tooth decay, and dental problems remain the leading cause of hospitalisation in 5–9 year olds.
Commenting, John Milne, MP for Horsham, said:
“This is not just a statistic or a funding line on a spreadsheet. It's about people — including many of the vulnerable, the young and pensioners — being denied the care they were promised. It’s about mothers watching their children in pain, pensioners pulling out their own teeth, and people being told they’ll have to wait months just to be seen.
Practices are also expected to face additional strain from the Labour Government’s rise in employers’ national insurance — with no impact assessment carried out before the changes were implemented.
John Milne’s party, the Liberal Democrats, are backing a £750 million rescue package to stabilise NHS dentistry. The plan includes reforming the failed NHS dental contract, bringing dentists back into the NHS, and utilising flexible commissioning to meet the real needs of patients. It would also introduce an emergency scheme to guarantee free NHS dental check-ups for eligible groups, including children, pregnant women, and low-income households.
John Milne commented:
“The Conservative neglect of NHS dentistry was unforgivable. But the Labour government’s slow drift is no better. It’s time for ministers to stop dodging this crisis and back the Liberal Democrat rescue package before it’s too late.”