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<p>In the 24 months to June 2023, 1,099,769 adults were seen by a National Health
Service dentist in the Northeast and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), the
equivalent to 46% of the population. This figure is 10% higher than the year before,
as in the 24 months to June 2022, 996,298 adults were seen by an NHS dentist.</p><p>On
7 February 2024, we published Faster, simpler, and fairer: our plan to recover and
reform NHS dentistry, which is backed by £200 million, and will fund approximately
2.5 million additional appointments. The plan sets out our actions to improve dental
access for patients across the country, and to address the challenges facing NHS dentistry,
including in Easington.</p><p>A New Patient Premium is supporting dentists to take
on new patients, and since the end of January, nearly 500 more practices have said
they are open to new patients. We have further supported dentists by raising the minimum
Units of Dental Activity rate to £28 this year, making NHS work more attractive and
sustainable.</p><p>From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary
care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all
ICBs across England. The Northeast and North Cumbria ICB is responsible for having
local processes in place to identify areas of need, and determine the priorities for
investment across the ICB area.</p>
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