Access to NHS dentistry remains one of the biggest healthcare challenges facing North West Norfolk. Too many residents struggle to find an NHS dentist, face long waits for treatment or have to travel significant distances to access care. Since his re-election, James has continued pressing for practical action to improve access, increase NHS dental capacity and make sure available funding delivers for local patients.
Back incentives payments to encourage dentists to work in rural areas and higher payments to take on NHS patients
Recruiting and retaining dentists remains a major challenge in rural and coastal communities, where practices can struggle to attract enough NHS dentists to meet local demand.
James has continued pressing for practical measures to improve recruitment and increase NHS dental capacity, including targeted incentive payments to encourage dentists to work in underserved areas and higher NHS payments to practices taking on NHS patients. He has raised the issue with ministers and remains in regular contact with the Independent Care Board, which commissions NHS dentistry in Norfolk and Suffolk.
James has also met with the British Dental Association to discuss dental contract reform and how changes can incentivise dentists to undertake more NHS work and expand access to NHS dentistry.
James will continue pressing for measures that make it easier to recruit and retain dentists in North West Norfolk and increase the number of NHS patients practices can treat.
Hold NHS managers to account to spend all funding to improve local access
James has repeatedly challenged NHS leaders about local dental provision, particularly the availability of emergency appointments, and pressed for greater transparency over NHS dental activity, access and the use of funding.
James has challenged NHS leaders over the use of dentistry funding. In July 2025, after learning that £7.8 million of NHS dental funding allocated to Norfolk and Waveney had been reclaimed by NHS England following an underspend, James wrote to the Minister for Care calling for the money to be returned and reinvested locally. He continues to press for NHS dentistry funding to be used appropriately to improve access for local patients.
James has successfully campaigned for improved access to urgent NHS dental treatment in North West Norfolk. Between April 2025 and February 2026, 9,895 patients received urgent dental care in North West Norfolk through the Urgent Dental Care Incentive scheme, with a further 3,350 urgent appointments delivered through Norfolk's local urgent dental care scheme. Over the same period, local practices completed 62,368 NHS courses of treatment and 277,540 patient appointments.
After pressing the Norfolk and Suffolk ICB to increase local urgent dental provision, he successfully campaign for the ICB to introduce an out-of-hours service for emergency appointments. The ICB has since opened an out-of-hours urgent dental service in North West Norfolk, available through NHS 111 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
Campaign for new dental training school locally
James has long supported the case for more dental training in the region, recognising that increasing the number of dentists being trained is essential to addressing workforce shortages in the long term. In Parliament, he spoke regularly at Health and Social Care questions to press ministers into opening a dental school at the University of East Anglia. When ministers’ delayed, he continued to request that the Office for Students assign fully funded dental training places to UEA.
He welcomed the decision to establish a new dental school at the UEA including 25 new training places. Increasing the number of dentists trained in the region is an important first step, but ensuring newly qualified dentists remain in the area and work in NHS dentistry will also be crucial.
James will continue working with healthcare professionals, ministers and the British Dental Association to support the development of the dental workforce and push for a stronger NHS dental service across North West Norfolk.
