was told veterans get priority access to nhs dentists. it isn t true. i have to go private. the nhs waiting list in the south west is years long. another veteran says i retired from 40 years of military service in september 2021, i have been unable to register with an nhs or private dentist. james is saying he has ended up going private for a checkup and hygienist appointments. the service is always great, but i shouldn t have to resort to it when the nhs is supposed to be there. one more. somebody who has had to travel. steven clarke says, i have had to travel to turkey and pay for treatment there, because i can t get an nhs dentist. he says his teeth had degraded over nine years while trying to get an appointment. thank you very much for sending us comments in. you can get in touch with me about that story or any other stories we are covering today on twitter. scientists have calculated
the country, practices are really struggling to recruit dentists and support staff within nhs dental practices. in portsmouth, we have had reports that they have lost 26% of their nhs dentists. 0ne had reports that they have lost 26% of their nhs dentists. one in four of their nhs dentists. one in four of their nhs dentists. one in four of their dentists have moved away from nhs dentistry in the last 12 months. that picture is being replicated all over the country. there are many towns throughout the country that are unable to attract a single applicant for an nhs dental post. and they are waiting for years to fill those posts. and many of them have given up. we are to the british dental association want a strong nhs dental service, so that, you know, your viewers and patients can access the care that they need. sorry to interrupt. please go ahead. i think the line is a little
over ten years ago, described the nhs dental contract as unfit for purpose. it is outdated, it is target driven, it makes delivering prevention difficult, it makes it difficult for practices to see new patients. also, practices are subjected to, in many cases, tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of financial claw back if they don t meet very demanding targets in the middle of a pandemic. lots of you have been getting in touch with me about your difficulties getting a dental appointment. barry green says, i have to go to the nhs dental hospital in sheffield and let students take care of my teeth, is i can t get a dentist to take me on as an nhs patient. taylor says i have been living in wales for 13 years, can t get an appointment even privately. i am from ukraine and it is cheaper to fly there and have treatment. jeremy paul, as i was leaving the forces three years ago i
sure how much we canjudge on number of cases alone when we have reduced pcr testing, so the figure i look at is case positivity rates, so, how many of those swabs that are taken and sent for pcr are positive, and in our area it was increasing, and so what we have is a potential then, if rules are abandoned, that we will see a increase in rate and also that leads to an increase in absence, and, that has an impact on the nhs and, that has an impact on the nhs and all critical key service, because even if the isolation period is shortened you can only come back to wok if your rat trail flow is negative. for many of our staff in the area that have been positive, it has not been negative at day five and we have had some staff have had to isolate beyond day seven so it is a combination of worries, so ideally i would have liked to have see plan b go on for another week or two so we can make sure all those folk that
some are wary of going too fast, too quickly. i think it is a bit too early, because cases are still very high. i think it s about time - they lift them, you know. it s been a long couple of years now of sitting about doing nothing. - i think i would keep it in transport and crowded places like shops. the royal college of nursing is warning that dropping plan b will do nothing to ease the pressure on the nhs. but the government believes the booster programme has made a real difference, and that the 0micron wave has peaked. it will also look to end the legal requirement for people who test positive to self isolate, and replace it with guidance by the end of march. from next week, many restrictions on hospitality in scotland will be lifted. in wales, nightclubs will be able to reopen. in northern ireland, ministers are set to consider relaxations. but all nations are urging caution,