Today you will see Twitter, Facebook and Instagram flooded with messages from cancer charities etc and you might well be thinking what can I do to help those suffering from cancer, something that makes a real impact? Hopefully you will see that this is where this campaign comes in. You can make a real difference to the lives of cancer patients by signing and sharing this petition. We already have the promise of a meeting with Jo Churchill, the Minister responsible for Dental Care but that’s not enough! We need to push for change and that means getting as much support as possible from the public and MPs ………… this is why ……….
Imagine you’re single and retired. Your only income is the State Pension of £129.20 per week and you’re not entitled to any other state benefits. You’re diagnosed with cancer and have life-saving chemotherapy. It has an effect on your dental health and now you need help from a dentist. Let’s imagine you “only” need a crown – this would cost £269.30. That’s more than 2 weeks state pension. Where would you find the money? Would you still be able to buy food, pay all your normal outgoings including heating? This is a real-life case and just one awful example of why change is needed. Has this shocked you? It did me.
That example assumes you can find a dentist that will take you on as an NHS patient. In many areas, dental practices have closed their doors to new NHS patients. In reality, cancer patients often find they have no choice than to pay for private treatment. That £269.30 can then double or even triple and that’s only the financial burden – I haven’t even mentioned the stress caused to the patient.
This is not scaremongering. These are facts.
I understand that people will be behind this important campaign but will be wondering how we can possibly ask for such a burden on the already over-stretched NHS? Well, not all cancer patients will need dental care but more importantly, if dental care and treatment is needed, having it carried out BEFORE cancer treatments begins means longer term issues, at a much higher cost, may be avoided. There is a direct link between mouth and heart health and it’s well known that chemotherapy can impact the heart too. Prevention has to be a less costly route than fire-fighting further down the line.
So today, on World Cancer Day, please can I ask you to sign this campaign and share absolutely everywhere – Twitter, Instagram, anywhere! Sharing with your local MP, asking for their support, would be fantastic too! To find your local MP’s email address, click here Suggested wording to use is:
“Dear (Name of MP)
Cancer patients receive free prescriptions for 5 years from diagnosis, as a financial support. However, they do not receive free dental treatment, at a time when chemotherapy and radiotherapy can have a devastating effect on teeth and gums. This can place a financial burden on patients at a time when household income is reduced due to undergoing treatment.
A campaign, asking for change is gaining great support: www.change.org/cancerdentalcare
Your colleague Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston is hoping to speak with MPs and committees in the next couple of weeks and I would ask for your support also.
Kind regards”