Labour MP Mary Creagh has highlighted new NHS dentistry figures for Coventry and Warwickshire, saying the area is now performing strongly on access after years of concern nationally about patients struggling to find an NHS dentist.
The Coventry East MP said more than 680,000 NHS dental treatments were delivered across Coventry and Warwickshire in 2025-26, while more than 363,000 patients accessed NHS dental care over the past two years.
Creagh said:
“Coventry and Warwickshire is leading the country on NHS dentistry.”
She added that the area was the highest-ranked in England for people successfully getting an NHS dental appointment, describing the figures as evidence that Labour’s NHS plans were delivering locally.
NHS dental activity rising nationally
Official NHS Business Services Authority figures show that NHS dental activity increased across England in 2025-26.
There were 37.6 million courses of treatment, up 6.2% on the previous year, while 25,419 dentists recorded NHS activity - an increase of 3.1%.
However, access remains a substantial national challenge. Only 18.8 million adults - around 40% of England’s adult population - had seen an NHS dentist during the previous two years, while 60% of children had been seen during the preceding 12 months.
Against that backdrop, Creagh is pointing to Coventry and Warwickshire as an area where access is comparatively strong.
Coventry and Warwickshire previously among strongest performers
The area has built up a comparatively strong record on dental access. Coventry and Warwickshire health officials had already described the integrated care system as one of England’s highest-performing areas for dental access and recovery before the latest figures were published.
Creagh’s figures suggest that performance has continued, with hundreds of thousands of local patients receiving NHS care.
Government pursuing wider dental reform
The improvement comes as the Government continues reforms aimed at expanding NHS dentistry.
Labour’s programme includes commitments to provide 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments, recruit dentists into areas of greatest need, reform the NHS dental contract and expand preventive dental care for young children.
Changes to the dental contract began taking effect in June, with ministers arguing that the reforms should make NHS work more attractive to dentists and improve access for patients.
Creagh points to local delivery
For Creagh, the Coventry and Warwickshire figures provide a local example of progress at a time when many parts of England continue to face serious difficulties accessing NHS dentistry.
Her argument is that while the national dentistry crisis is far from resolved, Coventry and Warwickshire is showing that stronger NHS dental provision and better access can be delivered - with more than 680,000 treatments recorded locally in the latest year.
