Holyrood election May 2026 – Page 2 – The NEN

Dentists challenge parties: Future proof service or lose it

Voters are looking to the next Scottish Government to go further and faster to guarantee the future of NHS dentistry

New polling from YouGov shows:

Taking into account all the different priorities facing the country, 65% of Scots say the Scottish Government should be doing more on dentistry. Only 20% believe they are doing all they reasonably can.
Dentistry is now a major doorstep issue in Scotland, with 15% ranking it as the most important issue in their local area, on a par with crime (16%)
Estimated unmet need for NHS dentistry stands at nearly 1/5 of Scotland’s adult population, with 12% saying they were unable to secure an appointment in the last 2 years, and a further 7% having effectively given up trying, assuming they would be unable to get one.

The BDA has published its own manifesto stressing a new administration must act to ‘future proof’ the service. While the current Scottish Government took forward payment reform of NHS dentistry in 2023, the professional body say this cannot be viewed as ‘mission accomplished’.

It stresses that concerted action is required to improve access and reduce inequalities that are already widening [2] and create the dental workforce Scotland needs via a fully funded workforce plan.

The BDA is encouraging parties to double down on prevention, expand the pioneering Childsmile programme, and adopt policies to encourage families to make healthier choices. It says practices need to be protected from surging costs, including rises in National Insurance from the UK Government which have already been mitigated in Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland.

Albert Yeung, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Council, said: “If we want NHS dentistry in Scotland to remain a going concern in the 21^stcentury, it will require a sustained plan of action.

“It means closing an oral health gap between rich and poor that’s already widening. To call time on postcode lotteries of care that remain the norm.

“It requires the next government to ensure we have the dental team members we need on the frontline.

“And it means doubling down on prevention. This country can’t rest on its laurels when decay remains the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children.

“The public are clear the next Scottish Government needs to go further, and faster. We must future-proof dentistry in Scotland, because failure to do so will come at a steep financial, human and ultimately a political cost.

“This is already an issue on the doorstep. It will remain one until voters see real change.”

bda-scotland-manifesto-2026 Download

Drylaw Telford Community Council to host Holyrood Elections Hustings

MONDAY 30th MARCH 6.30pm

at DRYLAW NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE

WE’RE HOSTING A HUSTINGS!

Ever wanted to ask your parliamentary candidates the questions that REALLY matter to YOU?

Monday, 30th March 2026

6:30 PM

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

Edinburgh Northern Constituency Mini Hustings

Hosted by Drylaw/Telford Community Council

This is YOUR chance to:

Hear directly from candidates

Ask YOUR questions

Make an informed choice

Tickets are LIMITED and are FREE

Get your Ticket! https://north-edinburgh-mini-hustings.eventbrite.com

Candidate lineup announced soon!

This is democracy in action, right here in OUR community.

NSPCC calls for early years support  for children to be election priority

NSPCC Scotland is urging politicians in all parties to help prevent harm to children and prioritise early support for families in future plans and investment decisions, as the charity publishes an overview of early years policies since devolution.

The report calls for a strategic, long‑term commitment to the early years to ensure every child in Scotland has the best possible start in life.

Published on the NSPCC Learning website it provides a descriptive summary of early years policymaking in Scotland over the past 25 years.

The NSPCC believes there are clear opportunities for improvement in current early years policy and is calling on the next Scottish Government to prioritise it. This is one of the charity’s five priority areas for child protection that it will be setting out next month in the run up to the Scottish Parliament elections.

Early years – the period from pregnancy until a child turns five – is widely recognised as a critical stage in child development during which the foundations of learning, behaviour and lifelong mental and physical health are established.

In 2024, nearly half (45%) of the children on the child protection register in Scotland were under the age of four. This consisted of 93 unborn children and 913 aged newborn to four years old.¹

Despite the youngest children in Scotland being the most vulnerable to harm, the 0-3 age group in particular can often be overlooked. It’s been called the ‘baby blindspot’.

Babies and very young children rely on sensitive and responsive care to grow and thrive. Evidence shows that investing in children’s earliest years not only reduces the need for costly interventions later in life but also helps tackle inequalities and ensures every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

In this report, the NSPCC sets out how the Scottish Government’s strongest focus on the early years can be traced back to 2011–12, with multi-agency initiatives that were designed to improve outcomes for children, reduce inequalities for those who were particularly vulnerable, and shift services toward prevention and early intervention.

However, the charity’s analysis reveals that strategic focus on the early years has not been maintained as attention shifted toward tackling the poverty-related attainment gap and addressing the long-term effects of childhood adversity in adulthood.

This has meant that targeted support for families and children, from pre-birth to age five, to prevent problems from developing or getting worse, has inadvertently declined.

The NSPCC’s view is that these days early years policy is too often viewed by the Government as meaning early learning and childcare provision, rather than as a broader agenda, which focuses on supporting families to build nurturing, responsive caregiving relationships.

Rachel Love, NSPCC Scotland Senior Policy Officer and report author, said: “Investing in early childhood provides significant long-term benefits for children, their families, and communities, including improved educational attainment, reduced health inequlaities and economic returns.

“Our analysis shows that prioritisation of early years has been inconsistent, leading to gaps in service planning and delivery; and when it has been a priority, funding and resourcing has not matched ambitions.

“As we approach the Scottish Parliament elections, all political parties have an important opportunity – and responsibility – to place the early years at the heart of future policy and public investment in Scotland.

“The NSPCC wants the new Government to give families the support they need, so every child gets the best possible start – ensuring Scotland keeps The Promise to its youngest children.”

The charity wants the new Government to:

Reestablish early years as a cross-party priority, with a clear focus on parent–infant relationships and holistic family support that prioritises prevention and early help.
Create a dedicated Early Years Strategy, led by a Minister for Early Years, to ensure focused and sustained national leadership.
Strengthen statutory guidance on Children’s Services Planning to reinforce its emphasis on early years prevention and intervention, and introducing long-term, ringfenced funding so local areas can deliver high-quality family and parenting support.
Advance implementation of The Promise and Children’s Rights, making sure the needs and rights of babies and under-fives are central to decisions about policy, legislation and practice.

For the full report visit:

https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/2026/over-25-years-of-early-years