Agenda item

Report of the Chief Integration Officer, NHS Coventry & Warwickshire ICB

The Board considered a report and of the Chief Integration Officer and Head of Public Affairs of the Coventry & Warwickshire ICB regarding access to dentistry.

Dental Services were provided by a range of providers and in a number of settings to meet the dental needs of the population, including:

·  Primary Care Dental Services

·  Community Dental Services

·  Secondary Care Dental Services

The Cabinet Member for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing expressed concerns regarding access to dentistry, in particular, early intervention in the deprived and ethnic communities in the city, why dentistry could not be provided within GP hubs, access to urgent dental care, promotion of NHS dentistry and how patients, especially those from deprived areas, knew which dentists were taking on new clients and what strategies could be employed to address these concerns.

Members of the Scrutiny Board, having considered the verbal report asked questions and received information from officers on the following matters:

• Dentists were not required to provide NHS services. They could provide private services, NHS only, or both.  Should an NHS dentist wish to become private, they were only required to provide a short notice period to the ICB
• Dental fees differed greatly between NHS and private dentists
• Dentists were not required to inform the ICB if they decided to close their register to new patients.
• £2m had recently been reallocated for NHS dentistry from Warwickshire dental practices which had chosen not to deliver NHS services.  This additional recurrent funding would be allocated to the 6 main areas of deprivation in the city which would enable NHS dentists to see more patients and undertake more treatments with existing patients
• Many newly qualified dentists were moving abroad to practice.
• The ICB were working closely with Coventry University Dental School on the training and development of hygienists and dental nurses
• Complaints about NHS dentists were reviewed individually by clinical specialists and the learning taken back to the practice
• The current national NHS dentistry budget only covered 55% of the population, meaning there would always be some patients who could not access NHS dentistry.
• Patients were travelling abroad for cosmetic and non-cosmetic dentistry
• Within the deprived areas of Coventry, there was a significant amount of tooth decay
• Dental records did not follow the patient like GP records.  Dentists started from scratch with x-rays of the patient each time.
• Patients could register with any NHS dentist if their register was open; the practice was not required to be near to their home
• The ICB was aware of the number of NHS dentists. 
• All dentists were required to be qualified and regulated
• Public Health officers worked with health visitors, school nurses and communities eg migrant communities, to promote dental health, particularly for children
• Customer satisfaction regarding NHS dentistry was captured via the GP annual survey and via the Office of National Statistics monthly survey
• Public Health officers working with colleagues on promotion of NHS dentistry

The Board requested:

• Officer liaison with the dental public health consultant at regional level regarding access to NHS dentistry.

• The NHS 10-year plan consultation to be circulated to the Board.

The Cabinet Member for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing stressed the importance of ensuring promotion and awareness of NHS dentistry in the most deprived areas and communities in the city through partnership working.

RESOLVED that the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5):

1)  Note the contents of the report.

2)  Public Health to work collaboratively with the ICB on the following:

·   dental promotion

·   promotion of dental hygiene in school settings

·   appointment availability across the city

·   dental availability and awareness in areas of inequality and deprivation across the city.