Merton and Wandsworth
Babar Wahid and Komal Patel met with the Deputy Director of Partnerships and Inequalities from the SWL Integrated Care Board for Merton and Wandsworth. They discussed the importance of local work and integration, of bringing general dentistry in from the edge of the NHS to be an integral part of neighbourhood working. Neighbourhood health was recognised as the hot topic, but also one which was likely to remain a priority in the longer term. To start this engagement it was proposed that the LDC has representation on the two alliance boards in each borough, to start providing dental input and exploring what integration and holistic models of care could look like. This was a really positive meeting and there was a clear recognition of the value that dentistry can bring to the reduction of health inequalities and management of systemic disease.
Croydon
Ritesh Gajree attended a meeting with the SWL ICB’s local leads in Croydon along with colleagues from pharmacy and optometry. This was a scoping meeting, exploring the formation and development of Neighbourhood working in Croydon so far and how the rest of primary care could eventually fit into this new way of working. It was made clear that the Community Dental Services should also be involved in conversations as they provide domiciliary care as well as oral health promotion, two areas which fit with the Neighbourhood priorities. There was a strong appetite for bringing dental services into Neighbourhood working and for including dentistry in lunch and learns to help upskill colleagues in the area.
