On Monday 06 November Camden and Islington held its first Annual General Meeting in its new format. We presented our first Annual Report which outlines our Vision, Mission, stakeholder engagement, current activities and plans for 2024.
The Vision of the LDC is for: “Dentists of Camden and Islington to be supported to help reduce health inequalities and improve health outcomes.”
We will achieve this by: “Increasing awareness of the importance and role of oral health and primary care NHS dentists in reducing health inequalities and improving health outcomes among local stakeholders.”
This Vision and Mission has informed our activities for the last year. While progress has been slow since the Integrated Care Boards took responsibility for the commissioning of dental services, engagement has increased in recent months. Our activities before and since the AGM have included:
- Establishing a strong relationships with the Integrated Care Board – Since the ICBs were formed in 2022 we have had regular meetings, but these have recently been re-establshed with a more strategic focus and we are looking forward to working with stakeholders on some exciting local initiatives which will help safeguard dental services in Camden and Islington.
- Engaged with local Healthwatch
- Regular meetings with the ICB leads in Camden and Islington – Since the AGM we have had more engagement and explored the local priorities which will inform our engagement with the Integrated Care Board
- Member CPD meeting
- Set a clear strategic vision and direction for the LDC
Since the AGM we have also become members of the Integrated Care Board’s Primary Care Action Group. Through this group we hope to press for greater integration of services by increasing awareness of what dental care can offer and how pathways can be improved.
While we will built on the last year’s engagement, and have already made great strides in engaging with local stakeholders our plans for next year include:
- Increased communication to members
- Focus on integration
- Mayoral Election
- General Election
We hope that you support our work, our Vision and our approach to achieving a better working environment for dentists and better outcomes for patients.
