Zohra Tasleem, a member from Greenwich, met with Jessica Arnold, Director of Primary Care and Integration Greenwich for SEL ICB, on Friday 04 July to discuss dentistry in the borough, plans for the future and how the LDC can work as part of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams.
While much of the meeting focussed on the challenges to developing and delivering innovation in dentistry, including the ICB restructures, financial constraints, the launch of the NHS 10 Year Plan and the constraints of the dental contract, there was a lot of positive discussion around how dentistry could integrate more better with the rest of primary care.
In order to secure the future of NHS dental services, the LDC has been pressing for closer working relationships and a more holistic approach to reducing health inequalities and improving health outcomes. Indeed, the stated Vision of the LDC is: For NHS dentistry to be integrated with the rest of the health and social care system to enable dentists and dental care professionals to maximise their skills for the benefits of their community. While the NHS 10 Year Plan does indicate that this is the direction of travel, the example provided is from the CDS not GDS and with so many competing priorities in the Plan is hard to see how dentistry will be prioritised. Since the meeting the consultation on the dental contract was released, with its continued focus on urgent care and lack of support for integration so it is all the more important that the LDC continues to engage with local leaders to make our Vision of greater integration a reality.
While integration would help support care there was a clear acknowledgement of the issues facing patients especially in areas of high deprivation including the cost of NHS patient charges. The increase in diagnoses of children with special educational needs was also identified as a priority that would need to be addressed through contract reform and greater investment in training and resources. Until ancillary issues like this, as well as the falling morale of the profession and difficulties with recruitment into NHS dentistry, are addressed our ambitions will have to be tempered and focus on improving communication with the rest of primary care and patients.
Jessica was very interested in the idea of dentists and DCPs being involved in multi disciplinary teams, through family hubs or even through co-located services. Initially, however, proposals have to be more modest and will focus on ensuring that dental practices have up to date information about other local services that patients and the public can access, while working towards more integration. What is encouraging is the clear desire at the local level for dentistry to be working closely with local partners and playing its part in reducing health inequalities and improving health outcomes.
In Greenwich the Integrated Neighbourhood Team model is progressing, with the formation of four key areas: North East, Central East, West and South. These local clusters will focus on the three priorities identified for South East London: Frailty, Complex LTCs, Children and Young People. This is the model of care that the LDC is hoping to align dentistry more closely with. Dental care has a clear relationship to the three priorities for South East London and we will keep making the close for a more supportive relationship and way of working to ensure that investment in dentistry is protected.
More detail about how the Integrated Neighbourhood Team model is developing in Greenwich is available in this slide deck. Additional information is available on the ICB website.
