My name is Javina Sehgal and I am the Executive Director of Primary Care for the Northwest London Integrated Care Board. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues in dental practices across the region for their ongoing work and dedication to the dental needs of patients across Northwest London. I would also like to thank the Local Dental Committee, who remain a valued partner, offering insight, challenge, and collaboration as we address both national and local priorities.
We are launching two key pilots in NW London:
- The Paediatric Dental pilot, which focuses on improving oral health equity for children and young people in Core20Plus communities who have either never seen a dentist or who have not seen one for more than a year. This pilot commenced on 1st October and we look forward to working with the pilot practices in each borough to test its impact on reducing health inequalities and supporting children to develop better ongoing oral health.
- The Inclusion Health Dental pilot which aims to provide more accessible dental care for asylum seekers, refugees and those in temporary accommodation, to improve access to oral health services and integrate vulnerable populations into mainstream dental services. This pilot will run for a 6-month period in Hillingdon and selected practices have been invited to express interest ahead of the closing date on 27th October. The pilot is planned to commence in early November.
Community of Practice: Another key development in Northwest London is the planned development of a Community of Practice – a learning network bringing together clinicians, commissioners, and system partners to share learning, strengthen collaboration and, initially, to support delivery of our dental pilots. Regular meetings are now being established to build momentum and support the sharing of early insights as the pilot’s progress. The Community of Practice will be central to embedding a joined-up approach, embedding a learning approach and ensuring dentistry remains firmly integrated within wider system change
I would like to express a final thank you to everyone across Northwest London who continues to contribute to our progress and to support the ongoing improvement in our patients’ oral health.
If you would like to hear more about our work, please contact: nhsnwl.localservices@nhs.net or feedback to your LDC colleagues to contact@ldc.org.uk.
