- Shradha Patel, NWL LDC Director for Ealing, met with the North West London ICB Borough leads for Ealing on 16 January. They discussed the formation of the Integrated Neighbourhood Teams and local health priorities. Although all parties recognised the continued barriers presented by the dental contract to supporting integration, it was agreed that ways of coworking should be developed. It was felt important that local plans informed national discussions and developed the argument for a reformed contract. They will meet again in April.
- Caillin Redican and Ravi Rattan are now active volunteers on behalf of the NWL LDC in Brent. They will be engaging with Brent Council, through their Oral Health Group, and with Local Healthwatch building relationships and ensuring that they understand how NHS general dental practice works.
- Robert Zabihi and Dipesh Shah are now active volunteers on behalf of the NWL LDC in Harrow. They will be engaging with the Local Healthwatch and the nascent Integrated Neighbourhood Teams to build relationships and explore how dentistry can integrate with other primary health and social care services to reduce health inequalities and improve health outcomes.
- Priya Bilakhia, volunteer in HIllingdon, met with Healthwatch Hillingdon on 10 January. They discussed many issues facing patients and how the LDC can help, as well as the role of Healthwatch in making sure dentistry and oral health is engaged by other stakeholders.
LDC Confederation
- The LDC Confederation is part of the Dementia Friendly Dentistry working group which met on 28 January. The group was well attended with a wide range of stakeholders from across the dental and dementia professions as well as other policy stakeholders. The group discussed recent findings on the preventability of dementia and how dentistry can fit with that prevention agenda. There was a good discussion about the importance of using other local information to tie in dentistry earlier, at the point of diagnosis rather than waiting until people are in care homes. There was an interesting debate about the use of flexible commissioning and how this can be utilised more effectively.
LDC Confederation