Agenda item

This report sets out the current state of dental services within the City of York, providing an update on the national dental recovery plan (launched February 2024) and future Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board plans for dentistry. 

The Deputy Director for Dental Commissioning, Yorkshire and Humber presented an update on the national dental recovery plan.

The Programme Lead, Dental & Optometry, Humber and North Yorkshire ICB presented an update on the Blossom Family Dental Practice discussed at the previous HWBB meeting.

She was pleased to advise that work had been completed to retain the NHS contract for the City. A staggered return to offering existing patients appointments and taking on new patients, and 84 patient access appointments, 12 urgent access slots had been agreed per week. The Chair welcomed this as a genuinely good outcome for York.

The board noted another piece of good news for York, that the ICB were still on track to open additional provision over from BUPA this Summer. Mydentist was relocating to Stonebow and may be able to accommodate more NHS patients there.

The presenters took queries on the report from the Board on the following:

·        The board expressed concern that this funding was non-recurrent and asked whether this would allow for sustainable arrangements with dental practices going forwards, given waiting lists and challenges including staffing would be ongoing.

·        The Board expressed concern that a Freedom of Information request had indicated none of the previous £50 million allocated funding was actually spent in York, so would any of this new funding be coming to the city? The Programme Lead, Dental & Optometry, Humber and North Yorkshire ICB indicated that funding was ring fenced, and would be going forward to 2024/25 so they could still commit to spending that. The ICB had also taken a positive approach to managing risk, and this allowed forward planning re: workforce. Also planning ahead for Intermediate and Minor Oral Surgery (IMOS) which they had only gone as far north as Selby with and would like to move into York. She also indicated that they intended to launch a pilot to support people in vulnerable groups.

·        The board noted that children, homeless people, those with mental health difficulties and refugee groups had been identified as high-risk groups to be prioritised with pilot schemes, and asked whether other vulnerable groups  could also be added to this category such as pregnant women and diabetics, care leavers 18-25?

·        The board asked how can we signpost people who no longer have access to dentists? An example was given of cancer patients who can’t eat due to dental issues. The Programme Lead, Dental & Optometry, Humber and North Yorkshire ICB advised that signposting could be provided for urgent access sessions, though caution would be needed to manage patient expectation that this was increased likelihood of being seen and not a guarantee. The board welcomed this, as GPs are currently having to triage or treat these cases without clear resources.

·        The board requested metrics be presented after six months – where things started, where they had got to; with the workforce, net gain or loss, extractions in children etc. The Programme Lead, Dental & Optometry, Humber and North Yorkshire ICB agreed that these metrics would be useful – working on a report around what metrics to review regularly and acknowledged that feedback from the Board would be really useful. The board requested these metrics also be triangulated with Primary Care and A&E attendances for dental issues.

·        The board queried the experience of children in particular; noting that a substantial part of the school day is lost if patients needed to travel a long distance for dental appointments. The Programme Lead, Dental & Optometry, Humber and North Yorkshire ICB responded that they had several child-only contracts out and were awaiting confirmation with four practices who had expressed interest to accommodate children who have not accessed an NHS dentist for 2 years. The Corporate Director Children’s and Education noted that 92% of young people in care for more than 1 year have an up-to-date dental check (up from 79% last year) and wished to congratulate ICB for their work here.

·        The board suggested that the Corporate Director of Children’s and Education liaise with ICB to determine which children/schools may benefit most from pilot scheme for children.

·        The board queried further investment into the Smile for Life programme and the Deputy Director for Dental Commissioning, Yorkshire and Humber said he would look into this.

Resolved: That the Health and Wellbeing Board noted and commented on the contents and implications of the report.

Reason: To provide the Health and Wellbeing Board with an understanding of the current state of dental services within the City of York, an update on the national dental recovery plan (launched February 2024) and future Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board plans for dentistry.