Cabinet Minister Visits Bedford Community Dental Service
Cabinet minister Francis Maude visited a community dental service in Bedford on Monday to learn more about how the service works and the benefits it offers to vulnerable people in the local area.
Mr Maude visited Community Dental Services on Kimbolton Road earlier this week and was given the opportunity to meet members of staff and learn about how the service was set-up and how it is managed. The service formed in 2011 as a social enterprise and was recommended to Mr Maude by local MP, Richard Fuller.
The CDS currently has a clinic in Bedford Heights and it also operates two mobile clinics. The aim of the service is to provide care for vulnerable users who cannot get out and about to see a dentist and assist those who struggle with transport to get to their dental appointments.
Mr Maude, Cabinet Officer and Paymaster General, said that social enterprises are of great interest to the Government and this project is one of more than 100 that the Government is following across the country. He praised the staff as “inspirational” and said that the service was “innovative”, adding that it is benefiting the people who need care the most, while also focusing on providing a cost-effective and efficient service.
CDS is a public mutual company, which means that it is not part of the public sector, but it provides services to the public still; it is owned by members of staff.
Chief executive, Alison Reid, said that it was an honour to meet Mr Maude and to show him around and tell him about the work undertaken by CDS. She added that Mr Maude was very impressed with the ethos of the service and the passion and professionalism of the care team.
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