New community dental partnership launches in the Thames Valley
A new community dental partnership has launched in the Thames Valley.
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Central and North West NHS Foundation Trust have joined forces to provide comprehensive cover for children and adults with additional or complex needs across the Thames Valley region. The service will cater to patients who cannot access routine services provided by general dentists and high street practices.
The three trusts will team up to create an integrated specialist dental care service, aiming to improve the standard of patient care and deliver a more cohesive, far-ranging service for patients who need access to special care dental providers.
Hugh O’Keeffe, senior commissioning manager for dental at NHS England South East, explained that the Community Dental Services deliver essential dental care to some of the most vulnerable individuals in the community. The new partnership between the three trusts will improve access to tailored services for patients while enabling teams to share knowledge and best practice training and guidelines.
The partnership is the first of its kind in the UK. The primary aims are to enhance standards of care through collaborative working, reduce inequalities between different regions and communities and improve dental care for vulnerable patients.
Rosalind Mitchell, clinical director and deputy chief medical officer (quality and patient safety) said that it was a very exciting time for everyone involved in the new collaborative partnership. She added that teams were looking forward to seeing how the initiative progresses and how the new system will benefit patients.
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