NHS Report Calls For Improvement In Shetland Dental Care

An NHS report has called for improvements in dental care and mental health services in Shetland.

Following a review by the NHS, the board was informed that further improvements need to be made by NHS Shetland at a meeting on October 1^st. Chairman of the NHS Shetland board, Ian Kinniburgh, said that the board was performing well but there were problem areas, including dental care and mental health, where more work was required.

Mr Kinniburgh announced that the board intends to build on the successes of recent years and make further improvements, focusing on these key areas to ensure that patients in Shetland have access to effective dental and mental health services. Mr Kinniburgh said that the aim was to do as much as possible within a tight budget and to build on areas of achievement, such as patient-doctor relationships and patient-centred healthcare.

Chief executive of the board, Ralph Roberts, said that there were many challenges facing the board, especially as recruitment is becoming an increasingly difficult issue, with many professionals preferring to stick to urban areas and large towns, rather than opting for the rural life.

The board pledged to focus on recruitment in the coming year and the push will focus on adding to the number of dentists and dental hygienists working on the island.

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Tags: dentist recruitment, NHS Shetland, poor dental care standards, rural dentistry

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 3rd, 2013 at 9:15 am and is filed under General. Both comments and pings are currently closed.