Plans revealed to open new dental training centre and NHS clinic at the University of Suffolk
The University of Suffolk and the Integrated Care Board at NHS Suffolk and North East Essex have revealed plans for a new dental training centre and NHS clinic.
The plans, which have been in the pipeline for a year and a half, have been described as a “game changer” by the university. Suffolk is one of the worst-affected areas in terms of NHS dental access, with no NHS places available for new adult patients.
The new dental clinic and training centre will be located at the James Hehir Building on the University of Suffolk campus in Ipswich. The facility will provide cutting-edge training and education for qualified and trainee dental professionals.
Professor Helen Langton, vice-chancellor at the university, said that the project will be a “game changer in terms of future dental health provision in Suffolk and East Anglia.” She added, “The University of Suffolk, in partnership with the Integrated Care Board, our region’s MPs and NHS dentists, is determined to provide workforce solutions to the present oral health crisis.”
Chief executive at NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, Dr Ed Garratt, described the plans as an “incredibly positive step forward” in enhancing local dental workforces. The project won’t solve access issues immediately, but it is an effective “medium-term solution,” he explained.
News of the developments will be welcomed by patients and dental professionals across the region, with concerns growing about the availability of NHS dental services. Several practices have contacted patients in the last year to inform them that they are stopping NHS treatment, leaving many without a dentist.
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