Agenda item

Report of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board.

Paul Edmondson-Jones, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at the ICB & Tracey Cox, Associate Director for Primary Care at the ICB presented the update on the current dental position relating to access in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to the Committee.

The Committee were reminded that dental commissioning was delegated to the ICB from 1 April 2023 which created the opportunity to provide better support for Staffordshire residents to ensure dental services met the local need.

It was reported that the main issues preventing recovery in terms of access to dental care were a national shortage of dentists and contract hand backs by providers as a result of their dissatisfaction with the dental contract. It was reported that there had been ministerial commitments for dental contract reforms and dental plan, however this had not yet been received.

The Committee were advised that the ICB were supporting a range of initiatives to improve dental access along with other West Midlands ICBs including:

·         Children’s Community Dental Services Support Practices to support the management of children within a local dental practice.

·         Redistribution of recurrently handed back activity to other providers.

·         Extended repayment plans implementation for 2023/24 to support contractors in financial difficulty and to prevent further contract hand backs.

·         Development of a Dental Strategy for the West Midlands ICBs to include the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB.

The Committee noted the following comments and responses to questions:

·         The ICB did not have access to the overall picture of NHS dentistry provision and gaps of services within Staffordshire. It was the responsibility of the NHS dentist to update the NHS website as to if they were currently taking on NHS patients.

·         There were 129 NHS dental contracts within Staffordshire. The national dental contract constrained local ICBs and the ICB needed greater freedom. It was reported that changes to the national dental contract were being considered.

·         The ICB recognised the challenge and lack of dentists within Staffordshire taking on NHS patients.

·         The ICB were undertaking a dental health equity audit in Staffordshire which will look at health determinants, access to services and outcomes for patients and will identify NHS dentist gaps which will inform the Dental Strategy which will identify priority areas for any redistribution of services. The health equity audit was due to be published in March 2024.

·         The ICB were supporting the Public Health agenda through the Integrated Care Partnership Strategy. The ICB had supported prevention related to dental hygiene in children.

·         Workforce schemes were being considered and recruitment and retention was within the dental strategy. The Committee had written to Keele University to support proposals for a dental school at Keele University. The Committee agreed for the Chairman to write a follow up letter to Keele University to determine any progress made. 

·         Members fed back that NHS 111 were not well-informed relating to the current dentistry provision.

·         The Children and Vulnerable Adults team were available to attend care homes to provide dental and oral healthcare, however this was not consistent across the County. Oral healthcare for the elderly residents and those with severe mental illness would be a priority within the dental recovery plan.

·         Due to lack of provision of dentists within some areas in Staffordshire, some children did not have access to dentists. There was oral health promotional work and supervised brushing taking place within early years settings in Staffordshire. Teaching dental hygiene within school settings would form part of the dental strategy.

·         The Committee requested to receive the dentistry complaints data when the Committee next consider dentistry.

·         There were orthodontic waiting list challenges, however the detail was held by the individual dental practices. The Committee requested to understand what happened to a child on the orthodontic waiting list when they reach 18 years of age.

·         Assurance was given that dentistry was a top priority at the ICB.

Resolved – That (a) the update report be received, and the Committee comments be noted.

(b) the Committee write to Keele University to determine any progress made for a proposed dental school at Keele University.

(c) the Committee receive the dentistry complaints data when the Committee next consider dentistry.

(d) the Committee receive information as to what happens to a child on the orthodontic waiting list when they reach 18 years of age.