Agenda item

To review the ICB Dental Services report and information provided by FOI request to consider any written questions for the ICB, recommendations to NHOSC, or further actions for the Committee.

The DSGOS introduced the report and informed Members that to his knowledge the information was yet to be reviewed by NHOSC. He added that FOI information provided alongside the report had been sought by Cllr V Holliday, with questions raised on the current provision of access to NHS dental services in North Norfolk. It was noted that the map included in the report showed that access to emergency dental services was only available at one location within the District, and that no NHS dental services available to North Norfolk residents were accepting new patients, which was a particular concern. The DSGOS suggested that the Committee should consider whether they had further questions for the ICB, such as waiting list information which was reportedly not collated, recommendations for NHOSC, and how the Committee would like to proceed with any future consideration of access to NHS dental services.

Questions and Discussion

       i.          Cllr V Holliday stated that it was a relief that dental services had become the responsibility of the ICB, and suggested that it would be helpful to have more detail, as the report provided was an abridged version of a report seen by the Primary Care Commission in September, which could be requested. She added that more details were needed on the urgent care pathway, service capacity and travel issues for patients. It was suggested that the Committee should therefore write to the ICB to request the full report and seek information on waiting lists. Cllr V Holliday suggested that it may also be worthwhile raising access to dental services at NHOSC for residents in areas such as Walsingham and Briston, where no services were available.

      ii.          The Chairman noted that Cllr J Boyle was the Council’s representative on NHOSC, and asked whether she would be willing to raise the issues discussed at the next appropriate meeting. He added that the report provided was very limited on information and took no account of access to private dental services, or the current state of waiting lists. Cllr J Boyle replied that waiting list times may not necessarily be relevant, as many dental practices did not keep waiting lists. She added that she was aware of patients seeking treatment outside of normal hours in a neighbouring County, but noted that this appeared to be a very informal process. It was noted that there were clearly issues specific to North Norfolk, and Cllr Boyle therefore suggested that NNDC should maintain some level of oversight or monitoring for the benefit of residents. She added that questions needed to be raised for residents that couldn’t afford private dental care or had no transport to services outside of the District.

     iii.          Cllr L Shires suggested that it was important for the Committee to take a North Norfolk approach to the matter, as she was a Member of NHOSC and knew that the District would not be given any direct consideration, as it took a County-wide approach. She added that she was aware of residents who had faced extreme difficulty accessing dental services, and had subsequently had to visit NNUH as a result, which did not meet the level of service expected. Cllr L Shires stated that it also remained unclear how many residents had access to dental services, and it was therefore crucial to better understand the situation in North Norfolk. The Chairman noted that if there were no waiting lists held then the ICB must have some other means of gauging demand to determine how and where to provide services.

    iv.          Cllr M Hankins stated that questions needed to be raised on efforts for pre-dental preventative work, and that it was a common perception that former NHS dentists would take on new private patients, but this was not always the case as there appeared to be issues with capacity across the dental sector.

      v.          Cllr P Heinrich questioned the quality of data provided and noted that there were currently no NHS dentists in North Walsham, as had been suggested on the map provided. He added that accurate data was needed to determine the full scale of the issue, taking into account an apparent shortage in trained dentists willing to work within the District. It was suggested that questions should therefore be raised on the efforts taken to train and encourage dentists to work in the area.

    vi.          Cllr A Brown referred to p36 of the report which suggested that Norfolk had the highest prevalence of dental decay for five year olds in the East of England at twenty three percent. The Chairman agreed and stated that this issue highlighted the importance of preventative dental care.

   vii.          Cllr G Bull stated that he would like to know whether NHS and private dentists were required to keep a record of any new patient requests, as this would provide some indication of the level of demand for dental services.

  viii.          Cllr L Vickers referred to difficulties recruiting qualified dentists in the region and noted that local MPs had lobbied the UEA to create a school of dentistry, as this may help to draw and retain dentists in the area.

    ix.          The DSGOS confirmed that he had taken note of several questions to be raised with the ICB and at the next relevant NHOSC meeting.

RESOLVED

1.     To note the report.

ACTIONS

1.     To write to the ICB to request more detailed information on the following matters:

·        To request the full report that was provided to the Primary Care Commission.

·        How is service demand determined if waiting list information is not collated.

·        Does the report take into account dental health of those that are not able to access dental services.

·        Does the ICB have any data on the number of patients accessing private dental care.

2.     To request that NNDC representative raise the following questions at NHOSC’s November meeting during discussion of NHS Dental Services:

·        What preventative work is done to address dental issues?

·        What is causing issues with capacity across NHS Dental Services, is there a problem with training and recruitment of Dentists?