NHS dentistry and oral health update

In the August NHS dentistry and oral health update Jason Wong, Chief Dental Officer for England, focuses on the 10 Year Health Plan for England:

In July, the Government's 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future was launched, setting out a bold, ambitious and necessary new course for the NHS.

The plan fundamentally reinvents the approach to healthcare to ensure the NHS will be there for all who need it for generations to come.

It has been shaped by the experiences and expectations of members of the public, patients, our partners and the health and care workforce across the country, reflecting the changes that people want to see.

Through the 'three shifts' - from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention - care will be increasingly personalised, with more power given to patients, and the best of the NHS made available to all.

You can read Sir Jim Mackey, Chief Executive Officer at NHS England's open letter to all NHS staff about the 10 Year Health Plan.

Oral healthcare professionals are central to the change we want to see. You play a crucial role in improving patient care to improve the nation's health and inspire the next generation.

Key points in the Plan relevant to dental and oral healthcare colleagues include:

• improving access to dental care for children, making better use of the wider dental workforce, especially therapists, including through a new approach to upskill professionals to work at the top of their clinical potential
• advancing technological and clinical innovation in dentistry
• promoting good oral health and preventing disease, playing a crucial role in public health
• harnessing technology and innovation to enhance patient experience by giving people more choice and control over their care and empower them to make better choices about their care
• implementing a GP led neighbourhood health service and providing neighbourhood health centres in communities, which will bring pharmacists and oral healthcare professionals together alongside voluntary, charity and local government roles, to provide high quality care
• making it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period. That will mean more NHS dentists, more appointments and better oral health.

Part of the 10 Year Health Plan is improving the dental contract to promote prevention, improve access to care and ensure that oral healthcare colleagues are rewarded fairly.

The Department of Health and Social Care's consultation on proposed changes to the contract is open until 19 August. 

Read the full NHS dentistry and oral health update including:

• Have your say on the proposed NHS dental contract changes
• Developing Communities Of Practice
• Concise clinical record keeping
• Future NHS word of mouth launch - share your examples of best practice
• Recent events with Chief Dental Officer Jason Wong
• The Oliver McGowan Code of Practice: Transforming Care for People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People
• Dash Review outlines path to streamlined patient safety landscape
• Transforming Primary Care Podcast