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NHS Update from Professor Sir Stephen Powis

By DTA | 29th June 2023 | News

An update from Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director :

As you know, after eight years our Chief Dental Officer Sara Hurley is standing down to focus on her new roles as a Non-Executive Director at Surrey Heartlands ICB and as an independent director at the University of Suffolk.

During her tenure, Sara has demonstrated outstanding national leadership, providing huge support and commitment to dentistry and the dental profession. From building the clinical evidence base for reform, embedding dental clinical leadership across the NHS to leading the profession through the pandemic, Sara has taken on every challenge with a relentless determination to deliver for patients.

I am incredibly grateful for her service to the NHS, the dental profession and patients.

I am pleased to inform you that Jason Wong will take over from Sara on an interim basis while we recruit for a permanent replacement.

Representing the entire dental profession across England, the role of the Chief Dental Officer is a joint appointment between Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, with their base in NHS England.

The permanent recruitment process for the role will start in the coming months. Please refer to future issues of this bulletin for further detail and information on how to apply.

Dentistry is an important part of the NHS, and I am pleased we are now starting to see the signs of recovery. But challenges remain, and this reinforces the need continue changing the way we deliver dentistry.

I look forward to working with Sara's successor to drive forward further reforms to improve the service for patients.

Thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to oral health.

Stephen

Professor Sir Stephen Powis

NHS National Medical Director

NHS Update   

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