£3m boost for dental services in North East and North Cumbria

Dental services in the North East and North Cumbria are set for a £3 million boost thanks to a new plan that could provide an extra 27,000 appointments this year.

NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) – which has just taken on responsibility for commissioning the region's dental services – has today unveiled an initial plan to protect services and address inequality in our most deprived communities.

The Primary Care Dental Access Recovery plan – agreed in outline by the Board today – aims to 'protect, retain and stabilise' local dental services, including urgent out of hours appointments.

The plan includes an additional £3 million to support dentistry during the 2023/24 financial year, with a focus on patients with the greatest need in deprived communities. This will include offering additional funding to dental practices, which could create up to 27,000 extra appointments across the North East and North Cumbria.

Extra clinical treatment sessions will help practices to match anticipated periods of peak demand, while new staff will be recruited to support dental triage through the NHS 111 phone service.

Additional capacity will also be targeted to support patients with complex, high care needs and 'looked after children' who may experience difficulties accessing services.

Dr Neil O'Brien, the ICB's medical director, said: "We know that some patients have struggled to access dental services, particularly those with more complex needs or our looked after children.

"This work is at an early stage, but aims to increase support for our dental practices, help them retain skilled staff and increase the number of appointments across the North East and North Cumbria.

"Since the pandemic, dental services have faced massive challenges in meeting the increasing and more complex needs of our patients, and this is an important step towards protecting, retaining and stabilising local NHS dentistry for the benefit of our patients and our dedicated dental staff."

Detailed planning will continue over the coming weeks, with the ICB aiming to approve a full plan by the autumn.