Thursday, July 25, 2024

NEWHAM COUNCIL ADOPTS DENTAL MOTION

 

Hat tip my Newham Councillor colleague Susan Masters.

Tonight (Monday) at Newham's Full Council, with the support of my colleague John Gray I finally saw my motion addressing Newham's Dental Crisis adopted by Council.
Given this non-contentious motion was first tabled for council by Newham's Labour Group, over a year ago, it feels like it's been one hell of a long journey. While it was disappointing, after time running out on so many previous occasions, not to finally get to address my colleagues, it was a relief to see it pass on a unanimous, cross-party vote.

So how much has changed in the interim? Well from our local health scrutiny committee first exploring this issue in 2023 under a Tory Govt, to it being front and centre of our new Labour manifesto, it's been fantastic seeing it coming up the political agenda.

While it does feel like things have improved since commissioning moved to Integrated Care System level just over a year ago, our commission are still hearing of residents struggling to get a routine appointment without a three month wait, let alone emergency dentistry, I hope my motion will raise awareness of the issues, add weight to work addressing the problem and encourage others to lobby for a change to the dental contract to ensure better NHS access.

Newham Dental Crisis

Proposer: Councillor Susan Masters
Seconder: Councillor John Gray

-Tooth decay is the main cause of hospital admissions for 5-9 year olds in England
-In 2019 Newham was the London Borough with the fourth highest levels of tooth
decay among 5 year olds
-Poor oral health has been recognised as a trigger for diabetes, heart attacks and
strokes among adults
-Healthwatch – the statutory borough body commissioned to oversee the quality of
local services on behalf of residents - has been reporting a marked deterioration in
access to NHS local dental services since 2017, predating the pandemic
-In 2023 When Newham Council’s Health And Adult Social Care Scrutiny devoted a session
to paucity of local NHS dental care, a quick use of a new search engine revealed that
of 29 Newham dentists thrown up by the official NHS search engine, only 2 were
accepting new adult patients and 3 patients of all ages
-Other residents are finding that they are being told that the only way to access a
dentist at their practise is to sign up to an insurance scheme
-Brexit has brought about a shortage in dental nurses meaning the issue is not just
about having access to more NHS dentists
- On April 1st this year our North East London Integrated Care System took
responsibility for commissioning local dentistry services alongside optometry and
community pharmacy

Given the importance of receiving good dental treatment and the levels of financial
need in our borough, it’s clear our residents require strong NHS provision of dental
services

This Council resolves to:

-Use its presence within our local North East London integrated care system to force
an increase in the number of units of dental activity available to our borough and
ensure this shortfall is prioritised.
- Use its Health and Care Space Newham estate partnership to prioritise the creation
of new NHS dental surgeries and draw dentists and nurses into the borough
- Use LBN's estate powers to incentivise greater NHS dentistry provision where
possible to promote dental nursing roles to its schools and colleges of further
education.
-Explore the legality of and Lobby against dentists insisting patients sign up to
insurance schemes.
-Work with the LGA and campaign politically to oppose insurance schemes being
forced upon patients.

2 comments:

Danny-K said...

Disappointing it didn't get time on the floor in the end. Originally I wished to speak on this motion but ended up passing my speech for Nate to present - a speech I wrote many months ago in support.

Either way full support from the Green Group here, as it was well written, very much needed and everything needed right now.

John Gray said...

Thank you Danny and I share your disappointment that there was no time to speak but at long last it came to Council and was accepted by all. Improved dental health services are desperately needed.