Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce workplace pressures on NHS dentists.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recently held a public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
If implemented, these reforms will cement our commitment to delivering 700,000 more urgent dental care appointments every year, better supporting patients with complex treatment needs and incentivising the delivery of more preventative care. The interim reform changes will seek to make NHS dentistry a more attractive workplace.
We will also publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan and will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS dental contract holders will be eligible for treatment at the Staff Treatment Hubs announced in the 10 Year Health Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the Staff Treatments Hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, timeframes and capacity.
The commitment to Staff Treatment hubs set out in the 10-Year Health Plan draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review. This demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our NHS staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.