Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of dental treatment provided to patients requiring treatment within a (a) care home and (b) similar care setting.

Specialised dental services are in place to provide dental treatment in several settings including care homes. The frequency of dental checks will be determined by dentists on an individual basis.

NHS England is responsible for commissioning primary care dental services, including domiciliary care. Many of the dentistry commissioning functions undertaken by NHS England transferred to integrated care boards (ICBs) in April 2023. ICBs are responsible for meeting the needs of their local population by working with patient groups. Domiciliary care may be delivered by any dentist holding a contract to deliver general dental services or it may be specifically commissioned locally as an additional service. NHS England is working very closely with stakeholders, inclusive of the Care Quality Commission and Healthwatch England, to ensure that patients receive the appropriate care within the appropriate setting.