Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking during the transition to the NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board to ensure that the level of the dental workforce meets any change in demand in the East of England.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a critical role to play in the future as strategic commissioners, and this is going to be central to realising the ambitions that have been set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. Any proposed changes to the ICBs in the east of England will not impact the requirement for ICBs to commission dentistry services that meet the needs of their population.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.

We recently held a full 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 Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.