Care Homes: Dental Services

(asked on 4th July 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that care home services are made aware of NICE guideline NG48 Oral health for adults in care homes, published in July 2016.


This question was answered on 17th July 2019

The Government welcomes the report by the Care Quality Commission Smiling matters: oral health care in care homes. The Department together with Public Health England, NHS England and Health Education England is carefully considering the recommendations made in the report and will respond in due course.

This consideration includes the recommendations that NHS England work with partners in the health and care system to improve access both to high street and, where required domiciliary care for residents of care homes. As well as the recommendation that both local and national monitoring frameworks should include awareness and assessment of oral health including the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guideline NG48.

NHS England is responsible for commissioning primary care dental services, including domiciliary care. Domiciliary care may be delivered by any dentist holding a contract to deliver general dental services or it may be specifically commissioned by NHS England locally as an additional service. Where such services have been specifically commissioned any concerns about delivery should be raised with NHS England. NHS England has a duty to provide services to meet local need, including domiciliary services.

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