NHS Cheshire & Merseyside’s Dental Improvement Plan
Dental Improvement Plan 2024 – 2026
The plan will build on the national Dental Reform Plan (published in February 2024) by providing a range of additional local dental improvement measures, backed by an NHS Cheshire and Merseyside commitment to invest £15m of local funding to support the plan’s delivery this year.
The first priority within the plan is to increase access to both urgent and routine dental appointments for the local population.
The plan will deliver a range of staff training and development measures to help alleviate some of the current dental workforce challenges, and pilot schemes which will look at how to make best use of existing staff skills mix.
The plan also aims to help reduce current inequalities around oral health provision through local public health activities to help bolster the child oral health improvement programme for all, and by developing additional targeted interventions for a number of key patient groups – including children and young people who need specialist dental care, and ‘cared for’ adults.
The plan is being delivered by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, working in close collaboration with local professional networks such as Local Dental Network, Local Dental Committees and NHS England’s North West Dental Public Health team, as well as with Healthwatch to help ensure that patient experiences inform improvements.
