Dental Services
From the 1st April 2023, the ICB took over delegated responsibility for commissioning dental services from NHS England, whilst responsibility for oral health improvement remains with local authorities.
To support this transition, a dental strategy for Lincolnshire was created to provide a framework for the ICB and its partners to support action over the next three years, aimed at improving oral health and dental services through a ‘whole system’ approach.
Stakeholders involved in the development of this strategy agreed on a bold vision of creating oral health and dental services which promote the prevention of dental diseases and meet the needs of the people of Lincolnshire now and in the future.
Through a series of workshops, four key themes for the strategy were agreed:
- Developing the dental workforce
- Improving access to dental services
- Increasing the focus on prevention
- Strengthening the integration of oral health into wider health and care services
Three cross-cutting themes were also agreed:
- the need to address health inequalities as the golden thread running across all pillars of our strategy, drawing on the CORE20PLUS5 inequalities framework for adults, and children and young people.
- maximising the use of evidence, data, and intelligence to improve oral health.
- enhancing leadership and creating an environment that fosters developing the culture of pride and accomplishment within and across all members of dental teams across Lincolnshire.
All of this sits under one overarching principle, that patients and the Lincolnshire public are at the heart of everything we do. The ICB has continued to ensure improved outcomes for patients in line with the Strategy and refreshed Oral Health Needs Assessment completed in 2024.
A new dental contract within Mablethorpe was mobilised in September 2024, providing improved dental access to the east coast of Lincolnshire. The ICB continues to work closely with the local authority to support prevention initiatives.
Workforce development is a also a priority, with the ICB funding additional places for recruitment incentive schemes. The ICB is also working with the University of Lincoln and partners across the Integrated Care System (ICS) to explore plans for a Lincolnshire Institute of Dental and Oral Health. It is envisaged that the Institute will support with the training and development of dental professionals across the county with a view to attracting, upskilling and retaining the local dental workforce required to ensure that those in need have access to oral health services.