NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB is launching a 4-week period of public and stakeholder engagement around our long-term plans to commission NHS dental services in Norfolk and Waveney.

From Wednesday 24 January to Wednesday 21 February, we are asking all our stakeholders to provide feedback on the priorities that we have identified to be the focus of our commissioning activities over the next two years. We identified these priorities from early engagement with dental professionals and their representative bodies. We also considered feedback we received from local people as we were developing our Joint Forward Plan, as well as from our local Healthwatch organisations and many others.

We have developed a short survey to capture your views on the priority areas we have identified, which include:

• Urgent Care;
• Developing Capacity in our Dental Teams;
• Improving Access; and
• Promoting Good Oral Health

Additionally, we are also asking for your input on what priorities you want us to consider as we develop our longer-term plans for commissioning NHS dental services.

Feedback can be provided online, by email, or post. An Easy Read version of the survey is available to download , and you can also find details of how to request a paper copy or alternative format of the survey at https://improvinglivesnw.org.uk/dental-engagement/.

The survey can also be completed online here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/dental-priorities-survey/

Sadie Parker, Director of Primary Care at NHS Norfolk and Waveney, said “We have been hearing loud and clear from our residents and communities how concerned you are about the lack of NHS dental services in Norfolk and Waveney. We know how challenging the situation is and we are committed to doing all we can to improve patient access to dental services.

“Since we took on commissioning responsibility for dental services last April, we have been working hard to understand the landscape, and to understand where we can make a difference in how we commission services locally so we can begin to make things better.

“It’s not going to be easy, and it’s not going to happen overnight. But we have identified four main priority areas that we can focus on over the next two years as a start, and we are seeking your views to feed into our longer-term commissioning plans for dentistry, too.

“Please do share your views through the survey. We want to hear from all our patients, residents, and wider health and care stakeholders what you think about these immediate priorities, and what you’d like us to consider for the longer term so that we can ensure we’re on the right track.”