A Practice in Hartlepool is offering check-ups to all children who haven’t been to the dentist in the last two years, regardless of whether they have attended the Practice in the past.
In recent years it has become increasingly difficult for people to access an NHS dentist, but that is about to change for the children of Hartlepool. From Friday 1 March 2024, Hartlepool Dental & Implant Centre is offering check-ups to local children free of charge.
Dr Caroline Jackson, Clinical Director of Hartlepool Dental & Implant Centre, explains more: “Tooth decay is the number one reason for hospital admissions in children aged 6-10 years old. Children are having tooth extractions under general anaesthetic because of tooth decay, a disease that is entirely preventable. We want to change the prognosis for the children in our community.”
For over 12 months Caroline has been working behind the scenes with Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer to improve access to dental care and avert the crisis that NHS Dentistry is currently facing. She was invited to the Department of Health in Westminster to meet with Jill and the Minister for Dentistry, to discuss the issues facing NHS Dentistry.
Dr Caroline Jackson said:
“NHS Dentistry is in free fall, with record numbers of dental practices handing back their NHS contracts and becoming fully Private. Recruitment of NHS Dentists has never been more difficult, but it’s no good us Dentists just sitting in our surgeries moaning about it. We need to do something about it.
“It was an honour to have been invited to meet, with the Minister for Dentistry, and I didn’t want to waste a second of that time, so I approached the meeting with solutions rather than complaints, and I am pleased to say that some of the ideas Jill and I floated are slowly starting to trickle through.”
Jill Mortimer MP said:
“It has been and continues to be an absolute pleasure to work with someone as knowledgeable and caring as Caroline.
“It’s through collaborative working with local professionals like Caroline that we can find workable solutions for the issues on the ground, and Hartlepool’s dental services will be able to come to a fairer solution for patients faster.
“I welcome Caroline's Practice opening their doors to children for check-ups. This is another example of Caroline’s passion to help as many people as possible during a period of strained dental services across the country.
“As my ‘go to’ dental expert and an invaluable help behind the scenes to improve dental services for people in Hartlepool, and I hope we can retain Caroline's services for our community.”