9:10am Saturday 20th March 2010
An investigation into dental services is being launched by Craven councillors.
The council’s scrutiny committee believes areas of Craven are poorly served by NHS dentists.
And it wants to look at the levels of service available in those areas and how – and if – they are being addressed.
The first meeting of the committee’s working group will be on Tuesday and it is urging anyone with any views, or who might want to share their experiences, to get in touch.
Coun Helen Firth, chairman of the overview and scrutiny committee, said: “We welcome and value public interest in this review of dentistry and want to hear from residents about their own experiences, issues of concern and suggested areas to review. We will be publicising the review through local surgeries and will be seeking feedback from dentists and other dental care providers.”
And she said that, whether comments were on particular areas or covering the whole of Craven, they were all important.
Areas that the review could consider are: l Identifying the areas in Craven with the poorest dental health.
l The availability of NHS dentists in the worst areas and quality of service offered to patients.
l How problems of access and service are being addressed by the NHS dentistry service, particularly in the context of tackling health inequalities.
At Tuesday’s meeting, councillors are expected to refine the issues, decide which to review and identify interested parties, such as North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust, dentists and patients.
The group will also set up a project plan.
Anyone wanting to get involved in the review, by sharing their own experiences, or making suggestions, should email scrutiny@cravendc.gov.uk or write to Craven District Council, Legal and Democratic Services, Granville Street, Skipton BD23 1PS. Those wanting to remain anonymous should make it clear.
People can also telephone Sandip Mahajan on 01756 706236.
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