£6.3m investment in region's dental services

The contracts – which include the provision of five new dental practices across Leicestershire and Rutland plus extended hours at an existing practice – represent an annual investment in local dental care in excess of £6.3 million, totalling more than £63 million over the 10-year* contract period.

Coming into effect on 1 December 2017, the contracts commissioned by NHS England Central Midlands will deliver the following NHS dental services in the area:

· Five new practices providing general dental services (routine and urgent care) from 8am to 8pm, 365 days a year in Leicester Westcotes ward, Leicester Castle ward, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray and Oakham. These services will be provided by JDRM Dental Care.

· Extended access hours for routine and urgent care at Whitehouse Dental Surgery in Leicester’s Stoneygate/Evington ward, comprising two late evening sessions per week, plus a Saturday morning session.

· A special care dentistry service for patients with special needs throughout Leicestershire and Rutland. This service will be provided by Community Dental Services CIC (CDS-CIC), which will be taking over the existing special care dentistry service from current provider Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust.

The new general dental service contracts have been commissioned by NHS England in response to an assessment of local dental needs in Leicestershire and Rutland. This assessment identified priority areas where improved access to NHS dental services was required, determining the locations of the general dental practices.

The exact locations of the new practices within each area will be agreed between NHS England and the service providers, with further details to be announced in the coming months.

The five new 8am to 8pm practices in Leicester, Loughborough, Melton and Oakham will replace the existing Dental Out of Hours Service and Dental Access Centre in Leicester city centre. This will ensure that people across Leicestershire and Rutland can benefit from easier access to urgent and routine NHS dental care close to where they live.

Di Pegg, Head of Primary Care for NHS England in Leicestershire and Rutland, said: “Having looked at the overall picture in Leicestershire and Rutland and gained an understanding of which areas are most in need of better access to dental care, we’re delighted to be able to deliver new NHS services where people need it the most.

“That’s great news for people right across the area, who from December will find it much easier to benefit from routine, urgent and out-of-hours NHS dental care closer to where they live.

“NHS England would like to formally thank Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust and its staff for providing the Dental Out of Hours, Dental Access Centre and Special Care Dentistry services for Leicestershire and Rutland.

“We will now be working with the current and new service providers to ensure that there is minimal disruption for patients and staff during the transfer period.”