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| Issue 8 - March 2010 Gateway reference number 13757 |
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| Message from Mike Warburton |
| Dear colleagues, Recently I've been visiting many of you in person in various parts of the country as part of our planning for the second year of the Dental Access Programme. I continue to be impressed by the quality of the commissioning and also by the wide range of innovative techniques many PCTs are using to achieve more and better value for money for the NHS - and more and better NHS dental services for patients. We're currently shaping the 2010-11 programme according to the input I've received and will be discussing it further with SHAs at our meeting on 17 March. I plan to arrange support visits with PCTs again after that. We are also continuing to see a very positive response to the NHS Primary Care Commissioning 'Quality and Productivity' contract management events and accompanying handbook. The last few sessions are due to take place in March - full details and a booking form are available here. If you have good practice to share or wish to set up a visit or conversation, please get in touch with me at: mike.warburton@dh.gsi.gov.uk Mike |
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| Managing for appropriate recall and treatment patterns - PCT pilots launched |
| The Dental Access Programme team has found, in its discussions with PCTs, that the application of National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines to patient recall and treatment intervals is frequently a challenge. Consequently, the programme has started to work with two regions to look at this issue in more detail. The overall aim is to better understand how PCTs can appropriately manage adult recall and treatment intervals by providers and to benchmark what 'appropriate' looks like in order to improve both clinical quality and access. Currently, national research shows that around 70% of people who see a dentist will have a follow up appointment within nine months. While many recalls are clinically necessary and appropriate, NICE guidance suggests that, for people with good oral health, intervals of up to 24 months are usually sufficient. The guidelines state that they set out to 'assist clinicians in selecting recall intervals between oral health reviews (OHRs) that are appropriate to the needs of individual patients'. They also say that 'patients should be informed that a single, set recall interval for their entire lives may not be deemed appropriate and that the recall interval may vary over time to take into account any changes in their level of risk of or from oral disease.' While early work in the NHS indicates that clinical behaviours can be changed, little evidence currently exists as to whether focusing on recall and treatment intervals can achieve a long term, sustainable improvement in the quality of clinical practice. The two pilots will include the development of comparative data sets for the PCTs to share with practices. Additionally, the pilot aims to identify areas where interventions at national level may be able to assist PCTs As from 1 April 2010, amongst other changes being made to the FP17, a box for dentists to indicate recommended recall intervals for each patient is being introduced. This will be useful for helping identify current trends in reattendance. For more information on managing appropriate recall and treatment patterns, see the recently published contract management handbook. The NICE guidelines on dental recall, CG19, are available here. |
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| Communications publicity toolkit update |
| The first stage in the evaluation of the four public-facing communications pilots has shown that while there is good access to NHS dentistry in all four areas, perceptions of access are less good. The four pilot communications campaigns are currently underway in NHS Brighton, NHS Wolverhampton, NHS County Durham and NHS Newham. In early March they will be evaluated via a telephone survey which will capture any awareness shifts on the part of the public around access to NHS dentistry in their areas. Focus groups are also underway in Brighton and County Durham to gather 'softer' information about the impact of the public communications materials. Insights from the evaluation and a national toolkit of communications materials are due to be made available to PCTs by the end of March. If you require templates before this please contact anna.francis@dh.gsi.gov.uk. |
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| News in brief |
| NHS Information Centre statistics indicate good news On 23 February, the NHS Information Centre published NHS dental statistics for England for the two years ending December 2009. The numbers of patients grew for the sixth quarter running and, for the first time, exceeded the number of patients seen in the two years ending March 2006 - the immediate pre reform period. More details. DH publishes latest dental commissioning data On 8 February, the Department of Health published dental commissioning data as at 31 December 2009. This shows a 1.6% increase in the level of dental activity commissioned (units of dental activity) for the next 12 months compared to the level as at 30 September 2009. The dental commissioning data is available on the DH website. SHA leads meeting - 17 March The next SHA Leads meeting will be held on 17 March at the Melia White House Hotel, Regent's Park, London, from 10.00-3.30pm. The day will focus on the next phase of the Dental Access Programme and the support measures due to be delivered over the next year to SHAs and PCTs. There will also be sessions on counter fraud, sharing best practice on contract management and an update on the Steele Implementation Programme. A full agenda will be available on the NHS PCC website shortly. Procurement events - current and upcoming workshops The commercial team has completed four open bidder events in London, Birmingham, Derby and Newbury to provide interested providers with information on the PDS Plus template. Finance workshops are now under way and will be offered to all regions by the end of March. Evaluation and mobilisation workshops are being planned for March and April. For more information contact Jatinder.Garcha@doh.gsi.gov.uk Steele implementation programme - contract pilots In line with the Steele Review's recommendations, pioneer pilots are due to start shortly. Beginning on 1 April 2010, they will set out to evaluate the most effective contractual incentives for promoting access, quality and oral health improvement. Further details will be released shortly about their nature and location. Further information and copies of letters asking for expressions of interest - including information about the newly extended deadline, which is now 5 March for first wave pilots - are available on the DH website. Although the Steele Implementation Programme is separate from the dental access programme, there are strong synergies between the two - in particular the drive to develop dental commissioning, and to improve information to patients. |
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