NHS Lanarkshire’s dental services have helped a fact-finding delegation from south-of-the-border brush up on the finer detail of the ‘Childsmile’ programme.
Representing English health authorities, the guests were keen to drill down into the specifics of the local application of the innovative national approach geared to improving oral health of school children.
“We were delighted to host our colleagues and share valuable, practical insight” explained Geraldeen Irving, clinical director of NHS Lanarkshire’s public dental service.
“Childsmile is a successful oral health improvement programme which has helped dramatically reduce dental decay in Lanarkshire children. It does this by putting an emphasis on prevention rather than treatment.”
The visitors focused on the infrastructure behind the programme including team structure, organisation and IT. This information will help inform the development of a similar initiative which could be implemented in English health authorities.
The Lanarkshire Childsmile programme is managed by the South Lanarkshire health and social care partnership.
Professor Soumen Sengupta, director of health and social care for South Lanarkshire, said: “This visit reflects both the high regard that the preventative work of our local oral health teams are held in by peers across the UK and the commitment of our staff to oral health improvement for communities across Lanarkshire.”
