This month our senior team and one of our non-executive Board members continued their planned visits to meet staff and hear about the ongoing work to improve the patient experience.
Our Interim Chief Executive, Colin Lauder, joined other members of the senior management team and non-executive Director, Donald Reid, to meet staff from the Public Dental Service (PDS) based in the Buchanan Centre, Coatbridge.
The main role of the PDS is to provide dental services for people who cannot access care from mainstream primary care dental practices.
This includes patients:
- with additional care needs, such as mental health conditions, medical complications, behavioural challenges or a wide range of disabilities that complicate access to dental care
- resident in long-stay care and hospital settings
- referred for specific treatment that cannot be provided in a mainstream dental setting
The senior team and our non-executive Board met with Geraldeen Irving, the PDS Clinical Director, who provided an overview of the work of the PDS and the opportunity to ask questions.
It was then onto meeting the staff who provide a very successful service for the most vulnerable patients who require dental care.
First it was the clinical and administration team who support the national Childsmile programme, then the dental sedation service, including meeting Lorraine Lynch, one of the Dental Nurse Managers.
Next stop was meeting the outreach clinical team who provide a much needed service within the Coatbridge locality.
The PDS also works closely with University of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian University to provide a successful training programme for dental students and dental hygiene or therapy students.
Coatbridge is one of 18 sites across Lanarkshire offering PDS. This includes health centres, hospitals, The State Hospital and Shotts Prison.
The PDS Clinical Director, Geraldeen, said: “The team were delighted that the senior management team were interested in joining us to learn more about the work we do to support local communities with dental concerns.”
“Lanarkshire has a fantastic reputation for the complexity and variety of care provided by the PDS. As with all NHS services, we recognise the value and importance of continually reviewing how we deliver dentistry to the residents of Lanarkshire and also how we develop and improve the services we provide.
“We have had both challenges and successes as we recover from the aftermath of Covid-19 but it has also given us a chance to re-focus the future of public dental services to meet the needs of our patients.”
Chris Deighan, Executive Medical Director, was on the walk round as part of the senior management team. He said: “My colleagues and I were extremely impressed with the high quality of the work that the service offers to local residents.
“The range of services available to the most vulnerable people in Lanarkshire is remarkable and a testament to the team.
“The team also offer individuals who want to be involved in dentistry, either as a qualified dentist, therapist or hygienist, the opportunity to fulfil their aspirations with an educational and training programme, not just for Lanarkshire students but for students from NHS Boards across Scotland.”
