29 September 2010

Dental Care for Nursing Homes- "Patchy"!

Peter Bateman, speaking at a BDA meeting on Monday, the Chair of the BDA’s Salaried Dentists Committee, said that the provision of oral healthcare for residents of nursing homes remained highly variable. He told delegates that people living in care homes typically have poorer oral health than their contemporaries, but are often unable to access appropriate dental care.

Explaining the work being undertaken in Sheffield by the Residential Oral Care Sheffield (ROCS) scheme, Dr Bateman said that he hoped the model adopted there – of salaried dentists in Sheffield, co-ordinating the activity of general dental practitioners across the city and working closely with the staff of care homes – would be expanded both in and beyond the city.  He also called on the Coalition Government to keep its promise to take into account the ROCS model when developing new arrangements for dentistry in England, details of which are expected to be published later this year.

Bateman calls for greater recognition of the work of care professionals, arguing that they are underpaid and undervalued in Britain. The role of advocates in helping vulnerable patients obtain health services is also vital, he explained.

Prison environments also present challenges for dental seo care Dr Bateman said, citing the movement of inmates around institutions as a barrier to providing continuity of care and the failure of some custodial institutions to invest in the facilities necessary for the provision of care as problems.

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