Enough is enough! Today I met with Minister Maria Caulfield MP at the Department for Health and Social Care regarding the lack of dental care provision in Portsmouth.
I presented her with a letter outlining my asks. The letter has also been signed by the CEO and the Director of Public Health at Portsmouth City Council.
We asked for:
- Immediate provision, perhaps a mobile service, to be stood up with additional funding.
- Payments incentivising work for the most vulnerable patients. Funding for a development post for PCC.
- For the Department for Health and Social Care to intervene to establish local provision.
More long term asks:
- When contracts are renewed specific service standards must be included.
- Work in areas where dental provision is difficult is incentivised.
- The Department for Health and Social Care to work with Portsmouth University.
- To develop the city’s dental academy into a dental school for the S.East.
Thank you to Maria Caulfield MP and her officials for agreeing to explore and progress all these asks. The people of Portsmouth need these interventions now and they deserve a much better service.
Above is the cover letter.