Queen Mary dental students and staff help launch the NHS 10 Year Plan
Queen Mary University of London dental students and staff met Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting and Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, as part of the launch of the UK Government’s new 10 Year Health Plan for England.
Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, Wes Streeting and clinic staff
The Prime Minister and colleagues were given a tour of our community clinic, which Queen Mary University runs in collaboration with Barts Health NHS Trust.
They were accompanied by Chris Tredwin, Professor of Restorative Dentistry and Dean and Director at Queen Mary's Institute of Dentistry, and Mr Rishi Bhandari, Clinical Director for Dentistry at Barts Health.
On the tour, our students spoke about what it's like to study dentistry; to treat patients, including children and young people; the importance of clinics like Queen Mary University’s which offer care directly in the community and often, without an appointment; and why it's vital we increase the UK's dental workforce and expand the role of dental therapists.
Speaking on the visit, Professor Colin Bailey, President and Principal of Queen Mary, said: "It was fantastic to see the Prime Minister and his colleagues highlight dentistry, including community-based dentistry, as an area of focus and development in the NHS over the next 10 years. It is also clear from the plan that universities like ours will play a vital role in supporting the delivery of this new plan, which we are excited to do.
"Under the leadership of Professor Chris Tredwin, and in collaboration with Barts Health dentistry at Queen Mary is not just among the best in the UK but globally, ranked 15th in the world according to QS. Staff provide our students with hands-on experience from early in their studies, with support from world-renowned clinical academics. In meeting some of our excellent students, the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Health Secretary met the next generation of dentists, heard first-hand what students need to continue working in the NHS after graduation and how the role of dental therapists can be expanded to provide even more care to those who need it."
The clinic, based at the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health and Wellbeing Centre, also houses diabetes services, a sexual health clinic, a pharmacy and a GP surgery. Multipurpose facilities like this are a great example of neighbourhood care services, which the government has committed to creating more of in its new 10-year plan. These centres represent one component of the 'hospital to community' priority laid out in the plan, which aims to provide more community- based care and reduce the number of people attending hospital.