Steele pilots soon underway

18 March 2010

Over 30 dental practices across England are soon to begin piloting recommendations made by the Department of Health’s Steele review into NHS dental services in England.

Among the proposed innovations are new ways of improving patient access and measuring quality rather than just quantity of dental treatment. Preventive dental care also forms an important part of the recommendations with pilots offering treatments like fluoride varnish, support to help people quit smoking and general advice on diet and nutrition.

Chief dental officer, Barry Cockcroft, said: "Prevention and quality are two of the most important principles of today's NHS and the sites piloting Professor Steele's recommendations will be at the forefront of delivering high quality services built around patients' needs."

Dr John Milne, Chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, said: "The British Dental Association has called for reform to deliver an NHS dental system that works better for patients and dentists alike, and we support the process of piloting the conclusions of Professor Steele’s review.

"The two keys to the success of these pilots are meaningful engagement with the profession and proper evaluation of their results. Engagement so far has been good and must continue. These pilots must now be given the time they need to properly assess the proposed changes and allow reflection on the results they produce."

The Steele implementation board is still inviting expressions of interest for sites to be part of the next wave of pilots which will start in September.

Link: Review of NHS dental services in England