A wide-ranging panel of experts have confirmed their attendance at Cornwall’s Dentistry Summit, taking place on 17 July at Lys Kernow (County Hall).
The panel have been confirmed, following Cornwall Council’s Leader’s intentions to convene a Dentistry Summit at the Full Council meeting in April this year.
The panel members are:
Eddie Crouch, Chair of the National British Dental Association (BDA) Board (PEC)
Jasem Greval, CEO of Smile:Together Dental CIC
Matt Jerreat, NHS England SW Regional Chief Dental Officer (CDO) and Chair of SW Local Dental Network
Kirsty Lewis, Director of Primary Care with NHS Devon and CIOS Cluster ICB
Cllr Thalia Marrington, Lead Member for Community Safety and Public Health with Cornwall Council
Jenna Murgatroyd, Chair of the NHS CIOS Local Dental Committee (LDC)
Rob Witton, Deputy Head of Peninsula Dental School.
Leader of Cornwall Council, Cllr Leigh Frost said:
“The Summit is all about bringing the right people together to have an open conversation about the scale of the challenges faced by residents when it comes to accessing a dentist.
“I’d like to extend my thanks to all of the panellists who represent organisations who have a part to play in helping to find practical solutions that will benefit our residents. I’m looking forward to hearing what they have to say and seeing the practical actions that will come out of the event.”
Following a call out to the public for questions to put to the panellists over 160 submissions have been received. The themes of the questions include:
Access and availability of NHS dentistry
Waiting lists and system navigation
Affordability and financial inequality
Children and preventative care
Workforce and capacity
System design and market structure
Governance, policy and accountability
Geography, transport and infrastructure
Equality and priority populations
Health and social impact
A selection of people who have submitted questions will be invited to attend the event and put their questions to the panel.
Cllr Thalia Marrington, Cornwall Council Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Public Health said:
“I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to submit a question to be put to our panel. It makes absolute sense that we make sure the voices of residents are heard and they have the opportunity to ask their question in person. I’d also urge people to watch online.
“We know there is strength in numbers and by all organisations coming together like this we will have a stronger platform from which to continue lobbying government to improve the state of dentistry in Cornwall.”
The event will be chaired by BBC Radio Cornwall’s Julie Skentlebury.
More information on the Summit can be found on the Let's Talk Cornwall website
The event will also be available as a live stream accessed through Cornwall Council’s Facebook page, X and YouTube.