DENTAL CARE FOR SERVICE USERS
Please could you advise the dementia community of practice, all care homes and any other care services you’re involved with, that the Community Dental Service based out of Bristol Dental Hospital now has capacity for domiciliary (home) visits for patients the meet their eligibility criteria. Domiciliary is only offered to those who are housebound, but the remaining criteria applies for their clinic based special care dentistry.
I am waiting on confirmation that the clinics also have capacity, but please make a referral if needed and appropriate. Please note that the service covers Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and B&NES and so despite enhanced capacity, the waiting list is still 6-8 weeks. Urgent matters for patients without a dental home should still go via NHS 111.
The patients who they look after must require special care dentistry and must have a severe or complex disability, medical, physical or mental health condition.
This means they may have:
Severe difficulty communicating, giving consent and/or co-operating with treatment in general dental practice.
Significant risk of a medical emergency, bleeding or healing problems.
An inability to bear their own weight for transfer to the dental chair without special equipment or are unable to leave the home.
Severe and enduring mental health conditions with unusual altered thought, extreme mood or behaviour which will restrict provision of care.
Appendix 1 in the attached “Referral Guidance” document gives a list of relevant conditions for special care dental service. Please ensure any safeguarding concerns are logged on the referral form. Any treatment required following an initial assessment in the patient’s home, will need to be carried out in clinic. Ambulances can be arranged by the patient’s GP, for transport to the nearest dental clinic. Treatment may be provided under local anaesthesia, inhalation sedation, intravenous sedation or where appropriate, general anaesthesia. Specialist equipment such as wheelchair recliners and bariatric chairs are available at selected sites (though please note, Weston Hospital does not have bariatric services). All care is provided under the NHS regulations (and therefore cost bandings and exemptions apply) and private care dentistry will not be provided.
The service does not accept self-referrals or those from a friend or family member. Referrer must be a professional working with the patient.
I attach referral forms for Domiciliary Care for housebound patients, and Clinic based care for those that otherwise meet the criteria.
I’ve put together a Pathway of Dental Care Referral document (attached) to help practitioners discern the most appropriate referral route to take. I am waiting for this to be proof read and agreed by the dental hospital, but wanted to get it out to you asap – so please be mindful that this is a draft version!
I also attach the UHBW guidance for non-dental professionals.
Send completed referral forms to primarycaredentalreferrals@uhbw.nhs.uk
The link to the website with all of this information on is: https://www.uhbristol.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/your-hospitals/university-of-bristol-dental-hospital/what-we-do/primary-care-dental-service-(pcds)/referrals/