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Changes to school dental services
Schools that don’t have a new clinic will be provided with either a mobile service, or students will need to travel to the nearest school dental clinic. These new purpose built clinics will be a great improvement on the existing facilities and will allow new and more advanced treatment to be provided in a safe, comfortable and private setting. The mobile clinics, built locally at CI Munro in Hamilton will also be better equipped for new treatment options and will be more easily accessible. With these new facilities come service improvements for children. The School Dental Service’s focus will be on preventive care where possible through regular assessments and education. Clinics will be equipped with state of the art technology for providing first-rate preventive care. The vans will be highly mobile. They will visit and revisit children most in need, where decay is a frequent occurrence. The new fixed and mobile clinics will also have space to accommodate a family appointment and all parents and/or caregivers are encouraged to attend appointments.
Questions and AnswersWhy are these changes occurring?The realignment of services is a result of the Ministry of Health’s new strategic vision (Good Oral Health for All, for Life), released in 2006, that identified a decline in the oral health of young people, and that many of the dental clinic facilities in schools were now a poor match with service needs.This ministry required each DHB to determine how best to re-orientate their services. In 2007, Waikato DHB presented an oral health business case to the Ministry of Health, worth more than $20 million, for 16 new on-site school clinics and increasing the mobile fleet from six to 16 vehicles. Waikato DHB consulted widely with both schools and communities prior to finalising this plan but the ministry was unable to provide this level of funding. Waikato DHB revised the proposal last year and received funding approval from the Ministry of Health for funding of $9.78 million. What will happen to oral care for all the other Waikato schools that no longer have a clinic?Many schools that don’t have a dental clinic on site will have an opportunity for regular visits from a mobile service. Depending upon the proximity to the nearest clinic or mobile, the mobile may be equipped for preventive care only or alternatively may be equipped to provide treatment services. What is the mobile service?For the School Dental Service to improve children’s oral health, the service requires flexibility.The mobiles allow this and the fixed clinics will also have the ability to be relocated. An increased number of mobile clinics will allow the DHB to provide an improved service to schools and children with better coverage and a more flexible schedule. The units will visit schools where decay is a problem more frequently and revisit children most in need. There are two types of clinics – assessment or treatment, and two sizes – one or two chairs The exact plan for each school and mobile unit is expected to be determined early 2011 – this includes when the mobile service will commence (as the new clinics are built) and a plan for how often the clinics will visit each area. As school populations and decile ratings change, our plans will change and adapt to meet the needs of the community. Due to the need to keep staff busy, schools with less than 50 students will need to travel to a nearby location. When schools are very close together a mobile unit would be parked at one location to service both schools. How did you decide which schools would receive a new clinic?The higher need for oral health services at low decile schools, travelling distances and school sizes were all taken into consideration by Waikato DHB before deciding on service locations.Children have poorer teeth in low decile schools, so Waikato DHB saw these schools as a priority for an on-site service. Waikato DHB considered travel distances for parents to ensure that services were accessible for everyone. School size was considered as services need to be efficient. Before deciding on the original plan, extensive consultation took place with schools. This included considering the school plans and site suitability for clinics and mobiles. Waikato DHB wanted to build an element of flexibility into the plan and mobile services provide flexibility for population shifts. What will happen to the old clinics?These are already owned by the schools. When the new clinics are ready to open, Waikato DHB will vacate the old clinics and the schools will decide what happens to the buildings.When will these changes occur?While exact dates are still to be confirmed, the fixed clinics will be built in 2011. Our mobile fleet started rollout at in 2010 and the full fleet will be operational by late 2011.How will I know which facility (fixed or mobile) my child will attend?Location and catchment area of new fixed and mobile clinicsMap of proposed fixed/mobile dental clinic sites We are assessing the mobile sites, taking into account location, school size and decile rating. School and parents will be informed of the outcomes as soon as possible. How will parents / caregivers know about the changes?Parents will be directly informed of changes with their child’s appointment. A map showing the nearest clinic’s location and other special instructions will be sent with the appointment.What other changes are happening within the School Dental Service?We are also making business process improvements; these include focusing more on prevention with parents and family.We are recruiting more dental assistants, reviewing opening hours and increasing the scope of treatments available on our sites. We are committed to ensuring that these changes have a positive benefit for your community. If you have any concerns or queries, please email talkteeth@waikatodhb.health.nz or phone 0800 TALK TEETH. |
