Children and Young People Committee

Inquiry into Children’s Oral Health

Evidence from Lynne Perry – Independent Health Improvement Adviser

Lynne Perry - September 2011

Response:

To examine the effectiveness of the Welsh Government’s Designed to Smile

programme in improving the oral health of children in Wales, particularly in

deprived areas.

This response mainly deals with the 2 questions below but will also cover some of the issues in the other questions.

6. The extent to which the Designed to Smile programme has been integrated

into wider local and national initiatives such as the Welsh Network of

Healthy School Schemes and Flying Start.

Extensive work has been carried out in Hywel Dda to integrate D2S and the Healthy School Scheme, this has included the Healthy Pre School Scheme which was developed and piloted in Pembrokeshire and became the fore runner of the new Welsh Government Healthy and Sustainable Pre School Scheme which is currently being rolled out across Wales.

This work has been achieved through effective joint working, the commitment of the D2S steering group and the staff involved from the D2S team and the local public health team. Considerable time has been devoted to training and support for the D2S team members by public health team members to ensure the fundamentals of public health are understood and the wider role of public health.

The local Healthy School Scheme recognises the importance of oral health and it is integrated within the criteria and indicators that schools have to address to achieve the award; as all schools are involved in the scheme all children including those most disadvantaged benefit.

This also applies to the Pre School Scheme and is now very well integrated into the new national scheme, as a wide range of agencies were involved in the development including representation from D2S, therefore from the beginning this scheme has ensured integration of the D2S programme. In Hywel Dda the D2S team have been trained to deliver the components of the Pre School Scheme that incorporate the objectives of D2S such as nutrition and oral health and hygiene.

The Welsh Government’s Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes ‘National Quality Award’ now expects schools to take part in the D2S programme if offered.

Integration of the Healthy School Scheme and the D2S programme has varied greatly across Wales, the Hywel Dda model is an excellent example of how integration can be achieved but more work is required to ensure the level of commitment to partnership working and the integration of programmes is the same across Wales. This will lead to stronger more cost effective programmes. All Welsh Government programmes should be interlinked and complimentary to each other.

This also applies to the development of resources for schools and the pre school sector. What has already been developed and what are these organisations using? What is missing and what could be developed to be included in established programmes that are supported by all Welsh Government programmes?

7. The current and potential implications for paediatric dentistry, including

reviewing the strengthened role of the Community Dental Service in

children’s public health.

Key public health issues:

Strengthening the role of the CDS by more public health training for staff involved, from the fundamentals to the wider role of public health. This will ensure a wider view of public health is included in dental public health programmes.

This will then:

· Raise the profile of programmes

· Provide more incentive for agencies and organisations to take part in and integrate dental programmes in daily practice

· Ensure dental messages are not seen in isolation and conflicting messages are avoided.

· Children’s public health programmes are interlinked

In Hywel Dda the D2S manager was placed with the public health team, this ensured that all programmes for children were interlinked.

Joint working with a wide range of practitioners is key.

Lynne Perry

Independent Health Improvement Adviser

Formerly: Principal Public Health Officer and Chair of Hywel Dda Designed to Smile Steering Group (retired)

Tel. 01646 683945

Mobile. 07773087964

Email: lcperry@talktalk.net