Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South, visited Community Dental Services CIC (CDS)’s Siskin Dental Centre on 17th July to meet with CDS Chief Executive, Helen Paisley, members of the Executive Team, and the local clinical staff.
During the visit, Mr Lewis toured the centre and spoke with the team about the challenges currently facing NHS dentistry both nationally and within his constituency. The discussion also focused on the work being delivered by CDS in Norwich and across Norfolk to improve access to care and promote prevention, especially among children.
Tooth decay remains the leading cause of hospital admissions among children in England – a deeply concerning trend that CDS is actively working to reverse through intervention and community-driven solutions. The team spoke about the delivery of supervised toothbrushing schemes in early years settings, alongside wider prevention-focused initiatives designed to reach families and children in community settings.
The visit was also an opportunity to highlight CDS’s efforts to address the recruitment challenges in a region often described as a “dental desert,” including the introduction of dental fellowships that combine employment with postgraduate training – an approach proving attractive to young dental professionals starting their careers.
Mr Lewis said: “It was both a pleasure and eye-opener to visit the Centre and see for myself the dedication of staff to helping some of the most vulnerable people in our city, when they need it most. This is a vital service, facing big challenges which I’ve promised I’ll do my best to help them with.”
Helen Paisley, Chief Executive of CDS, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Clive to our clinic in Norwich and to have the opportunity to discuss the challenges of dental provision in Norfolk and across the country. We really welcome the interventions of MPs like Clive to highlight the issues their constituents face accessing dental care and it was good to have the opportunity to outline how we are finding new ways to improve access and deliver care where it is needed most.”
CDS is a referral only dental service where patients typically have complex additional needs such as learning disabilities, severe autism, or children with high levels of dental disease or are in situations that traditional dental care cannot reach for example housebound patients and those who are homeless.
