The Committee will receive an update from the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) Integrated Care Board on access to dental care and advice.

The Committee received a presentation from Hugh O’Keeffe, Head of Pharmacy, Optometry and Dental Services at the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB), providing an update on NHS dental services across the region.

Mr O’Keeffe outlined the organisational changes affecting dental commissioning, noting that BOB ICB would merge with Berkshire East (Frimley ICB) to form the Thames Valley ICB from April 2026. Preparations for this transition had begun, with both areas operating as a cluster from October 2025.

The Committee was informed of national contract changes that had been introduced in 2022 and 2024 aimed at improving patient access and supporting dental practices. These had included increased UDA payments, incentives for new patient registrations, and flexible commissioning options.

Locally, the ICB had taken steps to address challenges caused by contract handbacks and reductions. Approximately 70,000 UDAs had been recommissioned from April 2024, with procurement underway for five new practices in Oxfordshire - one of which had already opened.

The Flexible Commissioning Scheme, now in its third year, had enabled practices to convert part of their contract to support vulnerable patient groups. Over 37,000 new patients had been seen under the scheme, with 52,000 total attendances. Priority groups included asylum seekers, care home residents, and patients with learning disabilities.

Mr O’Keeffe also reported on the Children’s Oral Health Improvement pilot, which aimed to reduce hospital admissions for tooth extractions. The pilot would be delivered through new practices in Oxfordshire and aligned with the local authority’s Supervised Toothbrushing initiative.

The Committee heard that BOB ICB had participated in a national blood pressure monitoring pilot, with over 1,000 patients screened in dental settings. This formed part of wider efforts to integrate dental services into preventative health care.

Urgent dental care access remained a key focus. Following a government commitment to increase urgent appointments by 700,000 nationally, BOB ICB had commissioned additional sessions across 36 practices, including four in Reading. A new incentive scheme was being launched to further expand urgent care provision.

Contract delivery had improved significantly, with no contract handbacks reported in the past year. UDAs delivered in 2024–25 rose to 1.8 million, representing 90.4% of commissioned activity, and 95.7% when including the New Patient Premium.

The Committee noted that a national consultation on substantial dental contract reforms from April 2026 had recently closed. Proposed changes included embedding urgent care into core contracts and incentivising ongoing oral health management.

In response to questions, Mr O’Keeffe confirmed that:

• The ICB was working with NHS 111 to direct patients to urgent care sessions.
• Outreach and engagement with local authorities was ongoing to support children’s oral health.
• Waiting times for specialist services remained a challenge, with re-commissioning planned to address capacity issues.

Resolved –    That a further report be provided to the Committee in 12 months time and to include data specific to the Reading area.