A new £3.2m investment, the Kenworthy Road Dental Clinic, was opened by England’s Chief Dental Officer to provide free services in Hackney and nearby areas. This is a place where dental decay is prevalent and access to care is in high demand.
More residents in northeast London will have access to free dental care, thanks to a collaboration between Barts Health NHS Trust, Queen Mary University of London and Community Health Partnerships (CHP).
Also, the state-of-the-art facility will provide a fit-for-purpose training ground for 300 university students each year.
The students, supported by qualified dentists, will provide around 7,000 appointments per year for the local community.
The clinic already has over 1,000 patients registered.
CHP’s £3.2m capital investment will allow the delivery of additional dental appointments
Due to this overwhelming response, new registrations are now closed until early Spring 2024.
The public’s oral health has been impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising cost of living, which has increased the need for dental care across the country, but particularly in northeast London.
Wendy Farrington‑Chadd, CEO of Community Health Partnerships said: “Free dental care has never been more important in times where the NHS is facing huge pressures and capital funding is constrained. CHP’s £3.2m capital investment will allow the delivery of additional dental appointments, closer to home, whilst enabling students from Queen Mary’s Institute of Dentistry to thrive in a modern and fit-for-purpose healthcare facility”.
Christopher Tredwin, Dean and Director of the Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London said: “This new clinic will train the UK’s next generation of dentists. Thanks to the high-tech equipment and opportunity for students to treat patients, this clinic will ensure undergraduates have the best opportunities to meet their clinical requirements while providing dental care to the community.”
