Agenda item - Member Involvement

(a)      A written question has been received from Fran McCabe (Healtwhatch Brighton & Hove co-optee) (copy attached)

29.1    Fran McCabe (Healthwatch Brighton & Hove) asked a member question:

BH HOSC and Healthwatch organisations across Sussex have identified serious deficits in the NHS dental service for routine and urgent care during the pandemic, which has left patients in pain and without dental check-ups. This has been continually raised by Healthwatch with NHS England who commission the service. The Chair of HOSC has also asked NHSE twice to attend HOSC and they have refused. Would the Chair write jointly with Healthwatch to identify again the issues and express our concerns that they are not willing to attend HOSC to be scrutinised?

29.2    The Chair responded that she would be happy to write a letter jointly with Healthwatch to the NHS England dental commissioners asking them to attend a HOSC meeting to answer questions on dental provision during the Covid pandemic.