About the Coventry Community Dental Service

A specialised service providing dental treatment for children, adults and older people in Coventry who because of a mental or behavioural impairment or disability are unable to access general practice dental care.

Coventry Community Dental Service accepts patients who are resident in and/or are registered to a General Medical Practice in postcodes CV1-6

We can offer treatment for people with:

• Learning difficulties
• Mental health problems
• Physical disability causing mobility problems
• Severe or complex medical problems where condition or medication dictates special care
• Social/emotional/behavioural/management problems
• People with severe anxiety or phobias

Referral Criteria Examples:

NHS dental charges apply as appropriate.

Services we provide are:

• Routine dental care
• Mobile dental unit that serves special needs
• Domiciliary visits for housebound patients who meet service criteria
• Oral health promotion
• Sedation and General Anaesthetic referral for patients requiring extractions and who meet service criteria

Referrals

A referral form is required from a health or social care professional.

An assessment appointment will then be made to plan treatment as necessary.

Using a secure email account please send the completed referral form and relevant radiographic images to: dentalreferrals@covwarkpt.nhs.uk

Contact:

Community Dental Service
2nd Floor
City of Coventry Health Centre
2 Stoney Stanton Road
Coventry
CV1 4FS

Referral to the Specialist Care Dental Service (Warwickshire)

NHS  Warwickshire commissions Warwickshire Special Care Dental Service to provide dental care for residents of Warwickshire whose dental care needs cannot be met by the General Dental Service (family dentist) or the Hospital Dental Service.

Special Care Dentistry is broadly concerned with providing and enabling the improvement of oral health of individuals who may have a physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical, emotional or social impairment or disability or, frequently, a combination of a number of these factors.

Criteria for assessment is based on:

• Ability to communicate
• Ability to co-operate
• Medical
• Oral Risk Factors
• Access to Oral Care.

For some patients the reason for referral can be resolved during a single course of treatment e.g. those with less severe tolerance issues that can be addressed by an acclimatisation programme or referral for treatment under General anaesthetic.

We would aim to discharge these patients back to general dental practice

Some patients require long term care because of the long term nature of their needs and the specialist nature of the Special Care Dental Service.

Geographic Coverage

We will accept patients for care whose G.P. is within the Warwickshire boundaries and Local Authority of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Leamington Spa and Warwick and Stratford.

Clinics are located at:-

• Atherstone
• Bedworth
• Rugby
• Nuneaton
• Royal Leamington Spa Rehabilitation Hospital
• Leamington Spa
• Stratford

We can provide treatment on a domiciliary basis from all our clinics

General Anaesthetic sessions are provided at Warwick Hospital and UHCW for paediatric exodontia and Warwick Hospital and George Eliot Hospital for adult comprehensive courses of treatment

Making a Referral

Referrals can either be for routine treatment, treatment under sedation (Inhalation or Intravenous) or for treatment under General Anaesthetic

Please write a standard referral letter, making it clear why the referral to SCDS is required and then send it to dentalreferrals.warks@nhs.net

The following points may assist when making a referral

• We do not accept referrals for molar endodontics or oral surgery
• Young children(under 5yrs) are unsuitable for Inhalation sedation
• Children requiring multiple extractions, or adults requiring extractions in more than two quadrants may be more appropriate for treatment under General Anaesthetic
• An orthodontic assessment may be helpful for children with extensive decay  or severe hypoplasia in first adult molars which have a poor prognosis, to check if balancing extractions may be helpful,
• Radiographs are required for adult extractions

Once received we will send a confirmation letter to yourself as the referrer and to the patient. This will indicate if the referral has been triaged as URGENT or ROUTINE

If the clinical information relating to the referral changes please contact  our Head office so that the referral can be re-triaged

We aim to see URGENT referrals within 4 weeks and operate an opt in system .  If you have not heard back from us within 2 weeks of sending your referral then please contact our head office for advice

Special Care Dental Service, Whitnash Lodge, Royal Leamington Spa Rehabilitation Hospital, Heathcote Lane, Warwick CV34 6SR

Tel: 01926 317700 ext 7726