Councillors will receive an update on a proposed reorganisation of secondary care orthodontics when Cumberland Council’s health overview and scrutiny committee meets at the Civic Centre on Thursday, November 6.
The report, titled Proposed Transformation of Secondary Care Orthodontics, was prepared by the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board. It says secondary care orthodontics is a highly complex specialty addressing jaw alignment, bite correction and tooth movement.
The service currently serves a population of about 1.8 million. Each year roughly 1,400 patients require secondary care orthodontics, and most are under 18.
Referrals to secondary care are usually for severe malocclusion, cases needing jaw-repositioning surgery (orthognathic surgery), multidisciplinary treatments that must be coordinated with other dental or medical specialties, complex restorative problems such as missing or developmentally abnormal teeth, patients with significant medical, developmental or social needs, or cases unsuitable for specialist dental practices or needing a second opinion.
The proposed model has three core elements.
Pathway and operations: the plan seeks to standardise clinic templates and referral processes to maximise capacity. It would introduce an advice-and-guidance service for primary care clinicians so they can consult consultants before referring — a step intended to reduce inappropriate or delayed referrals.
New commissioning model: rather than paying all four hospital trusts for orthodontic services, commissioners would contract a single lead provider to deliver services across multiple sites.
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) is proposed as the lead provider. Under the plan, all consultants would be employed by ELHT but would work across several hospital locations. The change aims to strengthen clinical leadership and create a single line of accountability.
New location plan: services would be concentrated into more clinics at fewer sites to maximise staff capacity. Two main hubs are proposed — one in East Lancashire (using Burnley General Hospital and Royal Blackburn Hospital) and one in Central Lancashire (using Chorley and South Ribble Hospital).
Two satellite “spoke” clinics would run one day a week at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and Furness General Hospital.
The committee will consider the report and its implications for patients and local services at the November 6 meeting.
