NHS England South (Wessex) The provision of Out of Hours Urgent Dental Services AWARD NOTICE

NHS England South (Wessex) were seeking to commission an out-of-hours urgent dental care service across two sites - one accessible to the population of east Dorset and one accessible to the population of west Dorset.

The population of each of these areas included those who are registered with a GP in Dorset, those who are resident in Dorset without a GP and those who are visitors to Dorset.

The services will provide patients who are in pain or whose oral health is at risk of significant deterioration with access to an urgent care dentist to relieve their immediate need. This access will be at the weekend and bank holidays only, and appointments will be booked upon the patient calling 111 and being allocated to a slot held at the practice. Once the patient's problem has been treated they will be discharged back into general dentistry unless it is necessary for the urgent care dentist to refer them for specialist care.