The BBC Spotlight team were welcomed to our Devonport Dental Education Facility this month to find out more about the Community Clinic that is currently run by Christina Worle, dentist at Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise, Martha Paisi, Post Doctoral researcher at the University of Plymouth and Lyndsey Withers, a long-standing volunteer with the Salvation Army.
The Clinic that provides dental care to vulnerable adults has recently been recognised with a national industry award from the Oral Health Awards for Best Care of Vulnerable Patients.
Christina says:
“The Community Clinic is an important health offer for vulnerable people living in Plymouth.
Close collaboration between myself, Martha and Lyndsey to ensure that patients are supported from the first meeting is the cornerstone of the clinic and flexibility to accommodate each individual patient’s potentially complex needs is paramount to the clinic’s ongoing success.”
Work carried out ranges from emergency interventions to relieve pain and infection, to full dental assessments and the delivery of all treatment needed.
Robert Witton, Chief Executive of Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise and Director of Social Engagement and Community-Based Dentistry at University of Plymouth Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry says:
“We are delighted that the Community Clinic has been recognised with a national award. It is incredibly important to PDSE that the Community Clinic continues and, in time, grows to support more patients in the city. PDSE currently fund the clinic as a pro-bono contribution to the local community.”
Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise is committed to improving dental health in the South West through treatment, education, community and training. The clinic is just one of the projects carried out by PDSE alongside its core business of running the four Dental Education Facilities.