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30
Jan
Harrogate hospital trust withdraws from community dental service
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is set to withdraw from providing community dental services in North Yorkshire.
The trust, which operates Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital, currently provides the service.
It includes treatment to children, adults and older people with additional needs such as learning disabilities, physical disabilities or vulnerability.
However, Jonathan Coulter, the organisation’s chief executive, said it had opted not to bid for the service contract for next year.
The trust has delivered the service since 2011 in areas such as Harrogate, York, Scarborough, Selby, Hambleton and Richmondshire.
Jonathan Coulter, chief executive at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.
But, Mr Coulter told a trust board meeting on Wednesday (January 28) that it was in the process of “decommissioning” the service.
According to the government's procurement portal, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board awarded the contract to Community Dental Services CIC, a community interest company which is based in Bedfordshire but provides services across the Midlands and Lincolnshire.
The contract is valued at £46.6 million and is due to last for six years.
The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust why it had chosen not to continue the service.
A spokesperson for the trust said:
With the current community dental services contract coming to an end, the commissioner undertook a procurement exercise to identify the service’s next provider.
At this stage, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust decided that another provider would be better placed to deliver the service moving forwards.
The contract is due to end on March 31, 2026.
The spokesperson added:
We are working with the new provider and the integrated care board to ensure the continuity of high quality patient care during this transitional period.
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