Children and young people in England with special educational needs in residential special schools and colleges are to be offered free NHS dental checks.
They will also be offered free NHS eyesight and hearing tests under the same scheme.
At least one annual face-to-face dental check as a minimum will be offered, with termly in-person oral health advice and prevention visits to check for any concerns. This visit will also include activities such as applying fluoride varnish or demonstrating effective toothbrushing.
Children and young people with autism, and those with a learning disability, are often more likely to experience eyesight, hearing and dental problems than their peers, according to the NHS. They may also find it much harder to tell people if they are having any problems or whether it is getting worse or causing them pain.
Providing necessary support
Tom Cahill is national learning disability and autism director at NHS England. He said: ‘Mainstream services can sometimes struggle to meet the needs of autistic children and young people, or those with a profound learning disability, so these new sensory checks in residential special schools will provide the support they need.
‘Having specialist services which take account of an individual’s reasonable adjustments, with support from people that know them well and delivered by appropriately-trained staff, will help ensure that they are able to access sensory checks that other children and young people routinely receive.
‘This NHS scheme will mean that around 18,000 children and young people will receive NHS sensory checks ensuring any issues are tackled promptly, reducing health inequalities.’
Minister of state for care Stephen Kinnock added: ‘I am pleased we will be able to support vital sensory checks for all pupils in special educational settings, in a comfortable and known environment for them.
‘These checks will enable health issues in around 18,000 children and young people to be identified more promptly – tackling health inequalities by giving them access to the right high-quality care and support faster.’
Follow Dentistry.co.uk on Instagram to keep up with all the latest dental news and trends.
