The bid for a dental school to end a crisis which has left people in Norfolk unable to see dentists has been given a major boost - with another to follow.
Plans for a new dentistry school at the University of East Anglia have been discussed in the House of Lords, with health ministers encouraging the bid.
And Norfolk councils are about to agree to pump £1.5m into the creation of the building at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, which would house the school.
What is the issue?
East Anglia is the only region in England that does not have such a training school. Critics say this has contributed to the region being branded a "dental desert", with NHS dental treatment off-limits to many.
The UEA says if it gets approval for a dentistry school it could initially train 40 undergraduates a year.
According to the university, if the school was to be up and running in September 2026, the first cohort of dental students would qualify as dentists in June 2031 - allowing practices to expand NHS services.
Support for school
The dental school was raised in the House of Lords this week, when Lord Fuller urged the government to "look favourably" at the UEA plans.
The Norfolk and Waveney area has the worst ratio of NHS dentists to patients in the country, with just one for every 2,776 people.
Baroness Merren, Labour health minister, said that was a "serious point", as was the statistic that more than a thousand people went to A&E last year because of dental issues.
She said: "However, as I have said, it is not the government who make these decisions, although we encourage those new dental schools to be in areas of particular need.
"I encourage the University of East Anglia to take its proposals to the General Dental Council."
READ MORE: Move to add fluoride to Norfolk water triggers concern
Further boost
In a further boost, representatives from Norfolk councils are due to agree tomorrow (Thursday, November 28) to give £1.3m towards the UEA's ambitions.
The Greater Norwich Growth Board, made up of representatives from Norfolk, Norwich, South Norfolk and Broadland councils, is set to rubber stamp the money.
It will come from the board's infrastructure investment fund, a pooled pot from a levy on development in and around Norwich.
The UEA is currently building a two-storey extension to the Edith Cavell Building at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital site.
The first floor would be a new anatomy suite, but the £1.5m would go towards the creation of a £3m School of Oral Health on the second floor.
The UEA would provide a further £1.5m from its capital budget for equipment, including eight dentist chairs and specialist teaching facilities.
The third phase would see an even larger expansion, with another 31 chairs added to enable 65 students a year.
What the UEA says
A UEA spokesman said: "We were pleased to hear this issue being discussed in the House of Lords, in particular with reference to the need for more dental trainees in our region, where so many people struggle to get the care they need.
“We are continuing positive discussions with the General Dental Council to advance the registration process required and are confident in being ready to bid for dental undergraduate training places, as soon as the Office for Students makes them available.
"We hope this will happen early in 2025 and that, if we are awarded those places, our dental degree courses will start in September 2026."
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