Community Dental Service - Special Care & Paediatric Dental Services

The service delivers specialist dental care for:

Adults and children with physical, learning, or developmental disabilities.

Patients with severe dental anxiety or behavioural challenges.

Individuals requiring sedation or general anaesthetic (GA).

Housebound or medically complex patients requiring domiciliary care.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB intends to award a contract for the provision of Special Care and Paediatric Dental (SCPD) services via Direct Award Process C, in accordance with the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) and internal governance procedures.

Current SCPD contractual arrangements delivered by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are due to expire on 31 March 2026. A direct award for 18 months from 1 April 2026, with an option to extend by 6 months, is required to ensure service continuity.

The Special Care and Paediatric Dental (SCPD) services delivers specialist dental care for:

•Adults and children with physical, learning, or developmental disabilities.

•Patients with severe dental anxiety or behavioural challenges.

•Individuals requiring sedation or general anaesthetic (GA).

•Housebound or medically complex patients requiring domiciliary care.

The service includes:

•Comprehensive clinical assessment and treatment planning.

•Paediatric dentistry, including complex cases and GA lists.

•Special Care Dentistry provided by trained specialists.

•Sedation (inhalation, IV where applicable).

•Domiciliary dental care.

•Multi disciplinary pathways with acute hospitals, safeguarding teams, community services and social care.

•Oral health promotion and prevention programmes.

•Data reporting, performance monitoring and service evaluation.

This service ensures safe, equitable access for vulnerable patients who cannot be treated in general dental practice due to complexity of need.

The estimated lifetime value of the service is £26,936,827.12, the contract is due to commence on 1 April 2026 to 30 September 2027 with an optional 6 month extension up to 31 March 2028.