Simplyhealth pledges to invest in providing dental services to those most in need
- Simplyhealth, alongside subsidiary company Denplan, announces new partnership with Dentaid
- Investment will fund 25 mobile ‘Denplan Outreach Clinics’
- Also enabling the creation of an early years’ oral health programme for pre-school children
- Opportunities for Denplan practices to volunteer with clinics
Simplyhealth, alongside subsidiary company Denplan, is delighted to announce a new partnership with Dentaid, to improve access to vital oral healthcare provision to those most in need around the UK.
The UK’s leading health solutions provider will be working closely with Dentaid, a charity that works to improve oral health in the UK and overseas for the next 12 months and our investment means the charity can create and safeguard up to 25 mobile ‘Denplan Outreach Clinics’ for homeless and vulnerable people across the UK.
These clinics are vital at a time when government reports are showing an increasing inequality in access to healthcare.
Simplyhealth and Denplan will also be supporting an extension to Dentaid’s BrightBites, an oral health education scheme which teaches children about the importance of looking after their teeth. With Government statistics showing an estimated cost of £33 million for hospital admissions in 0–19-year-olds for tooth extractions due to tooth decay this is an increasingly important area of focus.* The support will specifically enable Dentaid to develop education materials for pre-school aged children and their parents/carers.
I know the huge difference Dentaid’s mobile clinics makes to the clients they treat; people who otherwise may not have the opportunity to see a dentist. I’m so pleased that through our support the charity can provide an additional 25 clinics that will specifically target the most vulnerable in our society enabling them to access the oral healthcare they need.
I’m also pleased that Simplyhealth is supporting the BrightBites early years oral health programme because we know that ensuring a child has the best start to their dental care can have a significant influence on their oral health for life. As dentists, we’re also very aware of the high levels of dental issues in children and know we shouldn’t underestimate the importance of teaching children about good oral health at the earliest opportunity.
We are delighted to be working in partnership with Simplyhealth. This will enable us to provide outreach dental care for more of the most vulnerable people in our society. Thanks to Simplyhealth we will be able to send our mobile dental units to new locations where volunteers will provide dental treatments for people experiencing homelessness. We’ll also be able to help other hard-to-reach groups who are living with the misery of untreated toothache. Since the pandemic, demand for our work has soared and our help is needed more than ever.
Furthermore, we’ll be able to work with Simplyhealth to develop our BrightBites oral health education programme for early years. Sadly, a quarter of children have dental decay by the time they start school, with children in areas of higher deprivation more likely to be suffering. Through our contacts and charity partners we plan to teach children and their families about the importance of dental health to improve their chances of having a healthy smile.
All Dentaid’s clinics are staffed by dental industry volunteers and they are always on the lookout for more people to support their work of providing emergency dental treatment for those in need. For more information, or to volunteer, contact ukclinics@dentaid.org.
Simplyhealth is continuing to ensure that every day, every decision we make, and every action – big or small – not only helps improve the health of our company, customers and communities, but also the health of everyone and everything we hold dear. For more information about our community impact, visit our website www.simplyhealth.co.uk/about-us/community-impact
*source Hospital tooth extractions of 0 to 19 year olds - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
About Denplan, Part of Simplyhealth
Denplan, Part of Simplyhealth, is the UK’s leading dental payment plan specialist with more than 6,600 member dentists nationwide caring for approximately 1.4 million patients registered to Denplan products. Denplan, also provides a wide range of professional services for its member dentists and their practice teams, including the Denplan Quality Programme and Denplan Excel Certification Programme. Plus regulatory advice, business and marketing consultancy services and networking opportunities. Dentist enquiries telephone: 0800 169 9962. For patient enquiries telephone: 0800 401 402. For details of all of our products, visit www.denplan.co.uk
About Simplyhealth
Since 1872, we’ve been helping people make the most of life through better everyday health. Our plans make sure individuals, families and employees can easily access in-person and virtual wellbeing services, and afford to stay healthy by claiming costs back on dental treatments, visits to the optician, complementary therapies and much more.
Today we’re delighted to be the UK’s leading health solutions company, with almost 1000 colleagues serving 2.3 million customers. We don’t have shareholders, so we’re led by our purpose of improving access to healthcare, for the many, for the long term. We’re passionate about using our voice in public health affairs and partnering with charities to reduce health inequality – each year we commit to giving 10% of pre-tax profits to a range of community causes. And we ensure our business takes care of the planet too, achieving Carbon Neutral + status in 2021.
About Dentaid
Dentaid works tirelessly to improve access to safe, sustainable dental care for those who are struggling to access treatment both in the UK and overseas. In the UK that involves taking mobile dental services to the most vulnerable people in our communities. This is supported by the BrightBites oral health education scheme which teaches children about the importance of dental health. Since 1996, Dentaid has worked in more than 70 countries providing dental treatment, training, equipment donations and oral health education.
For press inquiries contact Jill Harding on 01794 324249 or jill@dentaid.org.