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COVID-19 service update:

All new and existing patients are being clinically prioritised. We are offering clinical face to face appointments as well as digital and telephone remote consultations.

All new and existing patients will have a different offer than one they previously experienced due to service capacity as a result of enhanced infection control processes.


About the Community Dental Service

The Community Dental Service (CDS) is part of Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust. It provides NHS dental treatment for children and adults who, for various reasons, cannot receive the treatment they need in a general dental practice.
Most of our patients have additional needs. These can be physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical, emotional or social impairment, or more often a combination of these. Therefore all our dental suites have a range of facilities to make sure they are fully accessible.

Who's it for?

We offer a referral-only service which provides NHS dental care for children and adults who have treatment needs which can't be met in a general dental practice. The majority of our patients have physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical, emotional or social impairment, or more often a combination of these factors.

To meet the individual treatment needs of each patient, the Community Dental Service provides personalised care plans and oral health education as well as general anaesthetic and sedation services. To make the service fully accessible facilities include:

  • Wheelchair accessible clinics

  • Hoists

  • Specialist dental chair for wheelchair users

  • Loop systems

  • Interpreting services

  • Activity and sensory packs

  • Social story boards with Makaton symbols

  • New patient appointments

    We are a referral-only service, which means that a health or social care professional (such as a family dentist, doctor or health visitor) would have referred you to us for an assessment.

    You will be given a letter with the date, time, and place of your first digital appointment. Please read it carefully. If you need help to do this or have any questions please call our central booking team: 0113 392 9875.

    What happens if I cannot attend?

    If you are not able to keep your appointment, please let us know as soon as you can so that we can offer the appointment to someone else. Missed appointments mean wasted time and money.
    If you need to cancel your appointment, you must try to tell us at least 24 hours before.
    If you cancel twice in a row you may be discharged from our service.

    Important - If you don’t come to your first appointment you will be discharged from our service. We will let the person who referred you know and, if appropriate, the Safeguarding Team. If you still need an appointment you must ask to be referred to us again and we will add you back on to our waiting list.

    How to find us

    Middleton Health Centre, Acre Close, Middleton, Leeds, LS10 4HT

    The Reginald Centre, 263 Chapeltown Road, Leeds, LS7 3EX

    Yeadon Health Centre, 17 South View Road, Leeds, LS19 7PS


    Getting to the clinic

    All our clinics have parking and bus stops close by. Here is some information that may help you get to us if you do not have your own transport:

    • If you usually use hospital transport, you can get this by asking your doctor’s surgery.
    • Public transport. Metro. 0113 245 7676 www.wymetro.com
    • If you use the Access Bus to go shopping, you may be able to use it to get to your dental appointment. 0113 3481903.
    • Contact a local voluntary agency that may provide a voluntary drive scheme. 0113 391 8333. www.leedsdirectory.org
    • Leeds Alternative Travel can provide a service for those who find it hard to use taxis or public transport. Drivers are trained to help passengers from door to door. 0113 386 8880. 

    If you receive the high rate mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance or War Pensioners Mobility Supplement you must use this to pay for your transport costs to clinic.
    If you are on a low income you may be able to get help with travel costs, keep receipts and records of your journeys and see www.nhs.uk for information on how to claim for a refund.

    Getting ready for your first appointment

    • You must fill in the medical history questionnaire that is with your appointment letter. Bring the questionnaire and a list of all the medicines you take to your appointment.
    • If you need an interpreter or any other support / adjustments for your appointment please call the central booking team. 0113 392 9875
    • If you need to use a hoist to transfer onto the dental chair, please bring your own sling with you and we will check if it can be used with our equipment.
    • If you have a traffic light / hospital assessment or child health record please bring this with you to the appointment.
    • If you are accompanying a child to their appointment you must have parental responsibility / be able to make legal decisions about their dental treatment.
    • If you will be coming with a carer they must know you and your medical / dental needs so they can give us extra information about you if we need it. Your carer will need to stay with you in the clinic during your appointment.

    What happens after this appointment?

    If you need more appointments the dental receptionist will book these for you at the clinic most suitable to carry out your treatment.

    The dentist may decide that we cannot treat you. If this happens we will discharge you and let the person who referred you know.

    When we have finished your treatment, unless you are unable to attend a general dental practice, you will be discharged. You therefore need to stay registered with your usual dentist who will continue to see you for your routine check-ups and treatment.

    NHS charges and exemptions

    Our service is not free, if you usually pay for dental treatment we will ask to make a payment before you go in to see the dentist. Depending on your treatment you may need to make more payments until the cost is covered. Full payment must be made by the end of your course of treatment within a maximum of 4 payments. The posters in our waiting rooms show current NHS dental charges.

    If you don’t pay for dental treatment you must bring ‘proof of exemption’ to your first clinic appointment. Please read the information on the back of your appointment letter for details of exemptions. If you are on a low income you may be able to get help with your dental cost. Ask for an HC11 ‘Help with health costs’ leaflet from our clinic receptionist, or visit www.nhs.uk and search for ‘help with health costs’.

    Urgent treatment and out of hours care

    If you need urgent treatment to relieve pain or stop your dental problem getting worse before your appointment with us, please contact your own dentist. If you do not have a dentist, or it is outside normal opening hours, call NHS Direct. 111.

    Patient identifiable information

    Information about you is always treated as confidential. Sometimes, in order to provide safe, high quality care, the dental team may need to talk with other professionals looking after you (e.g. other dentists, doctors, nurses or social care professionals). Wherever possible, we will only share information with your consent. Whenever we use your personal information we will always follow the Data Protection Act guidelines.

     

Patient Experience

If you have any comments or feedback regarding our service please follow this link.

Contact us

Community Dental Service
St George’s Centre
St George’s Road
Middleton, Leeds, LS10 4UZ
Telephone: 0113 8430400
Email: dentaladminoffice@nhs.net

Opening Hours: 8:30am to12:30pm then 1:15pm to 4:45pm, Monday to Friday (not bank holidays)

Please note our current wait time for first appointment is up to 18 months .

Please be aware that we are referral only service. Contact us and view service locations here

We are currently reviewing our website to make all content accessible. If you are looking for a download, such as a leaflet or booklet that you can no longer find, please contact the service on the details above.

Appointments  

If you don't attend your appointment without contacting us, you may be discharged. If you still want to be seen, you will need to be referred again and if the referral is accepted you will be put back on our waiting list.

If you need to cancel an appointment please give us at least 24 hours notice. If you cancel two appointments in a row, we may discharge you. If this happens, we may alert our safeguarding team, or others involved in your care. 

Charges and exemptions

The Community Dental Service is not a free service - standard NHS Dental charges still apply. If you are exempt from paying NHS charges you will need to bring proof of exemption to your first appointment, otherwise you will still be charged. For more information on dental charges and exemptions, or to get help with the cost of your NHS treatment, visit the NHS website or ask at one of our clinics.

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