Chris McCann, director of communications, insight and campaigns at Healthwatch England, has been asked to appear before the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee on Tuesday April 25, alongside Sarah Fletcher, chief executive officer at Healthwatch Lincolnshire.
Their evidence will be followed by appearances from the health minister responsible for NHS dentistry, Neil O-Brien, England’s Chief Dental Officer Sara Hurley and Dr Amanda Doyle, director for primary and community care at NHS England.
For Healthwatch England, Chris will present a national overview of patient experience on worsening access, health inequalities, concerns about dental charges and our specific calls for change. Sarah will be giving a gritty, grass-roots perspective of what it’s like for one local Healthwatch, in a geographically isolated area, to deal with repeated requests from people for help to access local services that don’t exist.
The fact that the committee has invited two Healthwatch representatives to give oral evidence, is down to the strength of our national #fixnhsdentistry campaign and the record number of written submissions (34) from local Healthwatch to a single parliamentary inquiry.
