Latest news with #EdGarrett
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health checks could start at 30 in 'national first'
People living in a seaside town could be offered health checks from the age of 30 in a national first for the NHS, a senior doctor said. The free screening is usually offered to those aged 40 to 74, but that could be lowered in Clacton-on-Sea to tackle health inequalities. Dr Ed Garrett revealed the plan at a Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) meeting on Tuesday and said it was "progressing" forward. But an NHS spokesman said the idea was "very early stages". The health check aimed to detect if people were at higher risk of getting certain illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and strokes. It involved screenings, including cholesterol and blood pressure tests. Dr Garrett said it would be a "national first" if the proposal went ahead. "Given life expectancy [in Clacton], we feel it's important that health checks are delivered earlier," he said. The seaside town has been the focus of concerted efforts by the NHS to stop deprivation leading to health inequalities. Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty visited in 2021, having authored the Coastal Communities report. In it, he said these towns suffered from high rates of serious illnesses and lower life expectancy among residents. Ian Davidson, chief of Tendring District Council, also said people living in some parts of Clacton had a life expectancy 18 years lower than in wealthier parts of Essex. When approached by the BBC to provide more details on its health checks plan, an ICB spokesman said it was still in its infancy. He added: "We'll share more details as soon as we are able." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Life expectancy gap of 18 years in parts of Essex Whitty: Deprived coastal towns need redesign Seaside poor health overlooked, warns Whitty Suffolk and North East Essex ICB
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Suffolk health boss promises county will lose 'dental desert' tag
A health boss has promised that a county will lose its tag as "the dental desert" within two years. Ed Garrett, chief executive of NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, told the BBC it was working to improve NHS dental provisions within Suffolk. It comes after patients in the county reportedly had resorted to their own DIY dentistry after struggling to get government previously said it was committed to rebuilding dentistry and was working to provide an extra 700,000 urgent appointments. "In two years' time Suffolk will not be known as a dental desert, but in two years' time we'll be saying there's a lot more to do," Mr Garrett said."We're obviously coming from a low base. We have, however, opened a community interest company provision at the University of Suffolk."That will be delivering 18,000 appointments a year once it's fully up to speed."We've got a long way to go, but my message is, 'we're on it'."The new provision at the university offers urgent and emergency dental treatment. 'Patients are suffering' Mark Jones is the campaign coordinator of Toothless in Suffolk and believed Mr Garrett's comments were made with good intentions, but he said he took them "with a pinch of salt"."Unfortunately patients are suffering more than ever," Mr Jones said. "As the population expands in Suffolk so does the access to NHS dentistry become more of a pipe dream for every day patients."The issues haven't gone away. People are taking extreme measures whether that be extracting their own teeth or taking too many painkillers and taking days off work. It's still bigger than ever." 'I couldn't get help' Rebecca Stephenson is a dental patient in Leiston and revealed she had to help pull parts of her husband's tooth out town is well known for losing all its NHS dentists over the past few years and Mrs Stephenson said her and her husband were left unable to find any other services."I tried various different avenues ringing up all the local surgeries even one farther afield in different counties and couldn't get anybody to help," she said."Even 111 said you can really only get an emergency dentist if you have an abscess, some kind of raging infection, or pain that is just unendurable agony."She was pleased to hear Mr Garrett's comments but feared her husband would not have any teeth left in two years' time."I don't know why they [the government] don't think it's important," she added."He's treated for his health conditions that weaken his teeth, he has drugs that weaken his teeth, but the dentistry is not part of the joined up service." 'Wait and see' Hannah Woolnough, chair of the Suffolk branch of British Dental Association (BDA), said the service needed a "fundamental reform" and the BDA was yet to see any "substantive" changes. "Quite huge swathes of the population are really struggling with dental problems and access, so they have to prioritise it and do something," she said."Or they're going to lose a lot of voters' faith that the promises they make they are not keeping."There is hope, there's always hope, but whether that hope is appropriately placed we will wait and see."The Department for Health and Social Care previously said the issue was a "priority for this government"."We will reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients," it November, Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said Labour had inherited a recovery plan "not fit for purpose" and rebuilding dentistry would "take time". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
