Ministerial visit in Ghauri Dental Centre
Ministerial visit in Ghauri Dental Centre

• Professor Ann Keen MP (Minister for Health)

• Barry Cockcroft (Chief Dental Officer)

Mr Andrew Slaughter MP for Hammersmith & Fulham Chairman of LDC Mr Anwar Dhanji.

Their first impression was that it is an innovative practice improving quality and access to NHS dental services in West London. Ann Keen commented “I was particularly impressed by the level of engagement the PCT has with dental professionals and the enthusiasm there is for delivering evidence-based preventative activity.” Barry Cockcroft was equally as delighted, commenting: “My journey around the country was a fantastic opportunity to see the difference being made to local residents with these excellent practices I also see many examples of PCTs and dental teams working together to develop innovative schemes to improve oral health.”

The attendees were updated on how the practice is able to manage the capacity of serving the largest contract on Out of Hours in London treating patients on Emergencies. The attendees were also shown the modern operating theatre that is used for oral surgery patients. Ashiq Ghauri said “The team at Ghauri Dental Centre is passionate about providing the best possible care for their patients.

We’ve worked closely with our partners to ensure that our practice is inclusive, providing a trusted, effective and convenient service for all of our users.” Sarfraz Ghauri commented “Setting up this service and then developing it to where it is now has been a challenging journey but most satisfying to see that pain is relieved on these patients. Over 90% patients have accessed the Out of Hours services over the past 12 months, with 450 telephone callers accessing the service.”