Braced for another long wait
IT IS with frustration that I write to you regarding the continued problems faced by Service families in accessing dental treatment and, specifically, orthodontists.
As a family, we have strived to ensure that our children become registered with an NHS dentist on each posting (that itself being no easy task) and on each occasion have been informed that our son requires specialist treatment by an orthodontist.
Having been posted three times in the last four years, this has resulted in starting the process over each time due to never actually being given an initial assessment with an orthodontist. Due to funding restrictions and patient quotas, the latest waiting list projects yet another 12-18 months for an orthodontic assessment, by which time I will have been posted again!
The response from the NHS dental headquarters, each regional Primary Care Trust and relevant dental helplines has been sympathetic but, ultimately, unhelpful.
Having also contacted the Army Families Federation, they too understand the problem and reiterate that central work is ongoing to address this issue but, as yet, no system which takes into account the transient nature of Service life has been agreed.
Meanwhile, my son’s dental health continues to deteriorate through the inflexibility of the NHS system and needs of the Army. The situation remains that the need to relocate every two years will mean that my son will never reach the point at which any assessment can be undertaken or any subsequent treatment transferred to my new location.
Furthermore, as a tax payer, being repeatedly told to “go private” does not solve the issue and is not always a viable option. Waiting lists are inevitable and I do not seek special treatment – merely a level playing field with my civilian counterparts where the anomalies of Service life do not impact upon the entitled provision of healthcare for my children.
Must our families continue to be disadvantaged purely because they “follow the flag”? – Name and address supplied.
Lt Col David Willey (RADC), SO1 Oral Health, HQLF Medical Directorate, responds: I have genuine sympathy for this family given three moves in a relatively short period of time.
Seeking private care, while it would undoubtedly enable an orthodontic assessment and start of treatment, is not the answer in itself and there is always a risk that treatment may not be completed before the next move.
Orthodontic waiting lists vary hugely in the UK and there is currently no requirement to provide an assessment within a set time period. The UK has amongst the lowest number of orthodontists per head of population in Europe and provision of orthodontic services is unlikely to increase in the short term.
Progress has been made through the Service Personnel Command Paper and there is now much closer engagement between Regional Forces and local Primary Care Trusts.
However, there may still be individual families experiencing challenges in accessing NHS dental treatment and specialist orthodontic services for a variety of reasons – in this case frequent moves in a short time have put this family in a particularly difficult position.
The best chance for this family would be to ask their General Dental Practitioner to both telephone and write directly to the local hospital consultant explaining their predicament and requesting that they be given priority on the waiting list that reflects their original referral (although it is not completely clear from the letter whether an orthodontic referral has actually been made yet).
Alternatively, the family is perfectly entitled to make a formal complaint using the NHS complaints system (with assistance from the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service).
If the complaint is not satisfactorily resolved by the NHS or they continue to experience difficulties in accessing orthodontic care, then they should refer the problem to the chain of command for help, as they should not be disadvantaged by the mobile nature of Service life in accessing public services. This principle has been accepted by most Government departments including the Department of Health.
Evidence of significant difficulties should be resolvable by the local Regional Forces formation, in conjunction with the responsible NHS Primary Care Trust or its equivalent in the devolved assemblies.
Weather warning order
 One step ahead of Mother Nature: The Joint Operational Meteorology and Oceanography Centre can forewarn commanders what conditions their exercising troops can expect to encounter
Picture: Steve Dock
I READ with interest your review of the Kestrel weather meter, “Uncertain forecast” (June), and noted SSgt Stephen Cooper’s comment that while the device gives a snapshot of the conditions at its location, it does not provide a forecast.
The Joint Operational Meteorology and Oceanography Centre (JOMOC) at Northwood exists exactly for this purpose, but although this office provides extensive support to Royal Navy, Royal Marine and Royal Air Force units, it is used very little by the Army.
Currently, our “green” business is limited to aviation, artillery and some overlap between the hydrography work of the Navy and the survey work of the Royal Engineers.
For those Soldier readers unfamiliar with the organisation, JOMOC is staffed by Navy warfare officers of the hydrography and meteorology specialisation and UK Met Office personnel – a large number of whom are RAF Mobile Met Unit Reservists with front-line experience.
The office is manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and provides environmental information from the top of the atmosphere to the bottom of the seabed in support of land, sea and air operations within the UK and across the globe.
The centre carries a wealth of experience of forecasting for all environments and all climates. Although exploiting the environment to gain a war-fighting advantage is our chief priority, JOMOC is frequently called upon to support expeditions and adventurous training with high-quality, tailored material.
In recent months the centre has helped assist a pair of Royal Marines sailing through the Northwest Passage, the Navy and RAF yachts taking part in a round-the-world yacht race and a climbing expedition in the Himalayas.
Sadly, we receive very little interest from the wider Army and having recently met members of the ill-fated Army yacht team involved in Exercise Transglobe, I am keen to break this habit.
Even if your unit is about to exercise on Salisbury Plain, there is a good deal of advantage in knowing whether you will face howling gales and torrential rain or clear skies and scorching sunshine.
Specialist information is also available: night illumination levels, surf data, drop zone forecasts and thermal crossover for night vision goggles are all here at the stroke of a key.
The office can be contacted by phone on 01923 958111 (9360 58111) or by DII – FLEET OPS-JOMOC Group (Multiuser).
Alternatively, our global weather website is available via DII at www.jomoc.r.mil.uk or the internet at www.jomoc.net (users will need to call the office to request a username and password). Please do get in touch. – Lt Iain Ritchie (RN), contingent operations forecaster, JOMOC.
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