Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that dental services are represented in the governance structures of integrated care systems.

From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.

ICBs are required to publish their constitution, which includes a list of ICB board members, in accordance with the Health and Care Act 2022. ICBs have made board member information, including members’ expertise and knowledge, publicly available on their websites.

The Health and Care Act 2022 sets out membership requirements of the ICBs that include representatives from NHS trusts, primary care, and local authorities. However, the local areas can go beyond the legislative minimum requirements in order to address their local needs. Most ICBs have used this discretion, and appointed additional members such as members for public health, voluntary, community and social enterprise representatives, and others based on their local area needs.