Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, has released a statement to dental teams concerning the future of NHS dentistry’s leadership.
In June 2023, Sara Hurley announced that she would be stepping down as chief dental officer (CDO) for England to “focus on her new roles as a Non-Executive Director at Surrey Heartlands ICB and as an independent director at the University of Suffolk.”
Stephen began by thanking Sara for her “outstanding national leadership”, especially through the pandemic.
He then informed readers that Jason Wong, deputy CDO for England, will occupy Sara’s role in the interim while they search for a more permanent replacement.
Future issues of the ‘NHS Dentistry and Oral Health bulletin’ will provide details on the application process.
Stephen concluded by expressing how important dentistry is to the NHS. Looking ahead, he hopes that the way dentistry is delivered will continue to change and improve.