Published on: January 29, 2024
Connect for Health led a parent coffee morning at Chilvers Coton Community School in Nuneaton to provide information about their children’s oral health.
Jake Pantony, the school nursing service’s healthy lifestyle lead, said: “It’s incredibly important for children to have a good dental routine. Poor dental hygiene can lead to time off from school and affect their learning opportunities, as well as the negative impact on their physical and emotional health due to any pain or discomfort.”
Based on the results of their School Readiness Health Needs Assessment (HNA), the service identified oral health and hygiene as a key topic where parents and carers needed further knowledge and support.
After liaising with the school’s family support worker and learning mentor, Jake arranged a parent coffee morning where he invited professionals from Holywell House Orthodontics to provide specialist support and advice. In all, 20 parents attended the session.
He said: “It was great to see a high number of parents attend and engage with the event. I’m sure parents will have learned something new which will benefit them and their children moving forward.”
The specialists were able to provide valuable information on their current patient availability and what services they could offer to the local community.
Rahul, a dentist from Holywell House commented that “it was a good opportunity to talk to parents directly and share some oral health top tips that can help parents to look after their children’s teeth”.
And a receptionist at Holywell House, said: “It was nice to visit the school! Everyone was really friendly, and the parents were asking us questions at the end which was lovely.”
Connect for Health have also scheduled workshops to educate the children attending Chilvers Coton about their own oral health and the importance of looking after their teeth. This will be supported by a healthy eating session from the Change Makers service. The sessions will target factors that lead to students’ poor oral health through diet and lifestyle.
Jake explained that the series of events and multi-service working showed how the Connect for Health action plan works successfully by identifying health needs for children, young people and families and then works to provide them with the knowledge and support to lead a healthier lifestyle.
And he added: “The event shows that our system works, from collecting data from the School Readiness HNA, to analysing the results and completing an action plan with the school, to delivering engaging and effective interventions to support children and parents in an area of need.”