Oral Health Services in Oxfordshire

The subject matter of this process relates to the delivery of services which are listed in Schedule 3 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015. Oxfordshire County Council have awarded a contract to deliver oral health promotion in Oxfordshire and epidemiological surveys.

The service will be responsive to local needs and delivered in a way that is accessible to all. The provider will deliver a flexible, needs-led service offering oral health training for a wide range of professionals, targeted oral health promotion and self-reported oral health surveys to assess local need.

The Service will work with partners in nurseries, schools, community settings and residential care homes to deliver oral health promotion messages in a variety of formats, integrating oral health into wider health promotion and disease prevention strategies. The aim of the Oral Health Service is to support improved oral health in Oxfordshire, by providing a range of evidence-based interventions to reduce oral health inequalities.

Local authorities are statutorily required to provide or commission oral health promotion programmes and oral health surveys to improve the health of the local population. The Service will provide a universal offer available to all Oxfordshire residents, and a targeted offer for children and adults most at risk of poor oral health, identified in the Oxfordshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the Oral Health Needs Assessment, with tailored oral health messages as required in collaboration with system partners.

Oral health is closely linked to a multitude of health conditions. Therefore, oral health promotion needs vary widely between individuals and are impacted by underlying factors such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, pregnancy, menopause, smoking, and the individual’s socioeconomic background.

The Service Provider will work with system partners to support national strategies to address common risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol misuse, poor diet, and high sugar intake to improve the oral health and general wellbeing of Oxfordshire residents. The Contract term will be 3 years commencing on 1 August 2025, with the option for the Council to extend the term of the contract for an additional 1 year in aggregate.