Olympian Kate Richardson-Walsh officially opens new dental outreach clinic in Stratford

To mark the occasion, the clinic was opened by Olympic bronze medalist and Great Britain’s Women’s Hockey Captain, Kate Richardson-Walsh MBE, who last weekend led her team to victory in the EuroHockey Championship 2015.

During the 2012 London Olympics, onsite dental care was provided by clinicians from QMUL and Barts Health. During the games, Kate Richardson-Walsh underwent urgent dental surgery carried out by Dr Simon Holmes, Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, after suffering a fractured jaw during a match.

The new outreach clinic, set in the spectacular former Olympic Games polyclinic – now the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health & Wellbeing Centre – features state-of-the-art dental equipment and technology, including 25 dental operatories with high tech digital operation and lighting, and cutting-edge digital radiography equipment.

Professor Mike Curtis, Dean for Dentistry at Queen May University of London, comments: “Our new dental outreach clinic is second to none in terms of technology and clinical efficiency. The London 2012 legacy gives the clinic a rich sense of history, and here we are able to provide students with a first-rate learning environment and give patients the best possible care.”

The clinic will provide dental care to communities of East London with some of the poorest oral health in the UK. With a particular focus on paediatric dentistry, the centre will work to help improve the oral health experience of children in Newham and surrounding boroughs.

QMUL dental students will be based at the clinic everyday as part of their clinical learning experience, and local residents will be able to visit the clinic with a referral from the main Dental Hospital in Whitechapel, which opened last year and was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal in April 2015.  

Kate Richardson-Walsh MBE, who officially opened the Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust dental outreach clinic, said: “I am delighted to be here to open this fantastic dental facility, which provides a learning environment for students and vital patient care for the people of East London. The treatment I received from the team here during London 2012 was second to none and enabled me to make a swift return to the games. I am extremely proud to see their work continuing as we build on the Olympic legacy.”

Dr Phil Taylor, Clinical Director for Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust, concluded: “Our local communities face some of the most challenging health needs of anywhere in the UK. The new dental outreach clinic enables us to provide vital care in a first class clinical environment right on their doorstep, making it easier than ever for local people to receive the specialist care they need.”