Community services

Making a dent in the 'dental desert' and filling a critical need for legal support

line illustration of a group of doctors / medical staff on a green background

The University has always prided itself on being woven into the local community. From a physical perspective at least, it’s something that is never likely to change. But across disciplines, our staff and students are transforming lives in a society that has never needed them more.

Making a dent in the 'dental desert'

A person feels empowered to attend a job interview. A second unlocks the hidden self-confidence to reconnect with a family member. A third discovers they have a medical condition that requires urgent treatment. A child learns the skills that means they break the cycle of bad teeth that 'run in the family'.

These are not isolated stories of success conjured up for any form of awareness campaign. They are a tiny snapshot of the real stories, from the thousands of real people whose lives have been transformed by attending one of the University’s dental clinics.

They are often among the most vulnerable in society – people experiencing homelessness, people with dementia, young children, refugees, military veterans, children who have been in care. But in whichever clinic they have made it to, they find no judgement. Instead, there are people who – quite simply – want to help them, regardless of the circumstances they carry on their shoulders.

These are groups that fall between the cracks. We see people who often feel embarrassment and shame when going into healthcare settings.

And society has created a myth that you can’t provide dental care to these groups, or that it’s not cost effective. We’ve demonstrated that neither is true.

Professor Robert Witton
Professor of Community Dentistry

Dental school - academic demonstrates to students

Since it was founded in 2006, the Peninsula Dental School developed a vision of extending its services into the local community. Seven years later, the Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise (PDSE) was established to manage four dental clinics – two in Plymouth, one in Exeter and one in Truro – that would go some way to fill the South West’s gaps in provision.

It is envisaged a fifth, right in the centre of Plymouth, could become a reality as early as this year. But even before that, the number of people benefiting from the clinics has grown exponentially.

In the past year alone, over 6,000 patients have been seen during the course of 33,000 appointments. That is a significant increase on the number treated in 2022, and the will – not to mention the demand – to expand further is clear.

Some might see the figures as damning evidence of the current state of dental provision. In some quarters, there are regular references to a ‘dental desert’. But for the Dental School and PDSE, it creates an opportunity to do good for the community and to provide unrivalled experiences for its students. As many reading this will no doubt testify, the clinics offered a considerable stepping stone into their current practice.

In addition to the clinics, a supervised tooth brushing scheme has helped over 25,000 children learn how to take care of their oral health. In late 2023, partnerships were launched with five primary schools in Plymouth to enable children to have dental appointments from their foundation year until they are 16.

The successes – and the many others not listed here – have certainly not gone unnoticed. The Dental School’s model of combining first-rate dental training with outstanding community care is being rolled out globally. And in the past decade, the work of both the school and PDSE has earned more than 20 regional and national awards.

Perhaps the most prestigious accolade yet came in late 2023, with a win in the Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community category of the 2023 Times Higher Education Awards . In presenting the award, the judges said the work served as “an excellent example of a university really making a difference in its community”.

To have our work recognised at a national level was further evidence to us that our approach is delivering positive change. It is the result of an amazing team effort that continues to benefit our students and staff, and the people of Devon and Cornwall.

Professor Ewen McColl
Head of Peninsula Dental School

Filling a critical need for legal support

A young boy has managed to flee civil war and ends up in the relatively safe surroundings of Plymouth. He has watched many of those closest to him die during years of conflict. His two youngest brothers, all he has left of his family, are stranded abroad. The staff and students at the University of Plymouth Law Clinic represent his only hope of being reunited with them.

“It’s sometimes hard to imagine the trauma that the people we speak to must have experienced,” says Rosie Brennan , Associate Professor of Law and one of the directors of the Law Clinic. “We are there for people when they are very often at their lowest possible ebb. At the end of the day, all we can do is listen and use our expertise to try and help in whatever way we can.”

The Law Clinic’s roots can be traced back almost two decades, to a time when lecturers and students carried out a range of pro bono work off their own backs. Established in its current form in 2014, the change was in large part sparked by huge reductions in legal aid. Overnight, many areas of law were removed from scope, and large numbers of people who would have previously qualified were left with no recourse to free or affordable legal services.

The University stepped in to help. Initially, the Law Clinic was a service focused on immigration law, and delivered in partnership with the British Red Cross. But as demands have expanded, in every sense, the clinic has diversified. It now comprises the Immigration and Refugee Law Clinic, a Family Law Clinic, the Employment Law Clinic, the Welfare Law Clinic, an Environmental Law Clinic, and a recently relaunched Tenancy Advice Clinic.

All of them are subject to constant geopolitical change, not to mention seismic shifts in policy and prosperity in the UK. All of them are served to a decreasing degree, or in some cases barely at all, by the wider legal profession. All of them are deeply important from a human perspective, with – one might argue – deeply human consequences if the Law Clinic didn’t exist.

“Our areas of focus are governed, to a large extent, by the expertise we have in the University,” Rosie says. “But they are also influenced by the demand that exists in Plymouth, and across the South West. Changes locally and globally over the past decade, and the support or lack of it now available, mean we are never short of people coming to us for help.”

The task of meeting that demand has never fallen solely to the clinic’s staff. In fact, one of the key reasons for its formation was to allow students to get experience of helping real people with realworld cases.

Each September, final year law students select whether they would prefer to do a dissertation or complete a year-long placement with the Law Clinic.

This year, almost 80 were able to secure the latter. Between the start of their placement and their graduation, they – with supervision from lecturers who are all qualified and experienced practitioners – will work on between 250 and 300 cases. That will include working with partners across the city, such as Citizens Advice, Shelter, and the British Red Cross. The benefits of all that are clear.

Students giving legal advice to the public inside the University of Plymouth Law Clinic

We know this is a positive experience for the graduates who work in the Law Clinic, but the experience they gain here is also valued greatly by the local legal profession. We are constantly hearing stories of people who worked on something here that is now inspiring their career elsewhere.

Luke Fisher
Lecturer in Law (Education)

During the past decade, the Plymouth Law Clinic has captured both local and national attention. It has either won or been shortlisted in one or more categories of the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards every year since 2017.

In 2021, its work also received a further boost when it moved to a prominent new location on the University campus. Its windows are adorned with a combination of global diversity and local landmarks that perfectly reflects its sense of place. Inside, clients are put at ease, a safe space where they sit safe in the knowledge the people they are meeting have their best interests at heart. “This space has been a real game-changer,” Luke adds.

We now have somewhere where clients feel comfortable, and that is critically important. But just as important, the students feel invested in it. It is a positive for everyone concerned.

Rosie Brennan (Law Clinic Director) and team comprising students and the Red Cross. Recently awarded for work on reuniting refugee families. Black and white image.

A positive shift for the future

The transition to net zero is creating opportunities for organisations all over the world. But finding the time and expertise to address the resulting challenges is a major one in itself.

The Future Shift Internship and Sustainable Leadership Programme saw more than 40 students and graduates complete a variety of three-month low carbon projects for enterprises. From measuring carbon footprints to researching a report on future energy markets, the interns matched skills from their various degree programmes with the experience of how best to apply them.

As well as boosting the businesses, it helped the interns develop the attributes – as well as the inspiration and confidence – they will need to facilitate proactive change within the climate challenge.