A broken dental chair sits nearby. The oral health clinic at Auckland Hospital had continued to carry out oral screening assessments for some patients, despite the lack of chair. The moment she stepped into the room and saw the broken equipment, Ayling said she thought “well, how’s this going to work?” However, it had been possible to continue assessments for radiotherapy patients “safely and effectively without a specialised dental chair”, Shepherd said. Work on a new dental clinic was underway, requiring “significant” investment in new equipment and refurbishment.