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Dental Services
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of areas in England where people experience problems of gaining access to an NHS dentist. [33882]
Mr. Malone: There is no national problem of availability in national health service dentistry. There were 15,942 dentists on family health services authorities lists in December 1995, the highest December figure ever and 3,500 more than in 1979.
Health authorities are generally able to put patients who contact them in touch with dentists who will treat them. Where necessary, the health authority can make use of the community dental service or apply to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to appoint a salaried dentist. In April 1996, 140 salaried dentists were employed in England. In addition, health authorities will shortly be able to bid for funds from a new access fund for local schemes to improve accessibility to services.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have contacted each family health services authority or their equivalent asking for help in finding a dentist in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [34329]
Mr. Malone:
This information was collected from July 1992 to March 1996. Information will be placed in the Library showing figures for the three full years available.
Mr. Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practitioners treating NHS patients were registered in each family health services authority or their equivalent for each of the last eight years. [34330]
Mr. Malone:
Information will be placed in the library setting out the number of general dental practitioners on family health service authority lists in England.
Mr. Gapes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission an inquiry into the production of duplicate numbers under the NHS unique number project; and if he will make a statement. [33988]
26 Jun 1996 : Column: 145
Mr. Horam:
A study has already been carried out to establish the cause of the non-unique numbers, and to assess the best way of preventing their occurrence in future.
Mr. Allason:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to amend paragraph 2(1)(b) of the Human Organ Transplantation (Establishment of Relationship) Regulations 1989 (SI, 1989 No. 2107) to reflect current technology. [34324]
Mr. Horam:
Consideration is being given to amending the Human Organ Transplants (Establishment of Relationship) Regulations 1989 to reflect developments in medical science and technology.
Mr. Spearing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 17 June, Official Report, column 352, concerning performance standards of emergency ambulance services set by contracts made by the district health authorities with providers, if he will take steps to collect information on the extent to which they comply with the national Orcon standards and the patients charter. [34086]
Mr. Horam:
Information is collected to check the performance of each national health service ambulance service against Orcon and patient's charter standards. This information for 1995-96 is due to be published in a statistical bulletin on 2 July, and copies will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the responsibilities for (a) the registration and (b) the inspection of children's homes which have fewer than four children, and which take in children entirely from outside the area of the social services authority in which they are located. [34090]
Mr. Bowis:
Children's homes run by voluntary organisations are required to register with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and are inspected by the social services inspectorate irrespective of the numbers of children accommodated.
The registration and inspection of small children's homes run by private organisations that provide accommodation for fewer than four children is being considered within the current review of the inspection and regulation of social services.
Authorities placing children in those homes, as in any other homes, have a statutory duty under the Arrangements for Placement of Children (General) Regulations 1991 to ensure that the homes are suitable and that they promote and safeguard the child's welfare. The Department of Health issued guidance to local authorities about the application of these regulations in LAC(93)16, copies of which are available in the Library.
The local authority in which the home is situated has the duty to investigate, with a court order if necessary, any concerns that a child in such a home is at risk.
26 Jun 1996 : Column: 146
Mr. Thurnham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the financial implications of the closure of mental handicap hospitals in the north-west; and what resources are available to support those people who need residential care. [34106]
Mr. Bowis:
The financial implications are in both revenue and capital requirements. The revenue budgets are identified for the hospitals and are made available for providing the support required for care within the community. Capital costs are funded from the capital resources allocated to health authorities.
Mr. Thurnham:
To ask the Secretary of State of Health when Sir William Utting's report will be published. [34495]
Mr. Bowis:
His recommendations will be made to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health and for Wales as speedily as possible.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what actions are being taken by his Department to ensure that children are not working in breach of the current employment law. [33203]
Mr. Bowis:
Enforcement of the law in this area is a matter for local authorities.
Ms Jowell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of gynaecological beds in hospitals in (a) Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham and (b) England in each of the last 10 years. [34065]
Mr. Malone:
Information is not collected centrally on hospital beds by clinical specialty. The available information, by broad ward classification, is contained in "Bed availability for England", copies of which are available in the Library.
Ms Jowell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of (a) gynaecological out-patient clinics at hospitals, (b) women seen at each clinic and (c) women who went on to require day surgery or treatment as an in-patient in each of the last 10 years. [34066]
Mr. Horam:
Information on the number of out-patients clinics is not available centrally. Information on the number of out-patients attendances by clinical specialty is contained in "Outpatients and ward attenders for England". Information on the number of day case and ordinary admissions by clinical speciality is contained in "Ordinary and day case admissions for England". Copies of both publications are available in the Library.
Ms Jowell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average waiting time for an out-patient appointment and length of wait between initial appointment and surgery at each gynaecological clinic in England in the last 10 years. [34069]
Mr. Horam:
The information is not available in the form requested.
26 Jun 1996 : Column: 147
Copies of "Waiting Times for First Out-patient appointments in England" are available in the Library. Information on the numbers waiting for in-patient admission for gynaecology is contained in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England", copies of which are also available in the Library.
Ms Jowell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of doctors and consultants specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years. [34070]
Mr. Malone:
The available information requested is shown in the table.
| All staff | Consultants | |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 3,330 | 770 |
| 1986 | 3,350 | 790 |
| 1987 | 3,340 | 790 |
| 1988 | 3,510 | 800 |
| 1989 | 3,630 | 840 |
| 1990 | 3,670 | 860 |
| 1991 | 3,800 | 860 |
| 1992 | 3,790 | 880 |
| 1993 | 3,820 | 910 |
| 1994 | 3,940 | 950 |
England and Wales. Figures for 30 September in each year, rounded to the nearest ten.
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women attended accident and emergency departments with gynaecological problems and how many were admitted to hospital with acute gynaecological problems in each of the last 10 years. [34071]
Mr. Horam: Information is not available centrally on accident and emergency attendances by clinical speciality. The available information on accident and emergency attendances is contained in "Outpatients and ward attenders for England", copies of which are available in the Library. Information is collected centrally in the hospital episode system both for operations and diagnosis using specific codes. These include a large number of codes that might be described as "gynaecological". The available information is contained in "Hospital episodes statistics (Volume 1)", copies of which are available in the Library.
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