| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Dentistry
12. Mr. Mark Oaten (Winchester): What plans he has to improve access to NHS dentistry. [115159]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Ms Gisela Stuart) rose--
Ms Stuart: I hope that Opposition Members will cheer equally loudly when they see the extra allocation for health authorities.
The investing in dentistry initiative will generate up to 900,000 extra patient registrations, and by the end of this year there will be about 40 dental access centres in the areas that need them most. We are also implementing a new scheme to reward and extend dentists' commitment to the NHS.
Mr. Oaten:
Is the Minister aware that in large parts of the country it is almost impossible to gain access to an NHS dentist? How much of last week's new money will be spent on trying to reverse that trend?
Ms Stuart:
We now have a record number of extra dentists. In the last 12 months, the number has increased
Dr. Doug Naysmith (Bristol, North-West):
As my hon. Friend will know, following guidelines issued by the General Dental Council in 1998, the use of general anaesthesia in dental practices has virtually ceased. That, however, leaves the problem of patients who suffer from anxiety which must be controlled. The best method is through sedation techniques, but the British Dental Association has pointed out that not enough dentists are trained in such techniques, and that there are not enough facilities for them to be trained. Is my hon. Friend aware of that, and, if so, can she say what the Government are going to do about it?
Ms Stuart:
I thank my hon. Friend for raising the issue. Because there is some anxiety in the profession, we have set up a review body which will shortly recommend guidelines on the best way in which to proceed.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield):
I want to be kind to the hon. Lady. Will she join me in congratulating South Cheshire health authority on its proposal for a dental access scheme, which is currently out for consultation and which, if implemented--providing a new centre in Macclesfield, and others elsewhere--will dramatically increase the number of people who can gain access to NHS dentistry? Does she agree that healthy teeth can lead to a healthy nation?
Ms Stuart:
I am delighted that, in being kind, the hon. Gentleman did not feel that he had to be cruel first. I hope that he will welcome the extra allocation of more than 8 per cent. to his health authority.
Some six dental access centres are currently in operation, and about 34 applications have been made. The centres will improve access for those who cannot be registered. We are also supporting the establishment of schemes in schools to encourage them to register with dentists in areas where fluoride is not regularly put into the water. We also want to increase the use of such simple devices as tooth brushes. The hon. Gentleman is right: we must start with children, and healthy teeth are the beginning of overall health.
13. Mr. Bill Michie (Sheffield, Heeley):
How many accident and emergency departments are being improved as part of the modernisation programme; and if he will make a statement. [115160]
17. Mr. Steve McCabe (Birmingham, Hall Green):
How many accident and emergency departments are being modernised; and if he will make a statement. [115164]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Ms Gisela Stuart):
The £115 million capital investment in accident and emergency services is enabling 244 improvement schemes to be carried out in 182 hospital trusts in England.
Mr. Michie:
When considering the modernisation of accident and emergency units throughout the country, will my hon. Friend also consider the role of the ambulance service?
Ms Stuart:
My hon. Friend is right: the modernisation review, examining the way in which patients are treated in accident and emergency departments, must go much further, and ambulances play a vital role. As well as giving extra money to the ambulance service and implementing the modernisation programme, we are piloting schemes in parts of the country to separate category C calls, which are less urgent, from those involving the patients in greatest need. We want to ensure through NHS Direct that the ambulances that are needed most urgently to take such patients to accident and emergency units are used as effectively as possible.
Mr. McCabe:
Labour Members welcome the improvements to accident and emergency units. However, we are not simply considering facilities. Anyone who has recently visited an accident and emergency unit must be aware of the tremendous pressures on staff. What is the Minister doing to help the people whom we employ in accident and emergency units?
Ms Stuart:
My hon. Friend is right to say that as well as modernising the processes in accident and emergency units, we must recognise that our most valuable asset is the staff. Last October, we published a joint initiative with other Departments to support all hospitals in preventing violence, including attacks on staff. I recently visited Sandwell health authority, which has launched a successful anti-violence initiative. One of the most pleasing aspects was the announcement by the chair of the local bench that an assault on national health service staff would be considered an aggravating factor by magistrates sentencing in that area.
Madam Speaker:
Order. Time is up. I hope that the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr. Paterson) is happy, as he has heard a great deal from the Minister now.
3.31 pm
Dr. Liam Fox (Woodspring): On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Twice last week after the Prime Minister's statement on health, I raised a point of order about inaccuracies in the details that he gave. For example, he said that 7.6 per cent. of gross domestic product would be spent on the NHS. A Sunday newspaper confirmed that that figure was incorrect. "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" makes it clear that when misleading figures are given to the House, Ministers should provide a correct figure as soon as possible. Has the Prime Minister or any Minister suggested that that is to be done? It is disgraceful that figures are corrected in Sunday newspapers while the House is treated disdainfully.
Madam Speaker: If I understand the hon. Gentleman's point correctly, I believe that a correction is being made in answer to written question 11. I have also gained the impression that the hon. Gentleman may hear from the Prime Minister, although I am not clear about that. However, there is a question on the Order Paper that relates to the hon. Gentleman's point.
Mr. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield): On a point of order, Madam Speaker. With characteristic honesty, the Under-Secretary of State for Health, the hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Ms Stuart), said that 182 trusts would benefit from the modernisation programme for accident and emergency departments. However, the Department of Health issued a press release stating that all accident and emergency departments would be modernised. That is obviously an untruth. [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker: Order. These are questions of argument, which I cannot resolve. If the hon. Gentleman has a genuine point, he should make it by using the Order Paper and tabling a question or an early-day motion to draw the Department's attention to it.
Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham): On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Further to what my hon. Friend the Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox) said--
Madam Speaker: Order. I deal with one point of order at a time; I have dealt with that point. [Interruption.] Order. I am on my feet. Is the hon. Gentleman making a different point of order?
Madam Speaker: It is a different a point of order: therefore I must hear it.
Mr. Bercow: On 12 January, the Prime Minister wrongly told the House that 170,000 young people had left the new deal to go into unsubsidised employment. I have corresponded with the Prime Minister about that. Department for Education and Employment figures have shown his comments to be factually incorrect. My concern is for the equal treatment of all hon. Members. Although my hon. Friend the Member for Woodspring is a splendid fellow, if he gets an apology for an error, is not it right that I should also receive--
| Next Section
| Index | Home Page |