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22 Mar 2004 : Column 593W—continued
Charges Revenue
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total revenue was from (a) eye test charges, (b) dental check charges, (c) all other dental charges and (d) prescription charges in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [156708]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There is no charge levied for sight tests under the National Health Service, which are provided free to children, people on low incomes and those at particular risk of eye disease. In 1999, we introduced free sight tests under the NHS to people aged 60 and over.
The information requested on dental charges is shown in table 1 for patient charge revenue (PCR) from the general dental services. The patient charge revenue from examinations covers all categories of patient examinations, including complex examinations. Charges are also collected in personal dental service pilots and for certain limited categories of dental treatment in community and hospital dental services, but detailed data on charge income in these areas is not collected centrally.
| Total PCR | PCR from examinations | PCR for other treatments (excluding PCR from examinations) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 420.0 | 73 | 347.4 |
| 1 999–2000 | 432.2 | 77 | 355.5 |
| 2000–01 | 453,4 | 81 | 372.2 |
| 2001–02 | 470.0 | 85 | 385.1 |
| 2002–03 | 481.6 | 88 | 393.6 |
Income from prescription charges from 1998–1999 to 2002–03 is shown in table 2.
| Income from charges (England) | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 341 |
| 1 999–2000 | 367 |
| 2000–01 | 389 |
| 2001–02 | 408 |
| 2002–03 | 423 |
Dentistry
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentures the NHS provided in each year since 2000–01. [161373]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Since the National Health Service was founded over 50 years ago, there has been a real and sustained improvement in oral health. Since the 1960s the proportion of adults with no natural teeth has fallen by 65 per cent. and adults with natural teeth now have on average 14 per cent. more.
Information on the number of dentures provided by the NHS is shown in the table for the general dental service (GDS) and personal dental service (PDS) for England, from the year ending March 2000 to the year ending March 2003.
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| Year ending March | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of treatment | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| GDS | ||||
| Full upper and lower denture | 177,880 | 165,928 | 153,647 | 135,531 |
| Full upper or lower denture | 105,927 | 102,217 | 97,531 | 95,935 |
| Partial denture(28) | 409,090 | 419,455 | 409,679 | 405,088 |
| PDS | 6,025 | 9,083 | 13,141 | 18,305 |
| Total | 698,922 | 696,683 | 673,998 | 654,858 |
(28) There may be several partial dentures in a single combination
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from whom dentists from EU accession states can obtain details of the procedure for obtaining accreditation to (a) set up in private practice and (b) to qualify for employment within the NHS; whether this information is available on a website; and if he will make a statement. [161983]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 17 March 2004]: Dentists from European Union accession states will need to contact the General Dental Council to get details of the procedure for registration in the United Kingdom. Advice on English language requirements necessary to practise in the National Health Service is provided on the Department's website at www. dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCare Topics/Dental.
The National Advice Centre for Postgraduate Dental Education also offers relevant advice. Its website is: www.rcseng.ac.uk/fds/nacpde.
Diabetes
Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the total amount of funding provided for diabetes services has been allocated to paediatric diabetes services in (a) Gedling, (b) Broxtowe, (c) Rushcliffe, (d) Nottingham City South and (e) Melton, Rutland and Harborough Primary Care Trusts in the last year; and what amounts those proportions were. [162398]
Dr. Ladyman: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. Allocations for PCTs were announced on 11 December 2002 and further details can be found at http://www. dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPolicy/FinanceAndPlanning/Allocations/fs/en.
DXA Scans
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for DXA scans was (a) in total and (b) broken down by strategic health authority in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [161922]
Dr. Ladyman: Waits for diagnostic services are not recorded nationally.
The Government is committed to improving access to diagnostic services and the Department is working in partnership with strategic health authorities (SHAs) and other stakeholders to secure a more responsive
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service. Each SHA is responsible for developing and implementing local improvement programmes for diagnostic services and to monitor progress against any locally agreed objectives.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals are equipped to perform DXA scans (a) in total and (b) broken down by strategic health authority; and if he will make a statement. [161923]
Dr. Ladyman: This information is not collected centrally.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average distance travelled by patients in need of a DXA scan has been since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [161924]
Dr. Ladyman: This information is not collected centrally.
Ebixa
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which NHS trusts make the drug Ebixa available for people with dementia on the NHS; and which do not; [162293]
- (2) if he will make it his policy to ensure that Ebixa is available, on prescription, to all people suffering from dementia regardless of the NHS trust area in which they live. [162294]
Dr. Ladyman: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is appraising Memantine (Ebixa) as part of the eighth wave of its work programme. The anticipated publication date of its guidance is May 2005.
The Department has asked National Health Service bodies (in HSC 1999/176) to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies, including drugs such as Memantine (Ebixa), where guidance from NICE is not published at the time the technology first became available. These arrangements should involve an assessment of all the available evidence.
Information about which NHS trusts are prescribing Memantine (Ebixa) is not collected centrally, but data collected about prescriptions dispensed in the community shows that Memantine (Ebixa) has been prescribed on the NHS in all strategic health authorities.
Epilepsy
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of (a) advice on and (b) assistance with the ketogenic diet offered by the NHS. [161039]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 12 March 2004]: It is for primary care trusts, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. , This will include responsibility for decisions on the availability of the ketogenic diet and of advice on and assistance with it.
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Breast Cancer
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of women in Buckingham with suspected breast cancer saw a specialist within two weeks in each of the last seven years. [161566]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table. However, data are only available from 1999–2000.
Source:
Department of Health form QMCW.
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