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23 Feb 2005 : Column 676W—continued

Chorley Hospital

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthhow many babies were born at Chorley Hospital in each of the last three years; and how many mothers and babies transferred to Chorley after childbirth at Preston in the last period for which figures are available. [216208]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The numbers of live births occurring in Chorley and District Hospital in 2001 to 2003 are shown in the table.

	Number
2001	252
2002	210
2003	229

Source:
Office for National Statistics.

Information about the transfer of mothers and babies to a specific hospital is not collected centrally.

Correspondence

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Minister of State will reply to the letter dated 30 November 2004 about the projected overspend by the Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals Trust. [217328]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 21 February 2005]: The hon. Member's original letter was not received in the Department. We now have a copy and we will reply as soon as possible, and within the Department's target time for reply of 20 days.

Dentistry

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2005, Official Report, column 546W on dentistry, how many dental practices were on the nhs.uk database, including those not registering new patients; how many were registering new patients; how many were not registering new patients but providing occasional NHS treatment to non-registered patients; and how many were not registering new patients or providing occasional NHS treatment to non-registered patients. [215993]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 10 February 2005]: As of 31 December 2004, there were 8,931 general and personal dental practices in England.

On 10 February 2005, there were 8,447 general and personal dental practices shown on the nhs.uk website as able to accept at least one category of patient for registration or occasional treatment under the national health service.
 
23 Feb 2005 : Column 677W
 

The number of general (GDS) and personal dental service (PDS) practices shown on the website either as willing to register new NHS patients and/or accept them for occasional treatment on 24 November 2004, is shown in the following table.

	GDS	PDS	Total
Registering children aged 0 to 18 years for NHS treatment	3,533	164	3,697
Registering charge exempt adults for NHS treatment	2,615	143	2,758
Registering charge paying adults for NHS treatment	2,273	139	2,412
Providing occasional NHS treatment to non registered patients	1,281	134	1,415

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of (a) adults and (b) children are registered with dentists (i) operating under General Dental Service contracts, (ii) operating under Personal Dental Service contracts and (iii) in total. [216145]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The table shows the percentage of adults and children registered with dentists operating under general dental service (GDS) contracts, operating under personal dental service (PDS) contracts and the total. These figures are for England as of 31 December 2004.

		Registered with dentist
	Population (Million)	Number (Million)	Percentage
Adult
GDS	38.8	13.8	36
PDS	38.8	3.1	8
Total	38.8	16.9	44
Children
GDS	11.1	5.7	51
PDS	11.1	1.1	10
Total	11.1	6.8	61
Total(4) adults and children
GDS	49.9	19.5	39
PDS	49.9	4.2	8
Total	49.9	23.7	47

⁽⁴⁾Figures for total registrations regardless of age



 
23 Feb 2005 : Column 678W
 

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1)if he will list the names and addresses of the dentists in Kent still accepting new NHS patients; [216250]

(2) if he will list the dentists in Kent that have closed their lists to NHS patients during the last 12 months. [216251]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 21 February 2005]: Under the Data Protection Act, we are not able to receive or pass on details relating to individual dentists.

The following table shows primary care trusts (PCTs) in the county of Kent, which are wholly or partially accepting the registration of new patients. Further information, including the addresses of dental practices, which are accepting national health service patients is available at www.nhs.uk. Information is not available centrally on individual dentists that have closed their lists to NHS patients.

PCTs	Total practices in PCT	Registering children aged 0 to 18 years for NHS treatment	Registering charge exempt adults for NHS treatment	Registering charge paying adults for NHS treatment
5CM—Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley	33	16	15	8
5FF—South West Kent	43	17	6	6
5L2—Maidstone Weald	43	16	2	2
5L3—Medway	40	24	17	12
5L4—Swale	14	4	5	3
5LL—Ashford	17	4	1	—
5LM—Canterbury and Coastal	30	6	1	—
5LN—East Kent Coastal	37	(5)—	(5)—	(5)—
5LP—Shepway	20	4	2	—
Grand total	277	91	49	31

⁽⁵⁾Not accepting any new NHS patients for treatment.
Source:
nhs.uk website

In 2004, there were 37 complete leavers" in the county of Kent in the last 12 months, as of 31 December 2004.

Departmental Budgets

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Department's central budgets for (a) 2006–07, (b) 2007–08 and (c) 2008–09 will be published. [217205]

Mr. Hutton: Central budgets for 2006–07 and 2007–08 are in the process of being finalised and will be published in due course. Central budgets for 2008–09 form part of the next spending review settlement.

Departmental Policies (Chorley)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical information relating as closely as possible to the constituency, the effect on Chorley of his Department's policies and actions since 1997. [216239]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant
 
23 Feb 2005 : Column 679W
 
evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Chorley constituency. For example:

At the end of November 2004, the number of people waiting more than nine months for in-patient treatment within Chorley and South Ribble Primary Care Trust (PCT) had fallen to zero, from 247 in June 2002.

At the end of September 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for out-patient treatment within Chorley and South Ribble PCT had fallen to 362, from 1,655 in June 2002.

Figures for December 2004 show that all patients within Chorley and South Ribble PCT are able to be offered an appointment with a primary care professional within two working days, an improvement from 54.5 per cent, in June 2002.

Chorley and South Ribble PCT's financial allocation increased to £188.2 million for 2004–05, a real terms increase of 6.9 per cent. This will increase to £266.7 million in 2007–08.

In June 2003, at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, 92.5 per cent., of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. Figures for September 2004 show an improvement to 97.1 per cent.

Between September 2002 and June 2004, the number of consultants at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has increased from 167 to 170.

In the Chorley local authority (LA) area, death rates from cancer per 100,000 population have fallen from 218.1 in 1997 to 174.4 in 2003.

In the Chorley LA area, death rates from coronary heart disease per 100,000 population have fallen to 128.6 in 2003, from 194.3 in 1997.

In April 2003, a new £700,000 dermatology and diabetes centre opened at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.

In 2002, a new £1.6 million 30 bed medical ward was opened at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.

A replacement computed tomography scanner was delivered to Royal Preston Hospital in November 2002.

The Royal Preston Hospital has received two additional linear accelerators; one in August 2001 and another in January 2002.

Sources:

Department of Health. Office for National Statistics.

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