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7 Mar 2005 : Column 1555W—continued

Cleaning Costs

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs of cleaning the Department were in each year since 1997. [213783]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The cost of the Department's cleaning contract in each year from 1997 is shown in the table.
Cost £
1997–98941,243.60
1998–99751,185.20
1999–2000871,286.10
2000–01924,290.60
2001–02873,940.70
2002–03923,718.00
2003–04883,721.70
2004–05734,586.10

Complementary and Alternative Health Care

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on general practitioners prescribing complementary and alternative medicine and treatments. [220268]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 4 March 2005]: National health service access to complementary and alternative medicine is a matter for local clinical judgement, based on the available evidence. It is, therefore, a matter for the general practitioner to decide if a specific treatment should be made available to a patient.

Dentistry

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pieces of guidance his Department has issued to primary care trusts (PCTs) in the last year regarding targets that need to be met for signing up dentists to the personal dental services contract; what action he will take against those PCTs who fail to meet the 25 per cent. target; and what discussions his Department has had with PCT chief executives about this target. [218297]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 25 February 2005]: By this April, we anticipate that, across England as a whole, 25 per cent. of dental practices will have moved to the personal dental service (PDS). We have not set any targets for primary care trusts, but have been very encouraged by the numbers of dentists who, at their own volition, have sought to move to the PDS scheme in order to gain advanced benefit of the new contractual arrangements which we are to introduce to national health service dentistry by April 2006.

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has conducted into (a) the NHS-private mix and (b) the age of dentists moving over to the personal dental service contract. [218308]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 25 February 2005]: Data are not collected on the split between national health service and private patients.
 
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The number and age ranges of dentists with open personal dental service (PDS) contracts as at 31 December 2004 is shown in the table.
Personal dental service (PDS) by age as at 31 December 2004

AgeDentists
<2553
25–29537
30–34566
35–39560
40–44570
45–49523
50–54388
55–59212
60+139
All PDS dentists3,548

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices are accepting new (a) children, (b) pensioner and (c) adult NHS patients, broken down by primary care trust. [217164]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Summary figures for dental practice in England, which were extracted from the nhs.uk website on 10 February 2005, are shown in the table. Figures at primary care trust level have been placed in the Library. Information is not available for practices accepting pensioners, but most adults exempt from charges are exempt on the grounds of low income.
GroupingsTotal
Registering children aged 0–18 for national health
service treatment
3,699
Registering charge-exempt adults for NHS treatment2,758
Registering charge-paying adults for NHS treatment2,412

Some practices are registering more than one category of patient.

Departmental Policies

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Coventry, South constituency, the effects on the constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997. [219822]

Dr. Ladyman: 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 evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Coventry, South constituency. For example:

At the end of December 2004, the number of people waiting more than nine months for inpatient treatment within the Coventry primary care trust (PCT) has fallen to 0, from 437 in June 2002.

At the end of December 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for outpatient treatment within Coventry PCT has fallen to 134, from 3,441 in June 2002.
 
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In June 2003, at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, 86.3 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 97.4 per cent.

Between September 1997 and June 2004, the number of consultants at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has increased from 126 to 228. Between September 1997 and September 2003 the number of nurses has increased from 1,538 to 2,087.

Between September 2001 and June 2004, the number of general medical practitioners within Coventry PCT has increased from 185 to 198.

Figures for December 2004 show that all patients within Coventry PCT are able to be offered an appointment with a general practitioner within two working days and a primary care professional within one working day.

Work has started on a £379 million private finance initiative scheme at Walsgrave Hospital. Some parts of the new hospital are open already. The scheme is due to be completed in 2006.

A £40 million Local Improvement Finance Trust project, including a number of primary care centres across Coventry, has been approved. There is also a new walk-in centre in Coventry.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the Croydon, Central constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on the Croydon Central constituency. [219296]

Dr. Ladyman: The Government have put in place a programme for national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded benefits for the Croydon, Central constituency. For example:


 
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