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9 Jan 2006 : Column 115W—continued
Contraception
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to facilitate access to condoms free-of-charge (a) in NHS institutions and (b) through community-based distribution schemes. [26011]
Caroline Flint: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for local sexual health and HIV health promotion including the provision of free condoms. The NHS Logistics Authority purchases condoms centrally for distribution by the national health service, although PCTs also purchase them direct from condom suppliers.
To support PCTs the Department has produced best practice guidance on sexual health promotion which highlights the need to make condoms accessible to those who need them. The need to ensure people have access to free provision of all methods of contraception, including condoms, is also highlighted in Recommended Standards for Sexual Health Services", produced by the Department with the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health.
Correspondence
Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the letter of 28 October 2005 from the right hon. member for Birmingham, Ladywood on behalf of Dr. Felix Burden. [38120]
Jane Kennedy: A reply was sent on Thursday 15 December.
Critical Care Beds
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy that plans by NHS trusts to close critical care beds should be subject to public consultation. [32810]
Mr. Byrne: It is for national health service trusts to assess and manage the number of critical care beds depending on local needs. NHS trusts have various statutory duties of consultation where changes to service provision are being considered and it is a matter for them to determine when these duties arise.
Dentistry
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists per head of population were practising in (a) West Lancashire and (b) England in each year since 1997. [27861]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
Notes:
1.The dentists include principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts are excluded from the data.
2.The postcode of the Dental Practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. Primary care trust areas have been defined using the Office of National Statistics All Fields Postcode Directory.
3.England 2005 data per population has been calculated using 2004 population data, as this is the most up-to-date available.
4.PCT data per population for 1997 to 2000 has been calculated using 2001 population figures as this is the earliest date at which population data at this area is available.
5.PCT data per population for 2004 and 2005 have been calculated using 2003 population data, as this is the most up-to-date available at this area.
6.Data includes all notifications, received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 2 November 2005 for England and 19 October 2005 for the PCT. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, e.g. data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS.
Source:
Dental Practice Board.
9 Jan 2006 : Column 116W
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are used to assess the need for dental services in primary care trust areas. [28353]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Each primary care trust (PCT) has access to the services of a consultant in dental public health, who provides advice on local oral health and the geographical areas that should be a priority for action. The British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry surveys provide information on the numbers of decayed missing and filled teeth by PCT area.
A PCT's ability to respond to local oral health needs will be substantially strengthened by the introduction of local commissioning of primary care dental services from April 2006. PCTs will hold a local budget for dental services. When a dentist leaves the area or reduces his or her national health service commitment, the resources return to the PCT. It is at their discretion to redeploy these resources locally and to agree where new practices are established. This gives the PCT the ability to reflect the oral health needs of their local population in the distribution of NHS primary care dental services.
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have left the NHS in each year since 1997–98 (a) in terms of headcount and (b) as a percentage of the total number of dentists in the NHS (i)in total and (ii) broken down by Strategic Health Authority area. [28690]
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Ms Rosie Winterton:
Details of dentists leaving the national health service, expressed as both a headcount and percentage figure for England (total) and broken down by strategic health authority is shown in the table. A dentist is assumed to have left the NHS if they had an open general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract in September of the previous
9 Jan 2006 : Column 118W
year but no GDS or PDS contract in September of the specified year.
The reasons for dentists leaving the NHS are not recorded by Dental Practice Board. The figures presented will include dentists who have retired from practice and those who have moved to private practice.
Notes:
1.Complete leaver means the dentist had an open GDS or PDS contract in September of the previous year but no GDS or PDS contract in September of the specified year.
2.Percentages are calculated on the number of dentists with an open GDS or PDS contract as at 30 September in the specified year.
3.The dentist numbers include principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts are excluded.
4.A dentist may have a contract in more than one Strategic Health Authority area. Therefore, data at Strategic Health Authority area may include duplications of dentists leaving.
England data excludes duplication.
5.The postcode of the Dental Practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. Strategic health authority areas have been defined using the Office of National Statistics All Fields Postcode Directory.
6.The numbers of leavers include all notifications, received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 8 November 2005.
Source:
Dental Practice Board
9 Jan 2006 : Column 119W
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 9 November 2005, Official Report, column 17WS, on national health service dentistry, how much Methods Consulting will receive for recruiting 216 dentists from Poland; whether the amount paid has been reduced as a result of the failure to achieve the target of 230; and how many have been offered places in (a) general dental service practices, (b) the salaried primary care dental service and (c) the hospital dental service. [31964]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 28 November 2005]: Methods Consulting has exceeded their target for the recruitment of dentists. In total they have recruited 237 dentists from Poland. Of these, 216 started employment before 1 November; 15 dentists started work during November 2005; and a further six dentists will be taking up posts shortly. Therefore, there are no grounds to reduce the value of the £3.8 million contract agreed with Methods Consulting for recruitment of dentists from Poland.
We do not collect routine information about the type of national health service dental services in which international recruits are working. However, the vast majority of these are working, either in personal dental service (PDS) or general dental service practices. A small number are salaried PDS dentists.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action she is taking to improve dental services in Ribble Valley; [33041]
(2) how many NHS dentists are operating in Ribble Valley and Fulwood. [33042]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 29 November 2005]: As at 30 September 2005, there were 65 dentists with a general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract with Hyndburn and Ribble Valley primary care trust, compared with 54 in 2004, an increase of 11. The number of dental practices is 2003 was 23, of which 12 have opened PDS contracts.
£205.5 million funding was allocated to Hyndburn and Ribble Valley primary care trust (PCT). As additional £130,000 was allocated to the PCT to improve access to national health service dentistry.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the length is of the waiting list for an NHS dentist in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley; and if she will make a statement. [37799]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The information requested is not collected centrally.
9 Jan 2006 : Column 120W
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent dentists were practising in England in the NHS (a) in each year since 1997 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available. [38908]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 20 December 2005): Information about full-time equivalent dentists is not available because a dentist with a general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract may provide as little or as much national health service treatment as he or she chooses.
The numbers of dentists in England with a GDS or PDS contract as at 30 September 2005 are shown in the table.
| Total GDS and PDS dentists | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 16,670 |
| 1998 | 17,199 |
| 1999 | 17,755 |
| 2000 | 18,167 |
| 2001 | 18,722 |
| 2002 | 18,946 |
| 2003 | 19,260 |
| 2004 | 19,722 |
| 2005 | 20,890 |
Note:
Data include all notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS, received by the Dental Practice Board, up to 2 November 2005.
Source:
Dental Practice Board
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the age profile of dentists working under NHS contracts; and what assessment she has made of the implications of that age profile for the supply of NHS dental services. [38910]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 20 December 2005]: The percentage of general dental services (GDS) dentists by age band and personal dental services (PDS) contracts by age band of dentist, in England, as at 30 June 2005 is shown in the table.
Age band | Percentage of GDS dentists in age band | Percentage of PDS contracts in dentist age band |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | 100 | 100 |
| under 30 | 14 | 20 |
| 30–34 | 14 | 17 |
| 35–39 | 15 | 15 |
| 40–44 | 16 | 14 |
| 45–49 | 15 | 13 |
| 50–54 | 11 | 10 |
| 55–59 | 9 | 7 |
| 60 and over | 6 | 4 |
Source:
Dental Practice Board
9 Jan 2006 : Column 121W
The age profile and patterns of retirement were one of the factors that contributed to the analysis of future patterns of supply of dentists in the primary care dental workforce review.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are registered on the central waiting list held by the Herefordshire primary care trust for assigning NHS dentists in Hereford; and how long each has been waiting since submitting their registration. [38914]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in Beverley and Holderness are involved in private practice. [37437]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
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