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Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will hold an inquiry into the Choose and Book computer system; and if she will make a statement. [54274]
Mr. Byrne:
There are no plans to do so. The National Audit Office's (NAO) report on its current value for money study of procurement, implementation and the general progress of the national programme for information technology in the national health service will include all aspects of the choose and book electronic booking service.
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Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the economic effects of the early diagnosis and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis. [53674]
Mr. Byrne: We have made no assessments of the economic effects of early diagnosis and treatment for those with myalgic encephalomyelitis.
All health professionals recognise the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, indeed this is a key feature of the national service framework for long-term conditions. However, some neurological conditions, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, can present a particular challenge for early identification as they lack clear, simple diagnostic features. Such conditions will require further investigations and clinical tests before a final diagnosis is made.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the (a) adult and (b) child population of (i) York and Selby Primary Care Trust area, (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iii) England was registered with an NHS general dental practitioner in (A) 1997 and (B) each year since then. [53677]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The table provides information on the estimated percentage of the populations of Selby and York Primary Care Trust (PCT), North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Health Authority (HA) and England registered with general dental services and personal dental services dentists as at 30 September each year since 1997.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent NHS general dental practitioners there were in the York and Selby Primary Care Trust area in each year since 1997. [53679]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on a full-time equivalent basis is not available. Dentists are able to vary the amount of hours they work and to vary their national health service commitment. Many dentists do some private work.
Numbers of dentists with a general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract are shown in the table.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness with which (a) Eastleigh and Test Valley South primary care trust and (b) Hampshire and Isle of Wight strategic health authority has spent funding for improving access, choice and quality in NHS dentistry. [54166]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The Department has not made an assessment of the effectiveness with which Eastleigh and Test Valley South primary care trust and Hampshire and Isle of Wight strategic health authority has spent funding for improving access, choice and quality in national health service dentistry. It is the
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responsibility of local NHS organisations to determine how best to use their resources to meet the needs of their local community.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on IT for NHS dental services over the last three years in support of (a) Connecting for Health and (b) the National Programme for IT in the NHS; and what future spending is planned over the next three years. [54499]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Expenditure for the first three years of the dental component of the national programme for information technology in the national health service, which is being delivered by NHS Connecting for Health, an agency of the Department, is expected to have totalled around £500,000 by the end of March 2006. Future spending plans are currently under review.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts are inviting dentists to sign memoranda of agreement instead of contracts. [54504]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Departmental guidance to primary care trusts (PCTs) makes clear that contracts need to be signed by 31 March 2006 to enable dentists to continue providing services from 1 April 2006.
The Department has not received any information from PCTs to indicate that they are seeking to use memoranda of agreement in place of contracts.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a forecast of the cost to patients of one standard NHS dental filling (a) before and (b) after 1 April 2006. [54506]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Under the existing regulations and statement of dental remuneration, the cost varies between £6.20 and £22.24 for restorative work on a single tooth. This is dependent on the number of surfaces of the tooth involved and the type of material used to restore the tooth.
It is not possible to draw direct comparisons between current national health service dental charges and the new system that is being introduced from 1 April 2006. Current charges are for individual items of treatment, whereas the new charges will be for overall courses of treatment. A course of treatment that includes the restoration of any tooth or number of teeth, irrespective of the number of surfaces, complexity of the filling or the material used, will carry a charge of £42.40. This charge will cover not just the filling but any other treatment provided, together with an examination, diagnosis, for example x-ray, scale and polish, if appropriate, and any oral health advice.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts are not offering children only NHS contracts to general dental service dentists under the post 1 April 2006 contract. [56613]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 7 March 2006]: The information requested is not held centrally.
Under The National Health Service (General Dental Services Contracts) Regulations 2005 and The National Health Service (Personal Dental Services Agreements) Regulations 2005, dentists will no longer be able to accept children as national health service patients on
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condition that their parent or parents agree to private treatment. Where a dentist is currently treating children only under the NHS, it will be for the primary care trust (PCT) to decide whether to allow this to continue.
Where a PCT wishes to commission services from dentists that offer NHS services to both children and adults, and a current dentist is unwilling to provide services on this basis, the PCT will use the funding for that dentist to commission services from other dentists.
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