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23 May 2006 : Column 1738W—continued
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has (a) undertaken and (b) assessed on (i) the earliest point in its development an unborn child will experience pain, (ii) the earliest gestational age at which an unborn child may be capable of being born alive, (iii) the number of occasions when an unborn baby is wrongly diagnosed as being handicapped and is subsequently born without disability or handicap and (iv) the suicide rate among women who have had an abortion; and if she will make a statement. [70409]
Caroline Flint: The Department has not undertaken research on the following issues. However:
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist’s (RCOG) report ‘Fetal Awareness, Report of a Working Party (1997)’ concluded that before 26 weeks gestation the nervous system has not developed sufficiently to allow the fetus to experience pain.
Guidance from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine introduces the concept of a threshold of viability as being from 22 to 26 weeks gestation. At low gestation age, even if the fetus is born alive, there are high risks of death due to immaturity. Indeed, while the possibility of survival of extremely pre-term babies has improved, data suggest that, even with modern intensive care, chances of survival at 22 weeks gestation are only approximately 1 per cent.
There are currently variations in antenatal screening practice across England. The Government’s aim is to move towards a more integrated policy to give women more informed choice in this area.
Research shows that newer tests will lead to more accurate screening results. The aim of the research has been to identify the most effective and safe method of antenatal screening.
In the confidential inquiry into maternal and child health’s 2004 triennial report ‘Why Mother’s Die 2000-2002’, none of the maternal suicides are attributed to abortion.
The RCOG’s evidence-based guideline ‘The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion (2004)’ recommends that referral for further counselling should be available for the small minority of women who experience long-term post-abortion distress.
Anti-depressants
Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescription items of (a) benzodiazepines and (b) each other anti-depressant were dispensed in England in 2005. [71954]
Andy Burnham: In 2005 the number of prescription items dispensed in the community in England were 29.4 million for antidepressants and 11.3 million for benzodiazepines. More detailed information is obtainable from www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/prescostanalvsis2005.
Bedford Hospital NHS Trust
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people employed in Bedford Hospital NHS trust have been on (a) short-term and (b) temporary contracts in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [71707]
Andy Burnham: Information is not available in the format requested. However, the information in the following table shows the number of locum staff working in Bedfordshire hospitals national health service trust for the period that data is available covering the 2002 to 2005.
| Hospital and community health services (HCHS): locum staff( 1) working in Bedford hospitals NHS trust by grade and year | ||||
| Number(headcount) | ||||
| Data as at 30 September each year | ||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| (1) Excludes staff that hold a substantive contract. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care, medical and dental workforce census |
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to improve patient care at the Riverbank children’s ward at Bedford hospital NHS trust; and if she will make a statement. [71709]
Andy Burnham: Improvements to the children’s ward at Bedford hospital trust are in line with the Department’s National Service Framework (NSF) for Children, Young People and Maternity Services which includes a standard on hospital care. This states that examples of good practice already exist but we expect all hospitals providing services to children to consider how to follow the best practices available. It is for NHS trusts to decide in the light of local priorities how to implement the hospital standard of the NSF. There are a number of good practice examples already on the
Department of Health’s emerging practice database, which is online at www.childrensnsfcasestudies.dh.gov.uk/children/nsfcasestudies.nsf. The NSF can be viewed at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/06/72/51/04067251.pdf
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed in children’s wards at Bedford hospital NHS trust in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [71710]
Andy Burnham: Information is not available in the format requested. However, the information in the following table gives the numbers of medical and dental staff with a paediatric specialty working in Bedford hospital national health service trust by grade and year.
| Hospital and community health services: medical and dental staff with a paediatric specialty working in Bedford hospital NHS trust by grade and year | |||||||||
| Full-time equivalents | |||||||||
| Data as at 30 September each year | |||||||||
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| Source: The Information Centre for health and social care, medical and dental workforce census |
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the impact on patient care of the staff reductions proposed by Bedford Hospital NHS Trust; what representations she has received about this; and if she will make a statement. [71713]
Andy Burnham: The Department has made no assessment of the proposed job cuts at Bedfordshire Hospital National Health Service Trust. The trust has said that any reduction in posts will be achieved through natural wastage and should any staff be displaced every effort will be made to redeploy them elsewhere in the trust. Every effort will be made to ensure that any reduction in staffing levels does not impact on patient care.
Choose and Book System
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2006, Official Report, column 1812W, on the Choose and Book System, how many bookings were made through the Choose and Book system in each month between July 2004 and July 2005, broken down by geographical area; and how many bookings were made through the (a) directly and (b) indirectly bookable service in each month since July 2005, broken down by geographical area. [63117]
Caroline Flint: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Connecting for Health
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the status is of the Connecting for Health IT project. [69866]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 16 May 2006, Official Report, columns 939-40W.
Dentistry
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) new general dental services contracts and (b) new personal dental services agreements which have been offered to dentists have been (i) signed and (ii) rejected in (A) each primary care trust and (B) England; and what percentage of the previous NHS dentistry service level is now offered in (1) each primary care trust and (2) England. [64934]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 24 April 2006]: Data on provisional management estimates on the number of signed and rejected contracts which also set out the estimated level of national health service services associated with accepted contracts compared with that of rejected contracts, based on weighted courses of treatment or units of dental activity have been placed in the Library.
A contract may be for either a practice or an individual dentist.
Primary care trusts are using the funding associated with rejected contracts to commission additional services from other dentists.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the merits of permitting dentists trained in (a) the USA and (b) Canada to work in the NHS; and if she will make a statement. [69630]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The General Dental Council is responsible for the registration of dentists who wish to practise in the United Kingdom. There is a long tradition of dentists from overseas coming to work here to extend their training and experience and contribute to national health service dental care and we intend that this practice should continue.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) formal and (b) informal advice her Department received from the British Dental Association following the meeting on 14 February 2006 to discuss the new NHS dental contracts. [60388]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The British Dental Association (BDA) met departmental officials on 22 February to discuss in more detail some of the issues raised at the meeting on 14 February 2006. The BDA is now represented on the implementation group that has been set up to review the impact of the reforms and identify any issues that need to be addressed.
Ms Diana R. Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average remuneration per full-time equivalent NHS general dental practitioner was in the East Hull and West Hull Primary Care Trust area in each year since 1997. [64093]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Average remuneration per full-time equivalent national health service general dental practitioner in the Eastern Hull and West Hull Primary Care Trust area alone is not identifiable from data available centrally.
All estimated average annual net incomes, between 1997-98 and 2004-05, of general dental services (GDS) dentists with a reasonable commitment to the GDS are shown in the following table. These are calculated by first estimating average gross GDS income of a dentist with a reasonable NHS commitment and then applying estimates of the expenses to earnings ratio covering all dentists.
Estimated average GDS net income for dentists with a reasonable GDS commitment, 1997-98 to 2004-05, England and Wales.
| Financial year | Estimated average net GDS income (£) |
The income figures cover both estimated fees for treatments and patient capitation as well as other estimated payments such as seniority payments and commitment payments and payments for maternity and sickness. Income from private sources is excluded from these estimates.
When account is taken of the lower expenses ratio for dentists with a higher NHS commitment, the estimated average net GDS income for 2004-05 in the table would be about £74,000. In 2005-06, after allowing for the 3.4 per cent. fee increase, the average would be about £76,500 for a dentist with a reasonable NHS commitment.
Separate information from tax returns provided to HM Revenue and Customs gives new income after expenses from all self-employed work, both NHS and private. For the 2003-04 tax year, average net income for non-associate dentists with very high NHS commitment was £78,600. This average will include some dentists working part-time. Non-associate dentists work either on their own or else in a partnership arrangement with other dentists.
NHS dentists benefit from a contributory pension scheme. Dentists working privately have to fully fund their own pension arrangements.
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