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30 Oct 2006 : Column 167W—continued
Dentistry
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists with NHS contracts have been registered in (a) Bristol and (b) Bristol West in each year since 2003. [94455]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The latest full year information is provided in the following table. Information for the full year ending 2006-07 is not yet available. The latest available information shows that there were 105 dentists on open national health service contracts in Bristol North Primary Care Trust (PCT) and 124 in Bristol South and West PCT as at 30 June 2006.
The number of NHS contracts and the service associated with these contracts provides a guide to the level of NHS dental services available. Management information shows that 93.4 per cent. and 98.3 per cent. of dental service respectively was preserved in these two PCTs following the launch of the reforms.
The PCTs are actively re-commissioning the small percentage of service associated with the rejected contracts. Nationally PCTs are finding no shortage of dentists willing to take on additional NHS activity.
| March | Bristol North PCT | Bristol South and West PCT |
| Notes: 1. The new NHS dental contract arrangements were introduced on 1 April 2006. Workforce numbers under the new contractual arrangements are not comparable with numbers under the old contract as the numbers of dentists are now counted differently based on a contract between the provider and the PCT. 2. Under the new contract, the numbers of dentists provided are performers and are defined as a dentist who has been set up on the Dental Practice Division Payments online system by the PCT to work under an open contract as at 30 June 2006. The number provided is a count of individuals listed as performers on open contracts. 3. Under the new contract arrangements PCTs agree with providers a specified annual level of NHS dental treatment. The provider is committed under the contract to providing this level of service—he or she may do this personally or through other dentists he or she employs (they must however be listed within the PCT contract as potential performers of NHS services). 4. Most NHS dentists do some private work. Figures provided do not take into account the proportion of NHS work undertaken by dentists. 5. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending on the date the figures are compiled. This is because the NHS BSA may be notified of joiners or leavers to or from the GDS or PDS up to several months, or more, after the move has taken place. Information is up to date as at 16 October 2006. 6. Hospital and community dental services or services provided privately have been excluded from the numbers. 7. Further information is available in reports published by the information centre for health and social care: information on the new contract (quarter 1, June 2006) is available at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstatsq2o6. Historical information, old contract, is available at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity. Sources: The Information Centre for Health and Social Care NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) | ||
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of the new dental contract on the volume of NHS orthodontic treatment in (a) England and (b) the Shropshire primary care trust area. [95554]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Since the dental reforms introduced on 1 April 2006, primary care trusts have been responsible for commissioning dental services, including orthodontic treatment, to meet the needs of their local areas. Before 1 April 2006, under the item of service remuneration system, the national health service dental monitoring system measured individual elements of orthodontic treatment. The monitoring system now measures case assessments and overall orthodontic courses of treatment that typically last between one and two years. This means that the statistics currently available do not yet make it possible to assess any changes in the volume of orthodontic treatment nationally or locally.
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average monthly income from patient charges is under the new personal dental services contract; and what a typical equivalent month’s income under the previous general dental services system was. [95575]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information centre for health and social care expects to publish the first information on patient charge revenue under the new general dental services (GDS) contracts and new personal dental services (PDS) agreements later in the year.
In 2005-06, dentists working under the former GDS contract reported £320 million of patient charge revenue to the Dental Practice Board. The monthly average was £26.7 million. The monthly figure fell during the year from £31.3 million in both April and May 2005 to £25.1 million in March 2006, because a number of dentists switched during the year from the general dental services contract to the personal dental services pilots. Charge income collected under the personal dental services pilots is excluded from the aforementioned figures.
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average cost of a course of treatment in a new dental access centre is; and what the average cost of an equivalent course was from a dentist under the previous general dental services contract; [95576]
(2) what percentage of treatment given to patients at dental access centres are band 3 treatments; [95577]
(3) what the average patient waiting time is for band 3 treatments in dental access centres. [95578]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The average cost of a course of treatment under the previous general dental services contract in 2005-06 was £41.20. The information requested for dental access centres is not available centrally.
Departmental Advertisements
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list the advertisements which her Department has placed in the Official Journal of the European Union in 2006; [95273]
(2) whether (a) a project team was in place and (b) there was ministerial sign-off before each advertisement was placed in the Official Journal of the European Union in the last six months. [95274]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: A list of advertisements placed in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) is not held centrally.
Appropriate resources and clearance for procurements through OJEU advertisement are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Departmental Expenditure
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on organising and hosting conferences in the last 12 months. [93099]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This information is not separately recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on taxis in the last 12 months. [93114]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department has spent £355,976.55 on its central contract for this year up to the end of September 2006.
Other taxi fares may be claimed through staff expenses but the information cannot be made available without disproportionate cost.
District General Hospitals
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health of which NHS trust or foundation trust each NHS district general hospital in England forms a part. [92171]
Andy Burnham: This information is not centrally available.
Available information on the hospitals managed by all NHS trusts and primary care trusts can be obtained via the internet on national health service UK online. This is the official gateway to NHS organisations on the internet and includes a local services search facility to locate services by postcode. The internet address is www.nhs.uk.
East of England SHA
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the east of England strategic health authority plans to utilise maps of population density in its review and planning of acute hospital services; and if she will make a statement. [97278]
Andy Burnham: It is for strategic health authorities in conjunction with primary care trusts and local stakeholders to plan the level and type of services they provide to ensure that they meet the needs of the populations that they serve.
Free Eye Tests
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pensioners have received free eye tests since their introduction in each (a) local health authority area and (b) constituency. [93862]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information in the table shows the number of national health service (NHS) sight tests for those aged 60 and over paid for by the former strategic health authority (SHA) areas from 1999-2000 to 2005-06. Eligibility for NHS sight tests was extended to those aged 60 and over from 1 April 1999.
The data have been produced by former SHA areas. Data are not collected by constituency.
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