Previous Section Index Home Page

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

2003

101

117

2004

102

115

2005

113

132

2006

120

140

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)

30 Oct 2006 : Column 168W

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]


30 Oct 2006 : Column 169W

(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]


30 Oct 2006 : Column 170W

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.


30 Oct 2006 : Column 171W

30 Oct 2006 : Column 172W
Former strategic health authority area 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

England

3,301,412

3,753,315

4,012,946

4,135,712

4,308,889

4,303,128

4,450,007

Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge

161,882

183,042

187,020

190,352

244,051

255,196

261,384

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

114,426

121,867

110,610

85,046

101,458

70,005

89,077

Essex

128,718

159,564

167,613

160,577

155,533

165,165

169,562

North West London

134,922

151,709

166,743

169,879

94,476

97,901

98,339

North Central London

71,932

73,365

79,697

67,993

76,687

67,914

68,258

North East London

67,346

77,326

85,248

87,487

103,215

89,775

91,922

South East London

71,304

74,413

72,892

82,320

99,045

78,599

78,034

South West London

67,080

83,721

88,647

87,106

89,659

88,985

88,907

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear

52,747

76,576

76,436

80,148

89,617

97,584

94,777

County Durham and Tees Valley

76,053

82,647

87,714

92,435

96,916

99,369

104,004

North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire

111,108

128,601

142,103

141,724

155,552

171,317

168,066

West Yorkshire

152,198

174,826

141,216

188,444

189,379

189,289

205,472

Cumbria and Lancashire

118,377

158,871

172,234

189,075

186,885

190,754

193,830

Greater Manchester

141,564

176,480

195,782

189,914

184,696

182,198

193,605

Cheshire and Merseyside

166,704

179,640

193,163

201,180

185,045

181,771

196,814

Thames Valley

128,358

158,320

164,765

160,681

167,621

162,125

166,394

Hampshire and Isle of Wight

79,152

85,964

102,388

84,312

165,310

178,348

178,754

Kent and Medway

109,703

119,039

134,011

140,199

149,278

144,553

149,776

Surrey and Sussex

222,138

232,896

245,858

253,865

279,365

280,377

290,911

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire

181,672

203,009

217,783

223,777

231,175

219,092

225,607

South West Peninsula

126,533

146,353

177,901

204,678

186,236

190,707

192,405

Dorset and Somerset

113,271

135,811

149,004

152,475

152,260

156,330

151,065

South Yorkshire

84,951

83,846

99,717

98,214

97,155

107,389

110,525

Trent

183,181

199,129

220,662

231,649

241,897

237,149

269,230

Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland

92,257

116,009

123,800

126,463

134,600

141,158

148,654

Shropshire and Staffordshire

105,831

120,099

115,939

138,045

139,452

144,793

150,472

Birmingham and the Black Country

127,130

157,108

175,287

179,241

180,419

176,443

169,206

Note: The age related criteria take precedence on the sight test form so, for example, somebody aged 60 or over with diabetes or glaucoma might only be recorded in the “aged 60 and over” category. Source: The Information Centre, Department of Health

Next Section Index Home Page