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1 May 2007 : Column 1597W—continued
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists in (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority and (c) each primary care trust (i) rejected the new dental contract on 1 April 2006, (ii) disputed the contract, (iii) disputed but have now accepted the contract and (iv) have not yet resolved their disputed contract; and what percentage of those who were offered the contract these numbers represent in each case. [129896]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Dental Services: Funding
Dr. Murrison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much Dental Service Increment for Teaching funding was made available to each strategic health authority for the year 2006-07; what proportion
of this has been spent by each strategic health authority on dental education; and how this expenditure has been accounted for; [133054]
(2) whether the expenditure by strategic health authorities of their Dental Service Increment for Teaching funding is ring-fenced for the stated purpose of the funding; [133055]
(3) what steps she is taking to ensure that the Dental Service Increment for Teaching budget is being used by strategic health authorities for its planned purpose. [133056]
Ms Rosie Winterton: No funding was allocated to strategic health authorities (SHAs) in 2006-07 in respect of the dental service increment for teaching (dental SIFT). All the dental SIFT funding was allocated to the national dental workforce unit, hosted by the Yorkshire and the Humber SHA who allocated this funding directly to the national health service trusts that host dental hospitals linked to dental schools.
Dental Services: Manpower
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the number of NHS dentists. [132869]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The latest available data show there were 20,887 dentists eligible to provide national health service dental services or listed on NHS contracts in England as at 31 December 2006. This is around 1,500 more than in March 2005 and over 4,000 more than in 1997. Under the dental reforms introduced in April 2006, primary care trusts (PCTs) are commissioning an increasing volume of NHS dental services, which is likely to result in further workforce increases. In 2005, the Government expanded the number of dental school places by 25 per cent. in order to support longer-term increases in the dental workforce.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of dentists who qualified in the last 15 years who are still practising in England. [133400]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not available.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of dentists who practise in the NHS who were trained abroad. [133401]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The available information is for England. The latest information available is as at 31 March 2006. As of that date, there were 4,163 dentists reported as eligible to provide national health service services in England who had qualified outside the United Kingdom.
Fuller information including a breakdown by country of qualification is available in table 8 of “NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006”, which has been placed in the Library.
The report, published by The Information Centre for health and social care, is also available online at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists qualified in the UK in each of the last 15 years. [132728]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists who have graduated from dental schools in the United Kingdom is available from 1992.
| Dental graduates | |
Dental Services: Pay
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average NHS income of NHS high street dentists in each year since 1997. [131860]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The gross remuneration paid to providers of national health service dental services covers both the practice expenses incurred in providing services and the dentists’ net income. Estimated average annual net incomes for general dental service (GDS) dentists with a reasonable commitment to the NHS, after taking account of the proportion of their gross income committed to meeting practice expenses, are shown in the table.
The data cover dentists working under the terms of the former GDS, which represented the majority of dentists working in primary dental care during the years in question.
Estimated average GDS net income for dentists with a reasonable GDS commitment(1), 1997-98 to 2005-06, England and Wales.
(1) Dentists with a reasonable commitment to the GDS are defined as dentists with GDS gross earnings equivalent to at least £40,000 in 1993-94 in fees for treatments and patient capitation. This equivalent is calculated each year by adjusting figures to take into account the effect of fee increases. The equivalent figure for 2005-06 is £62,200.
| Financial year | Estimated average net income( 1,)( )( 2) (£) |
| (1) Average net income is estimated using the ratio of expenses to gross GDS fee income for principals who worked for the full 12 month period. (2) The ratio of expenses to gross income is estimated using HMRC tax data on the overall earnings and expenses of non-associate dentists. Average net income prior to 2003-04 is estimated by multiplying the average gross GDS payment in that year (based on BSA payment data) by the most up to date profit ratio available for that year (based on HMRC data). For 2003-04 and 2004-05, net income has been estimated using GDS payment data for each year multiplied by the profit ratio for dentists with a high commitment to the NHS for the respective year. The net income estimate for 2005-06 is based on the profit ratio of high-commitment dentists in 2004-05 (the latest currently available). (3) Figures since 2000-01 use a different methodology to calculate the contribution from other non-fee/capitation payments. Source: Department of Health and Information Centre for health and social care analysis of NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) payments and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) tax data. | |
Dental Services: Wiltshire
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional funding she expects the Wiltshire and Swindon primary care trust to receive in 2007 to pay for additional NHS dentistry; and if she will make a statement. [133168]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The primary dental service allocations for the Wiltshire and Swindon primary care trusts (PCTs) in 2006-07 and 2007-08 are set out in the following table. The table includes the indicative assumptions made before the start of each year about gross budgets and patient charge income. A number of factors will affect the actual levels of gross expenditure and patient charge income, including the levels of dentistry commissioned by PCTs, the time needed for new dental services to be commissioned and come into operation, and changes in the mix of charge-paying and charge exempt patients treated. PCTs may direct additional funding to dentistry from their general national health service resources if they consider this appropriate in the light of local circumstances and priorities.
| Primary dental service allocations in Wiltshire and Swindon PCTs | ||||||
| £000 | ||||||
| Wiltshire PCT | Swindon PCT | |||||
| Financial year | Net allocation | Indicative patient charge revenue | Indicative gross budget | Net allocation | Indicative patient charge revenue | Indicative gross budget |
| Notes: 1. The allocation for Wiltshire PCT for 2006-07 represents the aggregate of the primary dental service allocations initially allocated to the Kennet and North Wiltshire, South Wiltshire, and West Wiltshire PCTs before their amalgamation to form the Wiltshire PCT on 1 October 2006. 2. Allocations exclude any supplementary funding awarded by the South West strategic health authority to fund the placement of dental vocational trainees. | ||||||
Diabetes: Screening
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of people identified as having diabetes in England were offered screening for the early detection of diabetic retinopathy in (a) each year since 2003-04 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available. [131925]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the number and percentage of people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy, broken down by years.
| Number of people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy( 1) | Percentage of people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy( 1) | |
| (1) Data from local delivery plans returns | ||
Latest data for December 2006 show that 1,477,359 people, 81.1 per cent. of people with diabetes, have been offered screening for diabetic retinopathy.
Drugs: Prisons
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many detainees began clinical drug treatment in prisons in (a) detoxification programmes and (b) extended prescribing programmes in the most recent year for which figures are available. [133340]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In the year 2005-06, 53,773 prisoners entered prison detoxification and drug maintenance programmes.
This figure is an aggregation of detoxification and extended prescribing programmes. These two interventions will be reported separately from April 2007.
Note:
P Simon data can fluctuate as prison establishments finalise their entries.
Source:
P Simon database, HM Prison Service.
Eyesight: Diseases
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she made of the number of sufferers from macular degenerative disease in Hartlepool; and what steps she plans to take to provide sufferers with treatment to alleviate the condition. [133598]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The number of sufferers of macular degenerative disease in Hartlepool is not collected centrally.
In September 2003, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended the use of Visudyne in photodynamic therapy for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration in some patients. All primary care trusts (PCTs) are funding this treatment in accordance with NICE’s guidance.
NICE is currently appraising two new drug treatments that have been developed for treating age-related macular degeneration—Macugen and Lucentis. NICE is expected to publish guidance in September this year. We have made it quite clear to the national health service that treatment should not be withheld simply because NICE has not issued guidance. Until NICE issues final guidance NHS bodies should continue with local arrangements for introducing new technologies, based on an assessment of the available evidence.
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