§ 18. Dr. Winstanleyasked the Minister of Health if he will investigate the possibility of establishing emergency dental services, staffed by local dental practitioners on a rota system, to provide cover during the night and at weekends in those hospitals which do not at present have a dental department.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonNo, Sir. I have no evidence that the demand for emergency dental treatment at weekends and at night is sufficient to warrant the kind of arrangement suggested by the hon. Member.
§ Dr. WinstanleyIs the Minister aware that the present arrangements for dental emergencies in most parts of the country exist only on paper? Will he not agree that there are some dental emergencies—dental haemorrhage, for example—which need very much more effective provision than we have at the moment?
§ Mr. RobinsonI do recognise that there are serious dental emergencies, but I can assure the hon. Member that where a patient has any difficulty in making contact with his own dentist, or where he has no dentist, telephone exchanges will be supplied with information about other dentists in the area or a local rota scheme.
§ Mr. BraineCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether he has had any recent discussion with the British Dental Association about this, since I believe that the Association always took the view that it was ready to co-operate in such a scheme provided some central premises might be provided?
§ Mr. RobinsonI am not aware of any recent discussion, but according to my information, in some areas where dentists have formed voluntary rota schemes for emergency treatment they have broken down for lack of patients.