§ 6. Helen Jackson (Sheffield, Hillsborough)If he will make a statement on the number of dental patients treated under the national health service each month. [88242]
§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Mr. John Denham)About 3 million people in England complete a course of dental treatment in the general dental service each month. That means that more than 3 million visit NHS dentists each month, because many will visit more than once during the month.
§ Helen JacksonIs my hon. Friend aware that dental practices in some areas—such as Stocksbridge, quite a large town in my constituency—have withdrawn the facility for adults to receive NHS dental treatment, and have told them to use a private contributory scheme? A filling costs £25, and an extraction £30. People are left with the choice between doing that and paying the £3 bus fare to Sheffield to obtain NHS treatment.
Has my hon. Friend any plans to enhance the role and powers of health authorities, which are very concerned about the position, so that they can intervene and offer loyalty bonuses and other incentives to practices that continue to offer NHS treatment, and, perhaps, ensure that practices do not cause patients inconvenience of this kind?
§ Mr. DenhamAlthough the number of NHS dentists has risen, as has the number of treatments carried out under the NHS, access to NHS dentistry is unsatisfactory in some parts of the country. I am aware of the problem in Stocksbridge. The Government have introduced two measures designed to enable health authorities to cope with the difficulties. The investing in dentistry scheme, which ran until April this year, will enable an extra 650,000 patients to register for NHS dental treatment, and the personal dental services schemes—of which there are many throughout the country—provide a more flexible way of allowing access to NHS dentistry. It is important for health authorities to take full advantage of those initiatives. Sheffield made no proposals under either scheme; I do not know why, but I urge my hon. Friend to encourage her health authority to make the best possible use of the Government's mechanisms to support NHS dentistry.
§ Mr. James Gray (North Wiltshire)Our experience in North Wiltshire is very similar to that of the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hillsborough (Helen Jackson). We had three NHS dentists when the Labour party came to power; all three have since gone out of business, and Chippenham, a prosperous town with a population of 30,000, has no NHS dentists at all.
The Minister just suggested that the investing in dentistry scheme had ended in April. That contradicts a letter that I received from him recently in reply to an application by Dr. Hazlem, who is trying to set up a new 811 practice in Chippenham. We were told very recently that that letter was being considered, and that the Government might well provide Dr. Hazlem with the IID funds that he had requested. Is the Minister now changing his mind, and has the IID scheme been run down?
§ Mr. DenhamThe investing in dentistry scheme closed to new applications on 23 April, but a number of applications—including, I believe, that of the hon. Gentleman's constituent—are still being considered under that procedure. We are looking for the best ways to continue our support for NHS dentistry, and will publish an NHS dentistry strategy later this year.