§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is planning to maintain the current level of NHS dental services in Cornwall; and if she will make a statement.
§ Dr. MawhinneyIt is the responsibility of the family health services authority (FHSA) to ensure that local services remain accessible. FHSAs may apply for permission to employ salaried dentists if they consider it necessary to maintain services locally. Approval has recently been given to the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly FHSA to employ two salaried dentists, who will work from a mobile clinic serving a number of areas in the locality. Anyone who needs help in obtaining national health service dental treatment should contact the FHSA.
§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many courses of dental treatment were undertaken in Cornwall in each of the last five years.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe information requested is given in the table.
Courses of Dental Treatment in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Family Health Services Authority Year Adults Children Total 1987–88 229,290 97,290 326,580 1988–89 241,450 98,220 339,670 1989–90 238,716 101,631 340,347 1990–91 237,047 82,423 319,470 1991–92 262,771 26,810 289,581 Note:
The data for each year are not fully comparable. Changes introduced by the new contract for general dental practitioners on 1 October 1990, mean that most treatment for under 18s is given under capitation arrangements and is therefore no longer separately identified.
§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received about the provision of national health service dental treatment in Cornwall; and if she will make a statement.
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§ Dr. MawhinneySince July last year we have received 18 letters from hon. Members about national health service dental treatment in Cornwall and a number from members of the public.
§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a table showing the amount paid to dental practitioners in Cornwall in each of the past five years at constant prices together with the planned level of remuneration for the next three years.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe information requested is shown in the table.
Gross payments to general dental practitioners (GDPs) in contract with Cornwall and Isle of Scilly family health services authority Financial Year Cash1 £ million At 1991–92 prices2 £ million 1987–88 6.778 8.946 1988–89 7.822 9.623 1989–90 8.432 9.734 1990–91 9.608 10.272 1991–92 12.051 12.051 Notes:
1Based on the total of treatment and registration fees (including charges paid by patients) authorised for payment to GDPs, but excluding additional earnings such as seniority payments, vocational training allowances, and the direct reimbursement of business rates. Data for 1987–88 to 1990–91 are taken from Financial Information System returns and those for 1991–92 are taken from payments scheduled by the Dental Practice Board.
2Adjustment using the gross domestic product deflator.
Levels of GDP remuneration are forecast at national level. For 1992–93, we expect that the average GDP in Great Britain will have a gross income of about £88,000. The levels of gross remuneration for GDPs for 1993–94 and 1994–95 have yet to be determined.
§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the basis on which payments for courses of dental treatment, materials and laboratory fees are calculated.
§ Dr. MawhinneyDentists' remuneration for national health service work is set in a process of several stages. The Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) recommends a target average net income (TANI) which it considers dentists should earn from providing NHS general dental services, and the Government decide to accept or amend the recommendation and sets the TANI.
The dental rates study group (DRSG) then forecasts the level of dentists' expenses (including materials and laboratory costs) for the coming year and adds this figure to the TANI to produce target average gross income (TAGI). TAGI is modified, if necessary, to take account of under or over.payments of net income arising from an earlier year to produce the sum due to the average dentist. Finally, the DRSG forecasts the amount of NHS work that dentists will undertake in the coming year and sets the scale of individual payments and fees, taking account of the report of its laboratory and materials joint working party, that will, given the forecast amount of work, deliver the TAGI sum due to the average dentist.
§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary'of State for Health how many dental practices in Cornwall have(a) restricted the number of new NHS patients they will take on or (b) opted out of NHS dental treatment in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.
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§ Dr. MawhinneyInformation about the number of dental practices restricting the numbers of new national health service patients is not available centrally. Dentists are independent contractors and, as such, are free to accept or refuse patients for NHS treatment. They may also practise privately, wholly or in part, if they wish. Since July 1992, one dentist out of a total of 1451 dentists as at 30 June 1992 in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly FHSA, has asked for their name to be removed from the dental list.
1Includes dentists who may also have a contract with another FHSA in addition to Cornwall and Isles of Scilly FHSA.
§ Ms. LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the number of children registered with general dental practitioners.
§ Dr. MawhinneyIt is for family health services authorities, working with district health authorities, to take action to encourage children to be registered with a dentist. The dental contract, introduced in 1990, encourages raised awareness and a more preventative approach to dentistry. As at November 1992, there were 7.3 million children in England registered with a General Dental Practitioner—two thirds of all children in England.