Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice he has given to the Darlington Community Health Council arising from the refusal of local dentists to provide treatment for National Health Service patients.
§ Mr. MoyleThe Community Health Council have been asked to advise people having difficulty in getting National Health Service dental treatment to contact the Durham Family Practitioner Committee, which, although having no power to compel a dentist to accept any particular patient, will do its best to help in individual cases.
Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the British Dental Association's statement that children and pensioners would not be refused treatment under the National Health Service during the current dispute, if he will inquire why this assurance is not being implemented in Darlington.
§ Mr. MoyleAlthough the British Dental Association may have given this advice to its members, as independent contractors dentists are entitled to decide for themselves which patients they will accept for National Health Service treatment.
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Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will obtain from the Durham Family Practitioner Committee a list of those dentists who will continue to supply dental treatment under the National Health Service during the current dispute with the British Dental Association.
§ Mr. MoyleThe Durham Family Practitioner Committee has a list of dentists who provide National Health Service treatment, but, as dentists are entitled to make their own decision in each individual case, the list cannot be broken down to show which dentists will continue to accept NHS patients during the dispute.