§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the findings of the departmental working party on dental manpower prior to taking a final decision on the closure of the New Cross school for dental therapists
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§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergNo. In the interests of all concerned, and in particular the 1982 intake, we intend to make a decision on the future of the school for dental therapists before the end of this year. the conclusions of the departmental study on dental manpower are not expected until towards the end of next year.
§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consideration has been given to the extension of the role of dental therapists to include participation in general dental services, particularly in practices likely to operate the recommended capitation method of remuneration.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergWe have consulted widely on the dental strategy review group's recommendations on dental therapists and we have received and are considering many comments, some of them supporting the extension of the role of the dental therapist into the general dental service, which would require primary legislation.
§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total cost and length of training for a registered dental practitioner; and how this will be affected by the recommendations of the dental strategy review group.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergFigures published by the Department of Education and Science for 1979–80 indicate an average cost of about £30,000 for the undergraduate training course for a registered dental practitioner. This covers recurrent expenditure so that an equipment grant will be included but not the capital costs of buildings. It also takes account of the variation in the length of courses which can be from four years to five years.
No firm decisions have yet been taken on the recommendations of the dental strategy review group.
§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total cost and length of training of a dental therapist.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergIn the financial year 1979–80, the net cost, excluding student grants, of training both the first and the second year students, was about £436,500, and 48 students qualified. On this basis, the cost of training a dental therapist was approximately £9,100.
§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average annual National Health Service income of a community dental surgeon.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergDental officers in the community dental service are paid on a scale currently ranging from a minimum of £8,300 per annum to a maximum of £12,160 giving an estimated annual average of £10,230.
§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average annual remuneration of a dental therapist from the National Health Service.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergDental therapists are paid on a salary scale ranging from a minimum of £4,201 per annum to a maximum of £6,347 per annum giving an estimated annual average remuneration of £5,274.
§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the total cost of replacing currently practising dental therapists by community dental surgeons at current salary scales.
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§ Mr. Geofffrey FinsbergThe duties of the two grades are different and the number of community dental surgeons which would be required to replace dental therapists or what the total cost would be cannot therefore reasonably be assessed.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary o; State for Social Services how many dentists in (a) the North-West region, (b) the Merseyside area, (c) the Ormskirk area and (d) nationally are currently refusing to accept new National Health Service patients.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I am not aware of any general difficulty in obtaining dental treatment under the National Health Service, either nationally or in the areas mentioned, and the number of courses of treatment provided continues to increase each year. If patients experience difficulty in obtaining treatment, they should approach the family practitioner committee for advice.
§ Mr. Ray Powellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he proposes to act on the recommendation of the dental strategy review group to close the New Cross school for dental therapists.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergWe expect to make a decision on this recommendation before the end of the year.