HC Deb 03 March 1994 vol 238 cc851-2W
Mr. Peter Bottomley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost of(a) FHSA administration and (b) FHSA medicines in the latest available year.

Mr. Sackville

In 1992–93, the latest year for which figures are available, family health services authority administration amounted to £161,881,000. Expenditure on drugs by the family health services was £2,641,332,000.

FHSAs manage the introduction of general practitioner fundholding, the monitoring of GP prescribing, and the development of clinical audit in primary care—all initiatives aimed at improving the effectiveness of patient care and value for money.

Number of dentists deregistering patients and number of patients deregistered July 1992 to February 1994
Number of dentists deregistering adults Number of adult patients deregistered Number of dentists deregistering children ' Number of child patients deregistered
London FHSAs 338 39,127 15 85
Barnet 42 4,858 2 8
Brent and Harrow 7 1,542 2 2
Ealing, Hammersmith and Houslow 1 35 — —
Hillingdon — — — —
Kensington, Westminster and Chelsea 15 2,256 — 32
Barking and Havering 13 3,842 3 7
Camden and Islington 12 295 — 2
City and East London 31 546 3 11
Enfield and Haringey 3 978 2 3
Redbridge and Waltham Forest 9 2,192 1 14
Greenwich and Bexley 23 4,355 — —
Bromley 39 13,175 1 2
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 29 446 — —
Croydon 69 1,889 — —
Kingston and Richmond 9 972 — —
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 36 1,746 1 4

Mrs. Bridget Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of increases in the costs of dental treatment in(a) London and (b) England as a result of the Government's changes in the payment framework for dentists treating NHS patients.

Dr. Mawhinney

There have been no changes to the system for paying dentists since October 1990, when continuing care and capitation payments were introduced. The consequences of these changes, and other relevant factors, were considered at the time by the dental rates study group and were reflected in its recommended dental fee scale.

In 1992–93 FHSA administration expenditure represented only 2.5 per cent. of the £6.5 billion of taxpayers' money spent on the FHS.

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