§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average current charge for(a) a crown and (b) root treatment. [12623]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 28 January 1997]: Patient charges for crowns range from £36.24 to £74.32, depending on the particular tooth, the material used, whether a post is required and whether the crown is free standing or part of a bridge. Patient charges for root treatment range from £18.12 to £43.52. These charges are net of any ancillary treatment.
NHS general dental services are provided free or with partial relief to certain categories of adults and they are also provided free to children.
§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the limit on the number of patients any one NHS dentist can have registered with his practice. [14032]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 6 February 1997]: Patients are registered under NHS continuing care and capitation arrangements with an individual dentist and not with a dental practice. There is 455W no statutory limit on the number of patients a dentist may accept under these arrangements. At 31 March 1996, there was an average of 1,412 patients registered per dentist in Scotland.
§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will review the limit on compensation to patients for mistreatment by dental practitioners. [14033]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 6 February 1997]: There is no statutory provision for such compensation, although the National Health Service (Service Committees and Tribunal) (Scotland) Regulations, as they apply to complaints made before 1 April 1996, provide for the recovery from a dentist and payment to a person of expenses which, by reason of the dentist's failure to comply with his terms of service, that person reasonably and necessarily incurs in obtaining further treatment. Any such treatment should be obtained under the national health service. The maximum patient contribution for a course of NHS treatment is currently £325.
Since 1 April 1996, the procedures for dealing with complaints and discipline have been separated following the recommendations of the review committee on NHS complaints procedures charged by Professor Alan Wilson. The regulations now deal only with discipline and any question of payment to a person by way of reimbursement of the remedial treatment or compensation would be a matter for consideration as part of the non-statutory complaints procedure.
§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what safeguards exist to prevent a dentist from falsifying a patient or guardian's signature on forms authorising treatment for under-16s. [14035]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 6 February 1997]: No routine practical mechanism exists at present for verifying signatures on dental payment claim forms but ad hoc checks are undertaken by the Common Services Agency's dental practice division.