§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if dentists working in the general dental services will come within the remit of the Commission for Health Improvement. [79416]
§ Mr. DenhamIt is not intended that individual dentists will be reviewed or investigated by the Commission for Health Improvement. However clinical governance arrangements will apply to all parts of the National Health Service including primary care and the Commission will have a leading role in developing advice and guidance for the NHS on clinical governance. We would expect dentists to have regard to this advice.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is taken by local health authorities where the Dental Practice Board has made a reference to them on the grounds that the standard of work of a dentist is a cause for concern; and if he will make a statement. [79415]
§ Mr. DenhamHealth authorities have the power to discuss the issue with the dentist, refer the matter to the local dental discipline committee or the General Dental Council, or prosecute, as appropriate.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many dentists were placed on a regime of prior approval by targeting in each of the last five years; [79418]
(2) how many dentists have been placed on a prior approval regime by the relevant dental service committee in each of the last five years. [79419]
§ Mr. DenhamThe table shows the number of general practitioners in England and Wales subject to prior approval at the end of each financial year as a result of either action by the relevant dental service committee or targeting by the Dental Practice Board.
826W
General dental practitioners subject to prior approval at the end of each year1 Subject to prior approval by: Year Dental Service Committee 2 Targeting 1993–94 3 1 1994–95 10 2 1995–96 7 1 1996–97 9 0 1997–98 3 0 1 These numbers are as at the end of each year and so will exclude any dentists subject to prior approval regimes which do not last until the end of the year. Dentists who are on the regimes at the end of two successive years would be counted twice. 2 Dental Disciplinary Committee from 1 April 1996.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have been referred by the Dental Practice Board for England and Wales to(a) the police, (b) the dentist's local health authority and (c) the General Dental Council in each of the last five years. [79413]
§ Mr. DenhamThe information requested is given in the table. Referrals are counted once, in the year in which they were referred.
Cases referred by the Dental Practice Board: England and Wales Referred to: Year Police Health authority General Dental Council 1993–94 5 88 1 1994–95 5 83 2 1995–96 11 100 2 1996–97 10 117 4 1997–98 13 231 0
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have been referred to the National Health Service Tribunal in each of the last five years; and what was the outcome in each case. [79417]
§ Mr. DenhamThe information requested is not available centrally. However, details of the total number of cases, for all practitioners, are published in the Annual Report of the Council on Tribunals, copies of which are available in the Library.
§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will estimate the number of additional patients who have obtained access to NHS dentistry through the Investing in Dentistry initiative; [79529]
(2) what assessment he has made of the reasons for the underspend in the Investing in Dentistry budget; [79527]
(3) what funding will be made available for Investing in Dentistry in 1999–2000. [79528]
§ Mr. DenhamAll the funding available for 1998–99 for investing in dentistry (IID) is expected to be assigned by the end of the financial year. Funding available in the first year of IID was not fully utilised, as most approvals during this period only became due for payment in the second year of the scheme.
827WTo date, we have approved 279 Investing in dentistry funding requests, which should enable over 650,000 patients to register with an National Health Service dentist.
No decision has been made yet about the funding of another General Dental Services access initiative in the next financial year. However, funds will be available in the financial year 1999–2000 to meet the treatment costs and any outstanding grant payments arising from IID proposals which have already been approved, or which have been received and are subsequently approved.
§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will be publishing his Department's strategy for NHS dentistry. [79526]
§ Mr. DenhamOur strategy for National Health Service dentistry will be published later this year.
§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will extend assistance with travel costs under the health benefits scheme to visits to dentists in areas where there is a shortage of NHS dentists. [79530]
§ Mr. DenhamPatients receive help with travel costs only under the hospital travel cost scheme; it does not include primary care services such as general dental services. The situation will be kept under review.