§ Lord Colwynasked Her Majesty;s Government:
Whether they will carry out a survey on the use of general anaesthetics and sedations in general dental practice, both National Health Service and private, reporting on numbers, morbidity and mortality, to update the last such survey, undertaken in 1966. [HL3770]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe recent review of general anaesthesia and sedation for dental treatment led by the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Dental Officer considered data on National Health Service provision of general anaesthesia and sedation and associated mortality and this is reported in the reportA Conscious Decision. No data was available on morbidity or on private sector provision. One of the recommendations in the report was that mortality and morbidity should be monitored and we will be taking this forward. The Department of Health continues to collect data in respect of NHS provision and in 1999–2000, 48,500 general anaesthetics were administered in the general dental services in England and 223,000 sedations.
§ Lord Colwynasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to make any new funding available for the provision of sedation techniques in general dental practice; and whether some of this money will be available for the training of dental practitioners in these techniques. [HL3768]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathWe have accepted the recommendations in the report from the review of general anaesthesia and sedation for dental treatment, which was led by the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Dental Officer. We will now need to consider what implications accepting the recommendations may have for the provision of treatment under conscious sedation within the general dental services of the National Health Service. Training in sedation is already funded through public funds and we are exploring the need, and ways, for increasing this.
§ Lord Colwynasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in view of the recent General Dental Council guidance on the use of general anaesthesia in dental practices, sufficient facilities are available in hospitals to cope with the extra referrals which will result; and what effect the ban will have on hospital waiting lists. [HL3769]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathGeneral anaesthesia for dental treatment will not be restricted to hospitals until 2002, which will allow time for hospitals to prepare for additional pressures. We expect to see a further reduction in the number of general anaesthetics provided between now and 2002 and believe that the186WA caseload, which is actually transferred to hospital, should be manageable.