§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in(a) Lancashire and (b) England stopped doing NHS work during the last 12 months for which figures are available. [159378]
§ Mr. HuttonDentists may leave the general dental service (GDS) for a number of reasons including retirement and career breaks. Some departures are only temporary. During the year 2000, the figures for England will be inflated by the transfer of some dentists from the GDS to some personal dental service pilots.
The number of dentists leaving the GDS in the 12 months ending 31 December 2000 is shown in the table for Lancashire health authorities and England.
Number of dentists who left the GDS during the year 2000 Principals Assistants Vocational dental practitioners Total (a) Lancashire health authorities South Lancashire 9 1 2 12 East Lancashire 6 0 4 10 North West Lancashire 10 3 1 14 Morecambe Bay 9 1 1 11 Total 34 5 8 47 (b) England 859 179 149 1,187