§ David DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children are registered with an NHS dentist in the East Riding of Yorkshire; and what the figures are for each year since 1997. [41309]
§ Jacqui SmithArrangements are now in place to ensure that patients can gain access to NHS services simply by calling NHS Direct. This means that even if a patient chooses not to register with a dentist it will still be possible for that patient to access all forms of dentistry that are provided by the NHS.
The number of child patients registered with a general dental service (GDS) dentist in East Riding and Hull health authority (HA) at 30 September for each of the years 1997 to 2001 is shown in the table.
In September 1996, the registration period for new child registrations was shortened to 15 months. Previously child registrations expired at the end of the following 439W calendar year. This affected registration numbers from December 1997 onwards. Data for 1997 is not comparable with later years.
Some patients that are not registered with a GDS dentist choose to attend occasionally.
Data for the East Riding area is unavailable.
General dental service: number of child registrations, 1997 to 2001 East Riding and Hull health authority Thousands Year Number 19971 85.6 1998 79.2 1999 80.7 2000 81.6 2001 81.8 1 Registration number is not comparable to later figures because of the change in the registration period to 15 months.