§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to increase provision of NHS dental services in Shropshire. [137509]
§ Dr. LadymanOswestry dental access centre reopened in June 2003 following £160,000 refurbishment and expansion. This has increased the number of surgeries from three to four. The Department of Health has also provided funding for an additional dentist and dental nurse.
There is also an "Options for Change" field site in Oswestry, which is investigating the effective use of professionals complementary to dentistry.
Subject to Parliament, the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill will give new duties to primary care trusts (PCTs) from April 2005 to 264W secure dental services and will enable them to provide assistance and support to dental practices with which they contract. From the same date, the £1.2 billion held centrally for dentistry will be devolved to PCTs to support them in delivering their new duties on dentistry. To enable PCTs to provide assistance to dental practices in advance of 2005, we have published the General Dental Services Incentive Schemes Directions 2003.
We have also set up an national health service support team to work with PCTs to tackle access problems and have provided new investment of £44 million for dentistry to support access, choice and quality. The NHS support team will be working with the NHS locally in Shropshire to see what assistance they can provide.