§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of adverse incidents occurring in(a) NHS and (b) non-NHS dentistry in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [152827]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe number of adverse incidents involving dental appliances occurring in National Health Service and non-NHS dentistry is shown in the table.
Incidents involving dental devices—1997 to February 2004 Year NHS Non-NHS 1997 15 8 1998 27 11 1999 28 9 2000 92 22 2001 61 28 2002 51 31 2003 25 32 2004 4 6 Total 303 147 The Government has established the National Patient Safety Agency to improve the safety of NHS patient care by promoting an open and fair culture and by introducing a new national reporting and learning system for patient safety incidents. The reporting system is being implemented across the NHS during 2004.