HC Deb 21 July 2004 vol 424 cc357-60W
Mr. Hurst

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the provision of dental treatment under the national health service in Essex. [184496]

Dr. Ladyman

The health economy in Essex has received an additional £1.5 million access funding from the Department, which primary care trusts (PCTs) will use to commission additional national health service dental capacity from existing practices and to provide new dental practices.

To ensure that more people can see a NHS dentist when and where they need, the equivalent of 1,000 dentists nationally will be recruited by October 2005.

In addition, NHS dentistry will benefit from unprecedented investment: the Government will fund 170 extra undergraduate dental training places in England from October 2005, a 25 per cent., increase. Revenue costs for this will reach £29 million by 2010–11. capital investment of £80 million over four years to support this expansion. by 2005£06, NHS dentistry will receive extra funding of over £250 million a year, an increase of 19.3 per cent., compared with spending in 2003–04. in recognition of the additional work and training dentists and their practice staff will need to prepare for changes, an extra £9 million will be provided to help dental practices prepare.

Additionally reforms will be introduced to modernise the dentistry profession for the 21st century through: a new dentists contract making it possible for them to spend more time with patients and encourage preventative care. using the skills of the entire dental team more efficiently with new roles for hygienists and dental nurses. local PCTs, including those in Essex, will use the £1.6 billion devolved budget to ensure that local expenditure on dentistry is sustained.

Mr. Hurst

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of national health service dental treatment was in(a) the County of Essex in each year from 1974 to 1998 and (b) the County of Essex and the boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea in each year from 1998 to 2003. [184497]

Dr. Ladyman

The gross and net fees paid to dentists for the provision of general dental services (GDS) represent the main element of primary dental care costs and are the data most readily available by health authority area. Data since 1992–93 are shown in the table. These figures exclude some payments to dentists such as commitment payments, maternity and seniority payments as well as superannuation payments made on their behalf. There is a discontinuity in the figures in the middle of 2002–03 because of the change in health administration areas.

Community, personal and hospital dental services have not been included in this table; these are directly commissioned by individual health authorities from locally managed resources rather than funded from a central national budget as is the case with the GDS.

NHS dental service: Gross and net fees paid by the GDS March ending each year
£ million
Health authority/primary care trust Gross fees Net fees1
1992–93 Essex HA 38.6 25.9
1993–94 Essex HA 37.2 24.7
1994–95 Essex HA 39.9 26.4
1995–96 Essex HA 39.8 26.4
1996–97 Essex HA 40.6 26.9
1997–98 Essex HA 41.4 27.1
1998–99 Essex HA 45.1 29.1
1999–2000 Essex HA 47.3 30.6
2000–01 Essex HA 51.0 32.8
2001–02 Essex HA 51.8 33.1
2002–03
First half Essex HA 36.6 27.0
Second half Essex SHA 26.3 16.9
Southend-on-Sea PCT 3.1 2.1
Thurrock PCT 1.7 1.2
1Excludes patient charge.

Mr. Hurst

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients received dental treatment from the national health service in(a) the County of Essex in each year from 1974 to 1998 and (b) the County of Essex and the boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea in each year front 1998 to 2003. [184498]

Dr. Ladyman

The information in the table shows the number of people registered with a general dental service dentist in Essex at 30 September year from 1992 to 2003 and for Thurrock and Southend-on Sea for 2002 and 2003.

Registration started in October 1990 and the numbers did not stabilise until 1992. Registrations lapse if patients do not return to their dentist within 15 months and so the registration figures exclude patients who have not been to their dentist within the past 15 months. The figures also exclude patients who receive dental treatment from other national health service dental services including dental access centres and those patients who choose not to register and who seek treatment on an occasional basis.

General dental service: number of registered patients September each year (thousand)—Essex family health services authority (FHSA), health authority (HA) and strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trusts (PCTs)
Number
FHSA
1992 636
1993 643
1994 642
1995 612
Essex HA
1996 829
1997 821
1998 737
1999 764
2000 787
2001 774
Essex SHA
2002 778
2003 767

General dental service: number of registered patients September each year (thousand)—Essex family health services authority (FHSA), health authority (HA) and strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trusts (PCTs)
Number
Southend-on-Sea PCT
2002 83
2003 81
Thurrock PCT
2002 43
2003 45
Source:
Dental Practice Board.

Mr. Hurst

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists undertook national health service treatment in(a) the County of Essex in each year from 1974 to 1998 and (b) the County of Essex and the boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea in each year from 1998 to 2003. [184499]

Dr. Ladyman

The information shown in the table is for the number of general (GDS) and personal dental service (PDS) dentists in Essex in e3c h year from 1974 to 2003 and for Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea Primary Care Trust (PCT) areas for the:gears 2002 and 2003, which covers the period that the two PCTs have been in existence.

General and personal dental service: number of dentists at September each year
Essex family practitioner committee (FPC), family health services authority (FHSA), health authority (HA), SHA and primary care trusts (PCTs)
Number
FPC
1974 284
1975 291
1976 308
1977 320
1978 305
1979 319
1980 339
1981 344
1982 366
1983 384
1984 389
1985 405
1986 405
1987 413
1988 414
1989 430
FHSA
1990 418
1991 441
1992 438
1993 460
1994 465
1995 472
HA
1996 476
1997 497
1998 513
1999 532
2000 560
2001 566

General and personal dental service: number of dentists at September each year
Essex family practitioner committee (FPC), family health service authority (HA), SHA and primary care trusts (PCTs)
Number
SHA
2002 556
2003 542
Southend-on-sea PCT
2002 56
2003 56
Thurrock PCT
2002 39
2003 37
Note:
PDS figure covers dentists not already working in the GDS.
Source:
Dental Practice Board