§ Lord Colwynasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many civil servants currently work in the dental section of the Department of Health; and how many have worked in a similar capacity during the tenure of the last four Chief Dental Officers. [HL1460]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)Ten Civil Service whole-time equivalent posts are currently assigned within the Office of the Chief Dental Officer, Professor Raman Bedi. As part of the Change Programme within the Department of Health, 14 whole-time equivalent Civil Service posts moved on 1 August 2003, with the associated functions, into a special health authority set up in shadow form to support dentists and the National Health Service in the run-up to the reform of NHS dentistry provided for in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. This special health authority will replace the Dental Practice Board in due course.
Both the Office of the Chief Dental Officer and the special health authority (shadow arrangements) are supported by a number of contractors and staff seconded from other organisations such as the NHS to work on specific projects.
At 31 July 2003 just prior to the establishment of the special health authority (shadow arrangements) a total of 21 whole-time equivalent posts (excluding the post of Chief Dental Officer) were assigned to work on dentistry supported by a number of contractors and seconded staff. Additional support was provided as necessary by staff from the support divisions such as finance and human resources and from senior managers in the department. Arrangements for this additional support remain unchanged under the departmental change programme.
51WAThe total number of civil servants working on dentistry has varied around 20 posts or so during the tenure of the three previous Chief Dental Officers supported by staff from elsewhere in the department and contractors or seconded staff as necessary.
§ Lord Colwynasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which primary care trusts the Ministers with responsibility for dentistry have met in the past nine months regarding access to National Health Service dentistry in their areas. [HL1462]
§ Lord WarnerThe Minister of State with responsibility for dentistry, as well as meetings with Strategic Health Authorities' chief executives and others, has met with four primary care trusts regarding access to NHS dentistry over the past nine months:
- 10 July 2003—Greater Peterborough Primary Care Partnership
- 12 August 2003—Lambeth PCT
- 26 February 2004—North East Lincolnshire PCT
- 3 March 2004—Isle of Wight PCT
§ Lord Colwynasked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the ratio of National Health Service dentists per head of population in each year since 1997. [HL1509]
§ Lord WarnerThe available information is for the number of National Health Service dentists (headcount) per 10,000 population and is given in the table for September in each of the years 1997 to 2002.
NHS dentists cover dentists working in the general dental service (GDS), hospital dental service. community dental service, personal dental service (PDS) and salaried service of the GDS.
Dentists working in more than one dental service are included in each service apart from dentists working in both PDS and GDS who are counted in the GDS only. Information for 2003 is not yet available.
The information is based on dentist numbers and is not on a whole-time equivalent basis, which is not available. Dentists in the GDS are able to vary the amount of their dental work and to vary their NHS commitment.
National Health Service: Number of dentists per 10,000 of population in England—September each year Year England 1997 4.21 1998 4.29 1999 4.38 2000 4.44 2001 4.57 2002 4.58 Note:
Population data are based on 2001 census mid-year estimates.
§ Lord Colwynasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list the current pilot sites which are testing the new National Health Service dentistry-based contract. [HL1510]
52WA
§ Lord WarnerThe NHS Modernisation Agency is currently working with a number of field sites who volunteered to test out the ideas and principles outlined inOptions for Change (August 2002). The learning from these sites will inform the new contract that primary care trusts will be negotiating with dentists for 2005. However, Options for Change field sites are not directly testing the new contract that will replace current arrangements as this is still being consulted on.
The Options for Change field sites are spread in terms of size and location, from a single practice in Barnsley to the whole of the south-west strategic health authority area. Up to the end of February 2004, over 150 dentists in around 60 practices have actually gone live with more due to follow shortly.
The 28 specific field sites that are looking at new ways of remuneration are:
- Stockport
- Cannock Chase
- Barnsley
- Stratford upon Avon
- Sheffield
- Oldham
- Bolton
- Sheffield
- Manchester
- Nottingham
- Birkenhead
- Maltby
- York
- Taunton
- Salford
- Bury
- Lancaster
- Hereford
- St Austell
- Hornchurch
- Gloucestershire
- Ashington, Northumberland
- West Cumbria
- Manchester
- Leeds
- Nottingham
- Ealing
- Manchester
§ Lord Colwynasked Her Majesty's Government:
What the current salary is for a community dental service dentist with:
[HL1512]53WA
- (a) one year's experience;
- (b) two to five years' experience;
- (c) five to 10 years' experience; and
- (d) over 10 years' experience.
§ Lord WarnerSalary scales for the community dental service (CDS) are published by the Department of Health each April via an advance letter. The level of remuneration is determined by the annual review and recommendations of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body.
Based on the community dental officer salary scale published on 1 April 2003, a CDS dentist would earn: £29,365 after one year's experience and £31,815 to £39,165 after two to five years' experience.
The community dental officer salary scale has eight spine points, so a dentist with eight years' experience on the 1 April 2003, would earn £46,515 subject to satisfactory performance.
Additionally, a CDS dentist who had progressed through the remaining three paybands to the top of the clinical director of CDS scale on 1 April 2003 could expect to earn £64,610, subject to satisfactory performance.
§ Lord Colwynasked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions the Department of Health has had with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Homelessness Unit regarding the provision of dental services to homeless people. [HL1565]
§ Lord WarnerThe Government are committed to rebuilding and restoring National Health Service dentistry to improve the oral health of the whole nation, including its most vulnerable members. One function of the community dental service is to provide dental care and treatment for people with special needs, including homeless people, from fixed-site and mobile outreach clinics. Forty-six NHS dental access centres located in areas of poor oral health provide dental services for patients who may not otherwise access dentistry.
Under the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003, every primary care trust will have a new duty to provide primary dental
1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 International Federation support (£000) 11 100 100 131 168 148 International representatives' grant aid programme (£000) 230 375 360 390 390 390 Note:
Data for the first year following UK Sport's inception (1997–98) are not available as the organisation's accounts were managed by Sport England and have been archived.
There are currently 61 UK individuals in senior positions on international and European federations. Senior positions are defined as president, vice-president, treasurer, executive board member or council member. I am arranging for copies of a list of the names, positions and organisations of the 61 senior post holders to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Grants from the international representatives' grant aid programme budget are not made directly to individuals but to their sport's national governing body.
54WAservices to the extent it considers necessary to meet all reasonable requirements within its area.