HC Deb 17 September 2004 vol 424 cc1969-70W
Mr. Nigel Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the future of Battledown Ward at Cheltenham General Hospital; [189537]

(2) if he will make a statement on NHS acute children's services in Cheltenham. [189538]

Ms Rosie Winterton

Cotswold and Vale Primary Care Trust is leading a period of public consultation on the future of maternity care and services for children across Gloucestershire.

The responses to the consultation will be considered by the PCT and decisions on any changes to acute children's services in Cheltenham will not be taken until next year.

All options will continue to see the delivery of children's services from both the Battledown ward at Cheltenham General Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Mr. Nigel Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the proposals(a) to downgrade Battledown Children's Ward at Cheltenham General Hospital into a paediatric assessment unit and (b) for the removal of acute children's services to Gloucester. [189539]

Ms Rosie Winterton

I have made no such assessment. Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning appropriate levels of services for their communities. Cotswold and Vale PCT is leading a period of public consultation on the future of maternity care and services for children at home and in hospital across Gloucestershire.

Mr. Sanders

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dental patients were registered in Torbay in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [188134]

Ms Rosie Winterton

The number of registrations in the general dental service in the area covered by Torbay Primary Care Trust for the last five years is shown as follows. The table only shows the number of registrations for general dental services. Through the South West Peninsula Options for Change field site, dentists are increasingly opting for the new ways of working that personal dental services (PDS) allows. As of 1 September 2004, four practices in Torbay have accepted PDS contracts.

Year1 Dental Registrations
2000 73,374
2001 73,288
2002 76,915
2003 71,631
2004 57,865
At 30 June each year.