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Dental Services: West Sussex

Volume 459: debated on Wednesday 18 April 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there were in (a) Arundel and South Downs constituency and (b) West Sussex in (i) 1997 and (ii) each of the last three years for which figures are available. (127706)

Table 1 shows information on the number of national health service dentists as at 31 March 1997 and 2004 to 2006 for the areas requested, based on the old contractual arrangements.

The latest workforce information, as at 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2006, is based on the new contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, and is available at primary care trust (PCT), strategic health authority (SHA) and England level. This information is provided in Table 2. To provide these data at constituency level would incur disproportionate cost. Data based on the old contractual arrangements are not directly comparable to those under the new contractual arrangements.

Information is taken from the following reports:

NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006

NHS Dental Statistics for England Quarter 3, 31 December 2006.

Both reports are available in the Library.

Table 1: General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Numbers of NHS dentists in the specified constituency and PCTs as at 31 March each year

1997

2004

2005

2006

Arundel and South Downs constituency

29

23

23

22

Adur, Arun and Worthing PCT

90

120

138

154

Crawley PCT

48

65

83

99

Horsham and Chanctonbury PCT

51

69

72

69

Mid-Sussex PCT

67

110

118

129

Western Sussex PCT

67

88

95

98

Notes: 1. Dentists consist of principals, assistants and trainees. Information on NHS dentistry in the community dental service, in hospitals and in prisons is excluded. 2. A dentist can provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed within the contract. In some cases an NHS dentist may be listed to carry out NHS work but may not do so for a given period. 3. Information is based on NHS dentists on PCT lists from the BSA. 4. PCT boundaries are as at 30 September 2006. 5. The PCTs listed are those that now form West Sussex PCT as a result of the 1 October 2006 PCT boundary changes. 6. Constituency boundaries may have changed over time therefore these data may not be directly comparable. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care. NHS Business Services Authority (BSA).

Table 2: Numbers of NHS dentists (performers) in the specified PCTs as at 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2006

2006

30 June

30 September

31 December

West Sussex PCT

477

478

474

Notes: 1. A performer is defined as a dentist who has been set up on the BSA payments online (POL) system by the PCT to work under an open contract during the relevant time period. 2. Data provided are a count of the individuals listed as performers on open contracts within a PCT, including orthodontists. 3. A dentist can provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed within the contract. In some cases an NHS dentist may be listed to carry out NHS work but may not do so for a given period. 4. Data consists of performers in general dental services (GDS), personal dental services (PDS) and trust-led dental services. 5. PCT boundaries are as at 1 October 2006. 6. The PCTs listed are those that now form West Sussex PCT as a result of the 1 October 2006 PCT boundary changes. 7. Dentists will be counted more than once if they have contracts in more than one PCT. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care. NHS Business Services Authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) adults and (b) children were registered with an NHS dentist in (i) the Arundel and South Downs constituency and (ii) West Sussex in (A) 1997 and (B) each of the last three years for which figures are available. (127707)

Table 1 shows information on the number of adult and child patients registered with a national health service dentist for the areas requested as at 31 March 1997 and 2004 to 2006, based on the old contractual arrangements and under the PCT boundaries as at 30 September 2006.

Under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, registration data are no longer collected centrally. Instead, there is a new measure on patients seen within the previous 24 months. The latest information on total numbers of patients seen within the previous 24 months is provided in table 2. Information in table 2 is under the primary care trust (PCT) boundaries as at 1 October 2006. To provide these data at constituency level would incur disproportionate cost.

Information is taken from the following reports:

NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006

NHS Dental Statistics for England Quarter 3, 31 December 2006.

Both reports are available in the Library.

Table 1: General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Numbers of adult and child patients registered with an NHS dentist in the specified constituency and PCTs as at 31 March each year1997200420052006AdultsChildrenAdultsChildrenAdultsChildrenAdultsChildrenArundel and South Downs constituency26,3219,94217,1338,66516,3088,07616,1957,948Adur, Arun and Worthing PCT95,51729,76772,81631,74271,52931,38676,56432,367Crawley PCT25,74614,77821,87315,15520,95114,16828,53416,908Horsham and Chanctonbury PCT47,14218,63533,14116,91534,48616,95337,42917,847Mid-Sussex PCT56,44422,81048,10524,54245,74223,77947,79023,677Western Sussex PCT72,27923,18671,90027,05768,37925,85463,63924,716 Notes: 1. Child patient registrations are aged 0 to 17 and adults are aged 18 and over. 2. PCT boundaries are as at 30 September 2006. 3. The PCTs listed are those that now form West Sussex PCT as a result of the 1 October 2006 PCT boundary changes. 4. Constituency boundaries may have changed over time therefore these data may not be directly comparable. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care. NHS Business Services Authority.

Table 2: Number of patients seen in the previous 24 months ending 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2006 in the specified PCT

30 June 2006

30 September 2006

31 December 2006

Adult

Child

Adult

Child

Adult

Child

West Sussex PCT

292,188

126,918

290,952

126,826

290,443

126,953

Notes: 1. PCT boundaries are as at 1 October 2006. 2. Patients have been identified by using surname, first initial, gender and date of birth. 3. The age of the patient as at the last day of the 24 month period is used to allocate between adult or child in the most recent form processed. 4. Child patient registrations are aged 0-17 and adults are aged 18 and over. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care. NHS Business Services Authority.