The dental reforms implemented in 2006 gave PCTs, for the first time, the responsibility for providing or commissioning dental services in their area. It is for PCTs to assess local needs, review current service provision and develop services to meet local needs. This information can therefore be obtained directly through the Leicester City Primary Care Trust.
Numbers of national health service dentists at primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) level as at 31 March 1997 to 2006 are available in Annex E of the “NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006”.
This information is based on the old contractual arrangements. This report, published on 23 August 2006, is available in the Library and is available also at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
The numbers of NHS dentists at PCT and SHA level as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table E1 of Annex 3 of the “NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07” report. This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006.
This report, published on 23 August 2007, is available in the Library and is also available at:
http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
The inclusion of dentists on trust led contracts in the data collection following the 2006 reforms means that data collected since April 2006 cannot be directly compared with data collected under the previous system.
The methodology and frequency for reporting work force information are currently being reviewed. The purpose of the review is to ensure that, following experience of the first year of the new dental contract, figures provide an appropriate measure of the work force, given the way that the work force reporting system is being used by PCTs. An update on the review will be provided in the quarter 2 publication, due to be published in February 2008.
Both reports have been published by the Information Centre for health and social care.