(2) what steps he is taking to extend provision of NHS dentistry in (a) Tamworth and (b) Staffordshire.
The numbers of dentists on open national health service contracts, in England, as at 30 June 2006, 30 September 2006, 31 December 2006, and 31 March 2007 are available in Table El of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07 report. This information is provided by primary care trust (PCT) and by strategic health authority (SHA).
This report, published on 23 August 2007, is available in the Library and is available at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
The numbers published are headcounts and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
The methodology for reporting dental workforce information since the introduction of the new dental contractual arrangements, on 1 April 2006, is currently under review. The review is to ensure that the figures provide an appropriate measure of the workforce, given the way that the payments system is being used by PCTs. The workforce data within the report will therefore remain the latest available until this review is complete.
The number of people seen by an NHS dentist, in England, are available in Table C1 of Annex 3 of the “NHS Dental Statistics for England: Quarter 2, 30 September 2007” report. Information is available for the 24-month periods ending 31 March 2006, 31 March 2007, 30 June 2007, and 30 September 2007. The information is provided by PCT and by SHA.
Information on the number of courses of treatment performed, by treatment band, between 1 July 2007 and 30 September 2007, is available in Table Al of Annex 3 of the report. Information on the number of units of dental activity performed, by treatment band, for the same time period is available in Table B1. Information is provided by PCT and by SHA in both tables.
This report, published on 28 February 2008, is available in the Library and is available at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstatsq20708
Information by constituency under the new contractual arrangements is not available.
Both reports have been published by The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
Increasing the number of patients seen within NHS dental services is now a formal priority in the NHS operating framework for 2008-09 and we have supported this with a very substantial 11 per cent. uplift in overall allocations to PCTs from 1 April 2008.