Agenda item

This report provides Members with an update on the provision of NHS dental services in York.

Members considered a report which updated them on the provision of NHS dental services in York.

The Acting Assistant Director, Primary Care, of NHS North Yorkshire and York provided the following information and responded to Members queries on specific issues.

• NHS Dental Waiting list is currently held as an Excel spreadsheet and administered by an admin person. Problems have been identified with the current system and it has been recognised that it needs to be looked at.
• First step is to validate the current waiting list by writing to everybody on the list and asking if they are still actively waiting for an NHS dentist -need to be aware that some people may be on the waiting list for an NHS dentist but also be receiving treatment from a private dentist.
• Some dentists hold their own waiting lists and this does not feed information into NHS waiting list and does not contribute to service planning.
• Monthly variations in data contained in the report can be explained by seasonal variations and also capacity and demand influences.
• There are very few dental practices solely providing NHS treatment – most have combination of private and NHS patients.
• For clarification, abbreviations used regarding contracts in Annex C are as follows: Personal Dental Services (PDS), General Dental Services (GDS) and Trust-led Dental Services (TDS). Units of Dental Activity (UDA) refers to general dentistry, Units of Orthodontic Activity (UOA) refers to treatment for straightening of teeth – generally realignment of teeth in children.
• With regard to dental care for children, there are links with Children’s Centres and the Salaried Dental Service has a rolling programme which identifies areas were children are in most need of treatment. Check are also undertaken in schools.
• In respect of salaries, UDA system is fixed nationally but UDA rate is not – these are tendered for - the average UDA rate nationally is £21 per UDA – the “Doncaster Model” incorporates a quality measure which dentists have to meet before they receive payment for an UDA.

Members queried the figure given in annex A of the report for the number of NHS practices in the City of York area and the Acting Assistant Director – Primary Care agreed to clarify this information and provide this to Members.  She referred to a data sheet which contained information on York (excluding Selby) which Members had requested and the Scrutiny Officer agreed to circulate this to Members following the meeting.

In response to a query regarding problems with recruitment and retention of dentists in York, the Acting Assistant Director – Primary Care confirmed that during the last procurement process there had been problems attracting sufficient interested parties and she had contacted the Department of Health for advice on tackling this issue. She also advised Members that there was a problem in finding suitable premises in which to locate dental surgeries. With regard to a query regarding entitlement to the use of services at Leeds Dental Institute, she advised Members that there was no charge if the patient had been referred there, although as this was a specialist centre, people should not be referred there for general treatment. Members noted that there were also open access sessions available. 

RESOLVED:

(i)         That the update from NHS North Yorkshire and York be noted.

(ii)        That further updates on dental provision in York be received from NHS North Yorkshire and York on a quarterly basis.

(iii)       That the following additional information be provided to Members of the Committee:

(a)         Clarification on number of NHS dental practices in the City of York Area referred to in Annex A of the report.

(b)         Data received from the Acting Assistant Director – Primary Care relating to York dental statistics.

REASON:

In order the Committee carries out its duty to promote the health needs of the people they represent.