General Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 2 May 2024.
Roz McCall
Conservative
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted of the impact of its reformed dental payments system, introduced on 1 November 2023, in the Mid Scotland and Fife region. (S6O-03386)
Jenni Minto
Scottish National Party
We have long-standing arrangements to publish activity on national health service dental services through Public Health Scotland, and data on the reformed dental payment system will continue to be provided through those arrangements on a quarterly basis.
Published data provides information at both a national and regional level, which officials use to inform on-going, regular analysis in discussion with all NHS boards, including NHS Fife, on the impact of national reform on local care provision.
Roz McCall
Conservative
The dental payment system reforms that the Scottish Government embarked on were supposed to make it easier for people to access dental treatments. However, in my region, latest statistics show that, although around 90 per cent of adults in Fife are registered with an NHS dentist, only around half of them have actually seen an NHS dentist in the past two years, which has widened oral health inequalities.
Will the Scottish Government agree to amend the data collection on NHS dentistry to include participation as well as registration? How does it intend to deal with the growing oral health inequalities in my region?
Jenni Minto
Scottish National Party
I thank Roz McCall for her question and am happy to look at her initial suggestion.
We are working very closely with health boards on workforce initiatives because, as we were very clear at the start of payment reform, that was the first step on the journey. We are looking at things such as the direct access model, and I know that NHS Highland is keen to be involved in that.
I have also been working with the other United Kingdom nations and stakeholders to improve the overseas dentist pipeline, which I am pleased to see moving forward.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
