Answers issued to Members on 16 June 2009
[R] signifies that the Member has declared an interest.
[W] signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh.
Contents
Questions to the Minister for Helath and Social Services
Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): Will the Minister make a statement on the funding of Welsh patients receiving treatment at Gobowen Orthopaedic Hospital? (WAQ54329)
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Edwina Hart): Funding is available within the NHS revenue allocation for Welsh patients to be treated at Gobowen Orthopaedic Hospital.
Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): Is the Minister aware of any cutbacks in services at Gobowen Orthopaedic Hospital that will impact on patients living in Wales? (WAQ54330)
Edwina Hart: I am not aware of any cutbacks in services at Gobowen Orthopaedic Hospital that will impact on patients living in Wales.
Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister ensure that patients living in one LHB area can access NHS Dental Services in another LHB/Trust area if that is the nearest facility to their home? (WAQ54339)
Edwina Hart: The terms and conditions of the NHS dental contract already facilitate this arrangement. The concept of the registration of patients has disappeared. Patients should continue to see the dentist they regard as their own, regardless of practice location.
Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister make a statement on the provision of NHS Dentistry in South Powys? (WAQ54340)
Edwina Hart: Since the introduction of the new NHS dental contract Local Health Boards (LHBs) have responsibility for local commissioning giving them the control and accountability for their own dentistry budgets to provide dental care to meet the local need. This gives LHBs the ability to develop services to reflect local needs and priorities. This must be achieved through a finite general dental budget allocation.
Under these arrangements it is a matter for Powys LHB to determine the location and level of dental services through the management of dental contracts as part of their planning, development and budgetary control of service provision.
Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): What estimate has the Minister made of the cost to the NHS of treatment of diabetes and diabetes-related conditions in the last 4 years? (WAQ54346)
Edwina Hart: The direct costs of treating diabetes, where this is the primary condition requiring treatment, are published as part of the Programme Budget Expenditure Statistical Release at:
The individual release is titled SDR59/2009.