Question reference: S4W-24684
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 26 February 2015
-
Current status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 11 March 2015
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its expectations are regarding NHS boards' provision of dental services to remote rural communities.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that patients who wish to have access to NHS dental services are able to do so, regardless of geography.
Considerable progress has been made by boards with regard to access to an NHS dentist in rural areas. The following table shows the proportion of people registered with a NHS dentist in September 2014 (the latest figures available), compared with September 2007, for a number of rural board areas:
|
NHS Board |
% Registered with a NHS Dentist |
|
|
September 2007 |
September 2014 |
|
Ayrshire and Arran |
57.9 |
89.6 |
|
Dumfries and Galloway |
46.2 |
81.6 |
|
Highland |
35.9 |
74.0 |
|
Orkney |
36.8 |
76.1 |
|
Shetland |
44.0 |
81.2 |
|
Western Isles |
40.6 |
76.7 |
Source: Information Services Division, MIDAS, November 2014