Declares that the Petitioners wish to be able to access NHS dental services at The Dentist Surgery, Liskeard Road, Walsall.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take all possible steps to encourage NHS England to award an NHS dental services contract to The Dentist Surgery in Walsall.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.––[Presented by Valerie Vaz, Official Report, 11 December 2014; Vol.589, c. 1089.]
[P001410]
Observations from the Secretary of State for the Department of Health:
The commissioning of NHS dental services is a matter for NHS England.
NHS England, through its Area Teams, discharges its powers to secure the provision of services, including primary dental services in accordance with section 99 of the NHS Act 2006. NHS England is required to follow procurement rules and must meet the standards included in public procurement law, specifically as set out in the NHS (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) No 2 Regulations 2013.
If consultation and a needs assessment lead an Area Team to determine that additional services within available resources are necessary a competitive tender would be conducted.
Commissioners must not prevent, distort or restrict competition. An Area Team cannot issue a contract on request, as this would be unfair to other potential providers. The value for money and quality of service offered by any potential provider cannot be properly determined without a competitive tender process.
Birmingham, Solihull and The Black Country Area Team advises that the local needs assessment does not suggest additional NHS dental services are required, and at this time no procurements are planned for primary care dental services in Walsall.