Publication of the family practitioner services statistical report (2005/06)

This statistical press release relates to the publication of statistics produced by the Central Services Agency.

This Agency holds data on the following family practitioner services: General Medical, Dental, Ophthalmic and Pharmaceutical Services in Northern Ireland.

Key facts and figures for family practitioner services

Data relates to October 2006 unless otherwise stated:

• In Northern Ireland there were 1,110 General Practitioners (GPs), 782 Principal Dentists, 582 Ophthalmic Practitioners and 257 Pharmacy Contractors.
• There were 363 GP practices, 361 Dental practices, 254 Ophthalmic practices and 515 Pharmacies located throughout Northern Ireland.
• On average there were 64 GPs, 45 Dentists, 34 Optometrists and 30 Pharmacies per 100,000 resident population.
• The Southern Board had the lowest number of tooth extractions per 1,000 registered and resident population for children aged from 0 to17.
• Almost a fifth (18%) of all GP practices in Northern Ireland were single-handed.
• The Gross Cost per person for prescription drugs was £218 in 2005/06 while the total Gross Cost of Pharmaceutical payment was £390.8 million. The Total Net Ingredient Cost (NIC) was £341 million.
• The average GP practice list size was 4,986 registered patients. The average GP practice list size was highest within the Foyle Trust area (6,647). The average Dental Practice list size was 2,520.
• GPs are predominately male, however, there were more female GPs in 2006 (37%) compared to 1996 (28%). Over half (57%) of GPs were aged from 40 to 54 in 2006.
• As for Dentists, 45% were female and 58% were aged under 40.
• 62% of children (aged 0 to 17) and 50% of adults were registered with a dentist.
• 45,750 fillings and 23,511 extractions were carried out on children’s (aged from 0 to 12) teeth.
• There were 1.81 million people registered with GPs in Northern Ireland. The most common surnames were Kelly, Campbell and Wilson. John was the most common male forename followed by William and James while Mary was the most common female forename followed by Margaret and Elizabeth.
• The Net Cost of General Medical Services, paid by the Central Services Agency on behalf of Health Boards in Northern Ireland in 2005/06, was £166m.
• In 2005/06, the Gross cost of Dental Payments was £69.5 million, the majority of which, £52.4 million, was for Dental Treatments of which £17.2 million was patient contributions.
• In 2005/06 the total cost of Ophthalmic Services in Northern Ireland was £15.7 million.
• In just over a decade the number of NHS sight tests claimed for increased by 70% from 212,000 in 1996/97 to 359,698 in 2005/06.
• The average gross cost per prescription item was £13.75, an increase of one third (33%) in over a decade from £10.31 in 1996. There were 15.9 million prescription forms in 2005/06 for 28.4 million prescription items dispensed. This equates to an average of 16 prescription items per person in 2005/06, an increase of 23% in just over a decade from 1996 when it was 13.
• The highest numbers of prescription items were for those used to treat the ‘Central Nervous System’ (23%), followed by those for the ‘Cardiovascular System’ (23%) and the ‘Gastro-Intestinal System’ (9%).
• The cost of a prescription was £6.65 from 1st April 2006, a 21% increase over a decade from £5.50 in 1996.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. The publication that this information has been extracted from can be accessed on the Central Services Agency website at:

http://www.centralservicesagency.com/display/annual_statistical_reports

2. The figures in this document have been compiled from data held in the Central Services Agency databases.

3. Further information on statistics provided in this publication can be obtained from:

Tel: 028 9053 5567 / Fax: 028 9053 5633 / E-Mail: infounit@csa.n-i.nhs.uk

For media enquiries please contact Jenny Magill at the DHSSPS Press Office on 028 90520575.