AQW 14927/22-27


Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down


Tabled Date: 12/09/2024
Answered On Date: 26/09/2024
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) the number of applicants; and (ii) the total amount of funding provided through the Help with Health Costs scheme to residents in North Down, in each of the last three years.


Answer:
The Help with Health Costs (HwHC) scheme provides individuals, primarily on low incomes, with financial help towards the cost of dental treatment, eyesight tests, glasses or contact lens, and travel costs for Health and Social Care (HSC) treatment on referral by a doctor or dentist.
The Department does not provide a specific funding allocation for the HwHC scheme. The Business Services Organisation (BSO), usually through individual dental and optical practices, administer the HwHC scheme on behalf of the Department of Health for the purposes of dental treatment, eyesight tests and glasses or contact lens vouchers.
The number of exempt patients (and thus provided help with their health care costs) residing in the North Down Assembly Area, and the associated fees/costs covered by the health service, is shown in the tables below. Figures are provided for the last three financial years, including figures up to 2023-24, the latest publicly available annual Accredited Official Statistics. Please note: Financial year relates to when claim was paid, this is not necessarily the same year as when the activity took place.
Table 1: Number of Exempt Dental Patients Seen and Total Item of Service (IoS) Fees of Exempt Patients residing in North Down Assembly Area by Financial Year
Financial Year
2021-22
2022-23
2023-24
Patients Seen1
13,523
15,536
15,295
Total IoS Fees2
£885,000
£1,056,000
£1,043,000
The total number of patients to have received treatment under any of the exemption categories listed as eligible for financial support. If a patient appears in multiple exemption categories or more than once in an exemption category they will only be counted once in this total.
Based on paid claims and information supplied by dentist making the claim. Excludes all private work, and secondary care activity. Total fees are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.
The total IoS fees for patients represent a sum of the codes of all treatments that were undergone by patients claiming exemption. Excludes registration fees paid in relation to children and adults. For patients aged under 18, a number of minor treatments (e.g. examinations, x-rays, scale and polish) are included in the capitation fee – these patients will be included but only claimable treatments will be included in the IoS fees.
Table 2: Number of Exempt Ophthalmic Patients provided with a Sight Test and Total Sight Test Fees of Exempt Patients residing in North Down Assembly Area by Financial Year
Financial Year
2021-22
2022-23
2023-24
Total Patients1,3
23,302
24,000
25,753
Total Sight Test Fees3
£558,000
£596,000
£671,000
The total number of patients to have received treatment under any of the exemption categories listed as eligible for financial support. If a patient appears in multiple exemption categories or more than once in an exemption category they will only be counted once in this total.
Based on paid claims and information supplied by optician making the claim. Excludes all private work, prison activity and secondary care activity. Total fees are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.
Figures exclude support to patients who claim partial exemption through a HC3 form (around 0.01% of sight test claims at NI level) as their assembly area of residence cannot be determined.
Table 3: Number of Exempt Ophthalmic Patients provided with a Voucher and Total Voucher Cost of Exempt Patients residing in North Down Assembly Area by Financial Year
Financial Year
2021-22
2022-23
2023-24
Total Patients1
6,305
6,105
6,022
Total Voucher Cost
£361,000
£353,000
£357,000
The total number of patients to have received treatment under any of the exemption categories listed as eligible for financial support. If a patient appears in multiple exemption categories or more than once in an exemption category they will only be counted once in this total.
Based on paid claims and information supplied by optician making the claim. Excludes all private work, prison activity and secondary care activity. Total fees are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.
In relation to help with hospital travel costs. HSC Trusts, usually through individual hospitals, administer the Hospital Travel Cost Scheme on behalf of the Department of Health. This scheme is funded through their overall budget allocation. HSC Trusts are responsible for informing patients of their entitlement, checking the appropriate travel costs and refunding travel costs to which patients are entitled.