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Mr. Freeman : It is not possible to give an answer in the form requested as the Department does not employ a specific class of loss- prevention officers. There is a general exhortation to all staff to take proper care of property and services for which they are responsible and for line managers to ensure that there is sound management of such resources. Internal audit procedures are undertaken by staff with appropriate training and security guard services are provided by a mixture of departmental staff and private companies.

Eye Surgery, Rochdale

Sir Cyril Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting time in the Rochdale health authority for eye operations ; how many persons are awaiting such surgery ; and how many of those persons are over the age of 75 years.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information about the age and specific medical condition of patients on hospital waiting lists is not collected centrally. The latest available information about numbers of persons awaiting treatment in the ophthalmology specialty is given in the table.

In-patient waiting list,           

Ophthalmology specialty, Rochdale  

District                           

Health Authority, as at 31 March   

1989                               

PatienPercentage breakdown by month

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     |0-2 |3-5 |6-8 |9-11|12+      

860  |21  |21  |14  |14  |31       

Source: KHO7 return.               

The percentages do not sum to 100 due to rounding.

Disabled People

Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has any evidence of general practitioners refusing to take groups of disabled people who are residents leaving long-stay hospital on to their lists ; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We have no such evidence and I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 8 February at column 769.

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Column 22

Practice Nurses

Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what ratio of practice nurses per head of population his Department recommends in order for general practitioners to carry out all the services indicated in the new contracts.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We do not plan to recommend norms for the employment of practice nurses. The extent to which general practitioners employ practice nurses and other types of health care professional staff to carry out services under the new contract is essentially a matter for local decision.

Personal Data

Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many members of staff in his Department have been disciplined for breaching internal regulations on the disclosure of personal data held by his Department within the last five years.

Mr. Freeman : No cases have occurred since 1 April 1989 when Department of Health records began. Records on any cases before this date are held by the Department of Social Security.

New Hospitals

Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out in detail the mechanism by which health authorities will be able to calculate the capital contribution from central Government sources that will apply to any new hospital project in advance of making their detailed submission and explain how he intends to ensure that the price of land on sale or on purchase does not distort the planning in health provision.

Mr. Freeman : Capital planning is carried out on the basis of the best resource assumptions available. It is necessary to plan flexibly to cope with unavoidable uncertainties, and order schemes to match service priorities. Detailed approval in principle submissions are made on this basis.

NHS Trusts

Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will state what further representations he has received from hospitals to opt out of the existing National Health Service management structure.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The proposals in the White Papers, "Working for Patients" and "Caring for Patients", and the NHS and Community Care Bill suggest wide ranging changes in the way the whole NHS is managed. Since May last year, a total of 190 units have expressed an interest in NHS trust status, including a number with more than one hospital. The units are as follows :

Northern RHA

Aycliffe Hospital and Mental Handicap Services

Blood Transfusion Service (Northern RHA)

Darlington Hospital and Community Services

Freeman Hospital, Newcastle

Hartlepool District

Mental Illness Services in Gateshead

Newcastle General Hospital

Newcastle Mental Health Services

Northumbrian Ambulance Service

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Column 23

Northgate Hospital

North Tyneside District

North West Durham hospital and community services

South West Durham Community Services

Yorkshire RHA

Bradford Acute Services

Bradford--Psychiatric Unit Hospital Trust

Calderdale Hospitals, Calderdale HA

Leeds General Infirmary and associated Hospitals

Grimsby DGH and associated services

High Royds Hospital Mental Health Services, Leeds Western St. James's University Hospital, Leeds

Seacroft and Killingbeck Hospitals, Leeds Eastern

Wakefield District--Mental Health Unit

Wharfedale General Hospital, Leeds Western

Trent RHA

Bassetlaw

Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Montagu Hospital

Lincolnshire Ambulance Service

Nether Edge Hospital, Sheffield

Northern General Hospital, Sheffield

University Hospital, Nottingham

Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield

Children's Hospital, Sheffield

South Lincolnshire Mental Handicap Services

East Anglian RHA

East Suffolk Community Services

East Suffolk Psychiatric Services

Great Yarmouth and Waveney Priority Services

Newmarket General Hospital

Norfolk Ambulances

Peterborough DGH, Edith Cavell DGH, Stamford and Rutland Hospital West Norfolk and Wisbech Acute Services

West Norfolk and Wisbech Community Services

North West Thames RHA

Central Middlesex Hospital

East Hertfordshire Acute Services Unit

East Hertfordshire Priority and Community Services Units Harefield Hospital

Hillingdon Hospital

Mount Vernon Hospital

North Hertfordshire Acute and Community Services

North West Hertfordshire Priority Services Unit

Northwick Park Hospital

Westminster and Westminster Children's Hospitals

North East Thames RHA

Basildon and Thurrock HA

Brentwood Community Hospital

Central North London Mental Health Unit

The London Hospital Group

Mid Essex Acute Unit

The Royal Free Hospital

North Middlesex Hospital

Royal London Homeopathic Hospital

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

The Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital

City and Hackney (St. Bart's, Homerton and St. Marks Hospital Trust

St. Bartholomew's Hospital

St. Margaret's Hospital, Epping

St. Peter's Group of Hospitals

Southend District Services

Tavistock and Portman Clinics

Harwich Hospital

North East Essex Acute Unit

North East Essex Mental Handicap Unit

North East Essex Mental Health Unit

Waltham Forest Mental Health Unit

Waltham Forest HA

West Essex Priority Care Services

South East Thames RHA

Bexley HA--Mental Health Community Services

Brighton Acute Services

Bromley Acute Services

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Column 24

King's/Camberwell and associated Community Services

Conquest Hospital, Hastings HA

Dartford and Gravesham HA--Proposed DGH

Eastbourne Acute Services

Guy's (and Lewisham Hospitals and associated MI Services) Lewisham and North Southwark HA--Mental Illness Services Lewisham Hospital Unit

Maidstone DGH

Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup Erith and District Hospital Community

Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead

St. Thomas' Hospital (and associated Community Services) Sevenoaks Hospital

South East Kent HA--Community Services

South East Thames RHA Commercial Services Directorate

Tunbridge Wells Mental Handicap Unit

West Lambeth HA--Priority Care Unit

William Harvey and Buckland Hospitals--South East Kent HA South West Thames RHA

Croydon Community Unit

Croydon Mental Handicap Unit

Croydon HA--Mental Illness Unit

East Surrey HA--Acute and Community Services Unit

East Surrey HA--Combined MI/Mental Handicap Unit

Kingston Hospital

Mid Downs East Unit

Mid Downs West Unit

Mid Surrey General Unit

Mid Surrey HA--Mental Illness Unit

North West Surrey HA--Acute Unit

North West Surrey HA--Mental Handicap and Mental Health Units St. George's Group Trust, Wandsworth HA

St. Helier and Sutton Hospitals

South West Surrey Acute Unit

Worthing and Southlands Hospitals, Worthing HA

Weybridge Hospital

Wessex RHA

Bournemouth Acute Unit, East Dorset HA

Christchurch Hospital, East Dorset HA

Lymington Hospitals

Mental Health Services, East Dorset HA

North West Wiltshire Community Service, Bath HA

Psychiatric Division, Basingstoke HA

Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases

Swindon HA--All District Services

Treloar Chase Unit, Basingstoke HA

West Dorset Community and General Hospital Services

West Dorset Mental Health Services

Oxford RHA

Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre

South Western RHA

Avon College of Health

Bristol

Bristol Paediatric Services

Bristol Homoeopathic Hospital

East Gloucestershire NHS Trust

Cornwall Mental Handicap Services

Cornwall Community Services

Royal Cornwall Hospitals

East Somerset

Exeter Community Services

North Devon

Plymouth Acute Services

Supplies Function--Regionwide (South Western RHA)

South Devon Health Care Trust

West Cornwall [Acute Services]

Weston (Unit, Bristol and Weston HA)

West Somerset Acute and Community Unit

Wonford Acute Services

West Midlands RHA

Alexandra Hospital

Bridgnorth Cottage Hospital (incl. community) (Shropshire) Bromsgrove Community Unit (Bromsgrove and Redditch)

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