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Health Promotion
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she is taking to encourage the national health service trusts to collaborate with environmental health and education services and other public services within local authorities in the prevention of illness and disease.
Mr. Sackville : Joint interim guidance from the Departments of Health and the Environment, HSG(93)56, "Public Health
Responsibilities of the NHS and Roles of Others", was issued on 24 November 1993 and copies are available in the Library. The guidance emphasises the need for all authorities and agencies to work within a co-ordinated and comprehensive public health strategy and share information to achieve the best possible health for their population including arrangements for the control of communicable disease and infection and for dealing with the health aspects of non-communicable environmental hazards.
The handbook "Working Together for Better Health", published in July last year in the context of the "Health of the Nation" strategy, set out the importance of collaboration between the national health service, local authorities and other local groups in the prevention of illness ; gave guidance on the setting up and maintenance of healthy alliances ; and gave examples of alliances in which both NHS trusts and local authorities are involved. Copies of the handbook will be placed in the Library.
Health Authorities
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with local purchasing health authorities regarding the performance of hospital trusts ; and if she will specify the authorities concerned and the content of the discussion.
Dr. Mawhinney : As part of their performance management responsibilities, regional offices of the national health service executive discuss with purchasers factors which affect local purchasing decisions, including changing patterns of service provision. These, in turn, will be affected by the performance of individual trusts.
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what improvements have been made to improve transmission information between trusts and national health authorities in order that they may make the purchase of patient care more accurate.
Mr. Sackville : The national health service executive, in partnership with the national health service, is working,
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through a national information management and technology strategy, to create an environment to improve the quality and sustain the effective sharing of information across the health service.Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he ensures that health authorities are producing appropriate levels of health care.
Dr. Mawhinney : The regional offices of the national health service executive assess progress in key areas of the work of the NHS.
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of health authorities moving funds between different budget heads on health care and the provision of social services.
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will redistribute funds from fundholding general practitioners who have underspent to those who have overspent.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme
Mr. O'Hara : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had about, and what provisions she has made in her budget for, victims of crime who will no longer be sufficiently compensated by the tariff scheme of the criminal injuries compensation scheme to be independent of the national health service.
Mr. Sackville : Treatment under the national health service is provided free to all at the point of delivery on the basis of clinical need irrespective of whether that need results from a criminal injury. I have no plans to make any additional provision.
Mr. John Shepard
Mr. Boateng : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action she proposes to take to prevent a recurrence of the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. John Shepard in Brent ; (2) if she will establish an independent inquiry into the circumstance surrounding the death of Mr. John Shepard and the subsequent actions of Brent council ;
(3) whether she has received notification from Brent council of its decision not to establish an independent inquiry into the death of Mr. John Shepard.
Mr. Bowis : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 18 July, Official Report, column 20. We expect the local authority to take any necessary action. We have no plans for Government action in addition to this.
Elderly People (Care)
Mr. Boateng : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities as to the management of the care of elderly people living on their own in local authority property.
Mr. Bowis : Policy and practice guidance issued by the Department about the care of elderly and other vulnerable people applies equally to local authority tenants and those living in other forms of accommodation.
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GPs (Practice Administration)
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 17 March, Official Report, column 833, how many hours weekly on average were actually spent by general practitioners on practice administration between November 1992 and November 1993, as found by the survey of general practitioners' work loads ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : The results for the full survey period are being analysed. For the interim results, based on the first seven months' data, I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave her on 17 March at column 833.
Psychologists (Availability)
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many more psychologists have become available since the introduction of care in the community to facilitate the programme ; and how is the increase funded.
Mr. Bowis : Clinical psychologists are employed in the national health service on a variety of duties in both the hospital and community health sectors. The total number of clinical psychologists working in the national health service in the period since 1984 is shown in the table.
Clinical psychologists England 30 September 1984 to 1992 Whole-time equivalents Year |Number --------------------- 1984 |1,180 1985 |1,310 1986 |1,380 1987 |1,430 1988 |1,660 1989 |1,740 1990 |1,730 1991 |1,760 1992 |2,000 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Assistants and trainees are excluded.
Organ Donation
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her policy on assisting the voluntary donation of organs of the body both before death and after death ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 18 July 1994] : The Government encourage people to donate their organs after death ; are committed to increasing the supply of donor organs for transplantation ; and have introduced a number of initiatives to this end. In March 1993, the use of television advertising was used for the first time and this was followed up with a further television campaign last March. Also from 1 March last year, all new driving licences now contain a donor declaration box. Other measures include improved procedures for hospitals and staff involved in organ procurement, a reimbursement scheme for hospitals whose intensive care units look after potential donors, research into the reasons why some
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relatives refuse permission to use organs and a feasibility study into a computerised national register of organ donors. Publicity material is made available to the public in support of organ donation and the donor card scheme.Column 222
The possibility of donation by a live donor is a very serious matter requiring expert counselling of the patient and the potential donor by experienced doctors. The final decision to participate in such a procedure must remain with the potential donor.
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