| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Earnings
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS employees earn less than £4 an hour. [11152]
Mr. Malone: This information is not available centrally.
Surgical Beds
Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current ratio of surgical beds to head of population (a) nationally, (b) in the northern region and (c) at Sunderland general hospital. [11137]
Mr. Horam: The information available centrally is shown.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| England | |
| Annual average daily available beds | 144,803 |
| Population (mid 1994) | 48,707,459 |
| Ratio (beds per 10,000 population) | 29.7 |
| Northern Regional Health Authority | |
| Annual average daily available beds | 10,184 |
| Population (mid 1994) | 2,927,525 |
| Ratio (beds per 10,000 population) | 34.8 |
| City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust | |
| Annual average daily available beds | 1,044 |
| Population (mid 1994) | n/a |
| Ratio (beds per 10,000 population) | n/a |
Data on bed availability are collected by broad ward classification. "Surgical beds" has therefore been interpreted as "General and acute" which comprises beds for general patients (including the elderly), the younger physically disabled, neonatal cots not in maternity wards and beds for the terminally ill or those receiving palliative care.
Sunderland Hospitals
Mr. Cummings:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which premises previously operated by Sunderland Hospitals NHS trust have been deemed surplus to requirements in the trust's site and services review; [11150]
25 Jan 1996 : Column: 375
Mr. Horam:
These are matters for City Hospitals Sunderland NHS trust. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. David Graham, chairman of the trust for details.
Mr. Barron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research he has evaluated into patients' willingness to share personal health information with NHS administrators; and what studies into patients' views on access to their data by non-clinical staff he proposes to commission; [11472]
Mr. Miller
: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given when preparing his guidance booklet for the NHS on the protection of patient information to the principle of obtaining informed consent from patients for the sharing of their identifiable personal health information;[1190]
Mr. Horam:
We issued a consultation document on the protection of patient information in 1994 and have taken into account the many responses received, including from patients' organisations. We shall shortly be promulgating detailed guidance to the national health service. All NHS bodies and staff have a legal duty to keep patient information confidential. This is also a patients charter requirement.
Mr. Barron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what penalties exist for unauthorised access to identifiable patient health data; and on how many occasions these penalties have been used in each of the last three years. [11475]
Mr. Horam:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 4 December 1995, Official Report, columns 42-43. The Department of Health does not hold figures about the imposition of legal penalties in such circumstances. National health service employers are responsible for any disciplinary action against staff.
Mr. Cummings:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of dedicated surgical wards required at Sunderland district general hospital to meet the needs of the population of Sunderland and north Easington. [11139]
Mr. Horam:
This is a matter for Sunderland health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. George Bedell, chairman of the authority, for details.
25 Jan 1996 : Column: 376
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 16 January, Official Report, column 553, how many trusts have been assessed in respect of their long-term financial viability; and what has been the outcome in each case. [11115]
Mr. Horam:
The financial viability of all trusts is assessed as a part of each trust's annual business planning cycle. The outcome in the vast majority of cases has been the continued existence of the trusts as they were established.
Trusts are merged or reconfigured for a number of operational reasons. Those which have resulted largely from concerns over their long-term financial viability are:
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 14 December, Official Report, column 812, if he will list those companies currently operating health information lines on behalf of his Department, the value of the contracts involving these companies and the period of their duration. [11145]
Mr. Horam:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on 22 January, Official Report, columns 13-14. The additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 6 December, Official Report, column 227, if he will make a statement indicating the number of calls that have been made to the health information service on a regional health authority basis; and what has been the cost of operating and publicising the health information service to each of the regional health authorities. [11143]
Mr. Horam:
Details of the number of calls received by the health information service, on a regional basis, since its establishment in April 1992 to the end of December 1995, and details of the cost of providing the health information service, on a national basis, for the financial years 1992-93 to 1995-96, are shown in the tables.
(2) what is the annual maintenance cost of the empty hospital and buildings formerly used by Sunderland City Hospitals NHS trust. [11138]
(2) what arrangements are in place for patients to give unambiguous consent for the sharing of their identifiable personal health information; and what plans he has to alter such arrangements; [11471]
(4) to what extent the Department requires health service bodies to (a) monitor and (b) control the practice of NHS administrative personnel accessing identifiable personal health information; and if he will make a statement.[11473]
There are also two further proposals subject to public consultation for the following trusts:
West Dorset Community Health NHS trust with West Dorset Mental Health NHS trust to form the Dorset Community NHS trust.
Royal Liverpool University NHS trust and Broadgreen NHS trust to form Royal Liverpool University and Broadgreen NHS trust.
Louth and District Healthcare NHS trust and Lincoln Hospital NHS trust.
Royal Free NHS trust and the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital NHS trust.
(19) College of Health National Waiting Times Helpline--discontinued as part of the Health Information Service.
25 Jan 1996 : Column: 377
| Region | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Northern and Yorkshire | 288,201 | 260,000 | 276,223 | 346,120 |
| Trent | 177,181 | 137,859 | 149,637 | 155,193 |
| Anglia and Oxford | 268,000 | 268,000 | 308,000 | 308,000 |
| North Thames | 142,500 | 236,200 | 243,608 | 237,629 |
| South Thames | n/a | 221,714 | 240,777 | 255,210 |
| West Midlands | 102,965 | 165,277 | 151,156 | 241,243 |
| North and West | 331,296 | 344,548 | 421,037 | 573,371 |
| South and West | 197,500 | 248,400 | 254,900 | 221,000 |
| Total | 1,507,643 | 1,881,998 | 2,045,338 | 2,337,766 |
Intensive Care Beds
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care (a) beds and (b) admissions there were for (i) infants, (ii) children and (iii) adults in each health region in each year since 1987. [11197]
Mr. Horam: The information available centrally is published in "Bed availability for England" and "Ordinary and day case admissions for England", both of which are available in the Library.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |