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District Health Authority Finance
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each district health authority for each of the financial years 1996-97 and 1997-98 and subsequent
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years for which figures can be given or estimated (a) the recurrent deficit, (b) the non-recurrent surplus deficit, (c) movements in balances, (d) the cash deficit and (e) those deficits expressed as a percentage of revenue or expenditure. [38788]
Mr. Horam: The information requested is based on estimates subject to revision. It is not suitable for publication.
Blood Products
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what informed consent is sought from, and what information is given to, blood donors concerning circumstances in which their donation may be sold (a) outside the NHS, (b) into the private sector and (c) outside the United Kingdom; [38469]
- (2) if he will make a statement about the circumstances in which the NHS patients charter commitment that blood donations will not be sold (a) applies fully, (b) applies with qualifications and (c) does not apply. [38472]
Mr. Horam: The consent of donors is not required for the national blood service to make supplies of donated blood available outside the national health service. Blood itself is never sold, although a handling charge is made to cover the costs of collecting, testing, processing and delivering blood. The commitment given in the blood donors charter therefore applies fully. However, as is also stated in the charter, surplus blood products derived from donations of whole blood may be sold to any other country after NHS demand has been satisfied. This avoids waste of a valuable resource and keeps down costs to the NHS. Details of what happens to donations is made available to donors through leaflets produced by the NBS and through the charter.
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many units of each type of blood product were (a) supplied to private hospitals and (b) used by private patients within NHS units for each of the last three years; for which figures are available; [38516]
- (2) what is the order of priority for the supply of blood products for supply to (a) the NHS, (b) the private sector and (c) overseas users in times of acute United Kingdom or regional shortage; [38467]
(3) what is the method of invoicing and payment for blood products supplied for private sector use; [38468]
(4) what charges are levied on (a) private hospitals and (b) private medical practitioners for the supply of blood products for use outside the NHS. [38515]
Mr. Horam: Information about the amount of blood products supplied to private hospitals and to private patients within national health service units is not collected centrally. Blood products manufactured from plasma derived from freely donated blood in the United Kingdom may be exported only if they are surplus to NHS requirements.
Methods of invoicing and payment and fees charged are a matter for suppliers.
Mr. Barron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to comply with the commitments given in the NHS patients charter in respect of blood donors; and if he will make a statement. [38466]
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Mr. Horam:
As part of the national health service patient's charter programme, an interim blood donor's charter was published last November. The National Blood Authority is working towards the implementation of the targets for improved services to blood donors set out in that charter and will publish performance results each year. The charter will be reviewed after a year, taking account of the comments being invited from doctors.
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his policy with regard to the financial compensation of those treated with contaminated pituitary-derived human growth hormone and gonadotrophin. [38616]
Mr. Horam:
We will study last Friday's judgment in detail and consider what response is appropriate. We remain committed to providing, through the national health service, suitable support and counselling to all patients treated with human growth hormone, or gonadotrophin, and their families.
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the functions previously carried out by regional health authorities which have been (a) transferred to the NHS executive, (b) transferred to district health authorities, (c) contracted out and (d) abandoned. [38870]
Mr. Horam:
The functions of the national health service executive and new health authorities are set out in the statement of responsibilities and accountabilities published on 24 May 1995, copies of which are available in the Library. Regional health authorities were abolished on 31 March 1996, and on 1 April 1996 district health authorities and family health services authorities merged to form new health authorities. Prior to the abolition of the RHAs, the NHS executive issued guidance to the NHS, health service guidance (94)22 and (94)53, on the disposition of RHA functions.
Mr. Win Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts (a) are already paying nurses a locally negotiated pay award, (b) are negotiating with nurses over a local pay award, (c) have made an offer on which negotiation has yet to begin and (d) have not yet made an offer on which to negotiate locally. [38886]
Mr. Malone:
The timing and structure of local pay offers is a matter for national health service management. It is for each trust to decide whether to make public the position it has reached.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State Health (1) how many staff are employed to assess eligibility for free prescriptions, dental work, eye tests and spectacle vouchers for students; and at what annual cost; [38405]
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Mr. Malone:
Claims for entitlement to spectacle vouchers, free national health service prescriptions, dental treatment and sight tests under the NHS low-income scheme are assessed by the health benefits division of the Prescription Pricing Authority. Costs and staffing figures in respect of claims by students are not separately identified.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will publish a breakdown of members of ethnic minorities employed in the NHS as (a) ancillaries, (b) nurses and (c) doctors for each of the past five years and the grades held by these staff; [37034]
(3) if he will publish a breakdown of members of ethnic minorities employed in NHS trusts as (a) executive members, (b) non-executive members, (c) senior officers, (d) managerial staff and (e) clerical/administrative staff.[37027]
Mr. Malone
[holding answer 12 July 1996]: Information about nursing and midwifery staff by grade at September 1993 was published in the Department of Health statistical bulletin "NHS Hospital and Community Health Services Non-Medical Staff in England" in November 1994, copies of which are available in the Library. Information about the ethnic origin of all non-medical staff as at September 1994 will be published shortly and placed in the Library.
Information about medical staff for 1992/3/4 is published in the Department of Health statistical bulletins "Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Service Medical and Dental Staff in England" and is held in the Library. Data for 1995 will be placed in the Library shortly.
These are the latest figures available; figures for earlier years are not available.
Information about executive members and senior officers is not available centrally.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 12 July, Official Report, column 334, for information about non-executive members.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) ethnic minority and (b) white nurses there were in the NHS in each of the last five years (i) by grade, (ii) by region and (iii) nationally; [37142]
Mr. Horam
[holding answer 12 July 1996]: Information relating to the ethnicity of national health service nursing and midwifery staff in England in 1993 by grade was published in the Department of Health statistical bulletin 1994/11, copies of which are available
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in the Library. This is the latest information available. Information relating to earlier years is not available centrally.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to ensure equal access to the delivery of services within the NHS for ethnic minority groups. [37033]
Mr. Malone
[holding answer 12 July 1996]: a number of measures are in place to ensure equal access to those from the ethnic minority communities: i) the patients charter, which aims to provide better information and health services to everyone (including ethnic minority groups) by meeting their religious and cultural needs. The patients charter has been produced in several ethnic languages; ii) in the last five years, the Department has made around £6.5 million available in direct grants to demonstration projects and ethnic minority voluntary groups to improve ethnic health--for example, it has funded a number of linkworker and advocacy schemes which improve access to services to ethnic minority groups. Copies of relevant reports published recently--"Consumer Empowerment" and "A Case For the Provision Of Bilingual Services Within The NHS"--have
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been placed in the Library; iii) the NHS ethnic health unit has been established to work with health authorities, national health service trusts and general practitioners to experiment with new ways of improving services in partnership with local ethnic minority people.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current percentage of (a) midwives and (b) health visitors who are from ethnic minorities. [37100]
Mr. Horam
[holding answer 12 July 1996]: Information relating to the ethnic origin of midwives and health visitors is not available centrally.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the expenditure on the ethnic minority health unit in his Department in each of the last five years; and what is the budget for the next three years. [37094]
Mr. Malone
[holding answer 12 July 1996]: The national health service ethnic health unit was established for three years by Ministers in 1993, to work with NHS organisations to improve services for black and minority ethnic people by harnessing current Government health policies. This followed the report of a task force on how good practice might be spread throughout the NHS. The unit began a focused programme of work in March 1994 which is due to conclude, as intended, in March 1997. The unit's annual budget is of the order of £1.3 million.
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(2) what is the estimated cost of extending free prescriptions, dental work, eye tests and spectacle vouchers to (a) all students within higher education and (b) all students entitled to a full student grant. [38406]
(2) if he will publish a breakdown of members of ethnic minorities employed in health authorities as (a) executive members, (b) non-executive members, (c) senior officers, (d) managerial staff and (e) clerical/administrative staff; [37026]
(2) how many (a) ethnic minority and (b) white nurses there were at grade G in each of the last five years.[37141]