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Paediatric Beds
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many paediatric beds there were by health authorities in (a) 1994-95, (b) 1995-96 and (c) 1996-97 at the latest date. [4187]
Mr. Horam: The information is not available centrally in the form requested. The information that is available is contained in "Bed Availability for England", copies of which are available in the Library.
Prescriptions
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the 10 most expensive drugs prescribed by the NHS (a) in terms of cost per annum and (b) per item; and what research has been carried out by his Department into the relative cost effectiveness of those drugs. [4189]
Mr. Malone: The information requested is shown in the lists. Information on research commissioned by the Department of Health is contained in "The Centrally Commissioned Research Programme" and "The Centrally Commissioned Research Programme: Commissions in 1994-95", copies of which are available in the Library.
Top 10 preparations in terms of net ingredient cost
England 1995
Losec capsules E/C 20mg
Zantac tablets 150mg
Prozac capsules 20mg
Adalat Ret tablets 20mg
Zantac tablets 300mg
Istin tablets 5mg
Serevent inhaler 25mcg (120 Dose)
Becloforte inhaler 250mcg (200 Dose)
Havrix monodose vaccine 1440u/ml 1 ml Pf Syrg
Seroxat tablets 20mg
Notes:
1. The data covers all prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England.
2. The net ingredient cost is the cost of drugs before discount and does not include any dispensing costs or fees.
25 Nov 1996 : Column: 121
Top 10 preparations in terms of average net ingredient cost per prescription item
England 1995
Ceredase intravenous infusion 80u/ml 5ml bottle
Ceredase intravenous infusion 10u/ml 5ml bottle
Ceftazidime/sodium chloride infusion 100ml (specify)
Ceftazidime/sodium chloride infusion 50ml (specify)
Alphaglobin intravenous infusion 5 per cent. 10g/200ml
Ganciclovir/sodium chloride infusion 100ml (specify)
Ganciclovir Inv 100ml (specify)
Foscarnet sodium/sodium chloride infusion 250ml (specify)
Desferriox Mesyl/water for infusion infusion 100ml (specify)
Gamimune-N Intravenous Infusion 5 per cent. 5g/100ml
Notes:
1. The data cover all prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England.
2. The net ingredient cost is the cost of drugs before discount and does not include any dispensing costs or fees.
3. For reasons of confidentiality, individual preparations where less than 50 prescription items were dispensed are excluded.
- (2) if he will list the standard price paid by patients per prescription item in each year between October 1974 and October 1996 and the real-terms percentage increase in the standard price paid per prescription item in each of those years. [4190]
Mr. Malone: The information is in the table.
| Financial year | Total income from prescription charges | Prescription charge per item (as at 1 April unless otherwise stated) | Real terms percentage increase/decrease in charge per item year on year |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ million | £ | ||
| 1974-75 | 22.000 (estimated) | 0.20 | -- |
| 1975-76 | 22.690 | 0.20 | -20.3 |
| 1976-77 | 23.131 | 0.20 | -11.9 |
| 1977-78 | 23.349 | 0.20 | -12.0 |
| 1978-79 | 24.206 | 0.20 | -10.1 |
| 1979-80 | 38.646 | (78)0.45 | 92.8 |
| 1980-81 | 70.753 | 0.70 | 31.5 |
| 1981-82 | 86.620 | (79)1.00 | 30.3 |
| 1982-83 | 102.792 | 1.30 | 21.4 |
| 1983-84 | 110.044 | 1.40 | 2.9 |
| 1984-85 | 120.748 | 1.60 | 8.8 |
| 1985-86 | 127.756 | 2.00 | 18.5 |
| 1986-87 | 147.884 | 2.20 | 6.8 |
| 1987-88 | 157.540 | 2.40 | 3.6 |
| 1988-89 | 176.928 | 2.60 | 1.5 |
| 1989-90 | 189.342 | 2.80 | 0.7 |
| 1990-91 | 205.892 | 3.05 | 0.9 |
| 1991-92 | 215.215 | 3.40 | 4.8 |
| 1992-93 | 242.041 | 3.75 | 5.8 |
| 1993-94 | 265.279 | 4.25 | 10.2 |
| 1994-95 | 287.155 | 4.75 | 9.8 |
| 1995-96 | 298.746 | 5.25 | 7.9 |
| 1996-97 | n/a | 5.50 | 2.5 |
(78) Week end finishing 16 July 1979.
(79) Week end finishing 1 December 1980.
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number and value of prescriptions presented for (a) each exemption category and (b) patients not exempt from charges in each of the past five years. [4193]
25 Nov 1996 : Column: 122
Mr. Malone: The information requested is in the "Statistical Bulletin: Statistics of prescriptions dispensed in Family Health Services Authorities: England 1985 to 1995", copies of which are available in the Library.
NHS Pension Scheme
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to include all staff working in primary health care in the NHS pension scheme. [4195]
Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman) on 17 June 1996, Official Report, column 352.
Nurses
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were employed by NHS trusts in (a) accident and emergency, (b) general medicine, (c) paediatrics, (d) cardiology, (e) general surgery, (f) intensive care, (g) paediatric intensive care and (h) in total in each of the last six years. [4229]
Mr. Horam: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many newly qualified nurses there were in each of the past six years; and what was his Department's estimate of the national requirement for newly qualified nurses in each of those years. [4234]
Mr. Horam: Information relating to the number of newly qualified nurses is collected by the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting and published in its annual report, copies of which are available in the Library.
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of professional misconduct were upheld against nurses in (a) 1994-95, (b) 1995-96 and (c) 1996-97. [4180]
Mr. Horam: The information is not held by the Department of Health.
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses have been recruited from (a) Ireland, (b) Canada, (c) Australia and (d) New Zealand by NHS trust for each year since 1991. [4230]
Mr. Malone: This information is not available centrally.
National Blood Authority
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the accounts, as at 1 October, of the (a) National Blood Authority and (b) national blood service. [4231]
Mr. Horam: The published accounts of the National Authority are for the year ending 31 March. This is in line with the legal requirement applying to all health bodies. The national blood service is part of the National Blood Authority and does not have separate accounts.
Special Registers
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many special registers there are in England. [4173]
25 Nov 1996 : Column: 123
Mr. Burns: Special registers are not a feature of the national health service.
Efficiency
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will continue to ask the NHS to achieve 3 per cent. efficiency target. [4174]
Mr. Horam: We will announce the 1997-98 efficiency target required of the national health service shortly.
VAT
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the costs to each health authority arising from the change in value added tax regulations allowing NHS bodies to reclaim VAT on contracted-out services for 1996-97. [4179]
Mr. Horam: On 18 September, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise announced its intention to apply a stricter application of the deadlines for submitting claims for the recovery of the VAT on contracted out services. Following representations from the Department of Health and national health services bodies, Customs announced on 28 October that it would consider claims for periods before 1 April up to the end of November. This will enable the national health service to submit outstanding claims. For 1996-97, they may make claims until 30 June 1997.
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