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East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received regarding the performance of the East Anglian Ambulance NHS trust over the last six months; and if he will make a statement. [9766]
Mr. Horam: A small number of representations have been received in the Department. The Anglia and Oxford Regional Office of the national health service executive is monitoring the trust's performance.
Doctors
Dr. Goodson-Wickes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics he collates on the number of doctors leaving the profession within five years of qualification. [10447]
Mr. Malone: Evidence of doctors leaving the profession is available from studies published in 1991 by Professor James Parkhouse. This gives the results of surveys of doctors who qualified in 1974, 1977, 1980 and 1983.
The Department has commissioned further cohort studies of doctors' careers by the medical careers research group at the Oxford unit of healthcare epidemiology. These will examine career patterns of doctors who qualified in 1988, 1993 and 1996. The studies, which collect data via questionnaires, will continue to look at wastage from the medical profession and the reasons why doctors leave the NHS.
13 Jan 1997 : Column: 168
Dr. Goodson-Wickes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current number of non-British doctors employed by the NHS who are (a) citizens of EU countries and (b) citizens of non-EU countries. [10449]
Mr. Malone:
The Department receives no information on citizenship of doctors.
Sir Irvine Patnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the total amount of funding transferred from the health budget of each local health authority for community care purposes for 1996-97; and if he will make a statement. [10313]
Mr. Burns:
This information is not held centrally.
Dr. Goodson-Wickes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current shortfall in the NHS of the number of practising (a) orthopaedic surgeons, (b) anaesthetists, (c) urologists, (d) paediatricians and (e) psychiatrists. [10448]
Mr. Malone:
The information available relates to the number of vacancies for these specialties. These are shown in the table. However, data on vacant posts are difficult to interpret. The census is a snap shot of 30 September each year. Some vacancies will be wholly or partly filled by locums. For others, national health service trusts may find alternative ways to provide the service rather than re-advertising. The numbers give no indication of how long the post has been empty; some of these will be in the process of being filled.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Traumatic and orthopaedic surgery | 90 |
| Anaesthetics | 160 |
| Urology | 30 |
| Paediatrics | 100 |
| Psychiatry group | 360 |
All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
The available information relates to consultants, staff grade, senior registrar, registrar and senior house officers.
Raw Fish (Worms)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the United Kingdom have contracted worms from eating (a) sushi and (b) other raw fish in the last year for which figures are available. [10417]
Mr. Horam: There have been no cases of human infection due to fish roundworms reported in the United Kingdom since 1991.
NHS Budget
Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the average annual cash increase at 1996 prices in the NHS budget from 1991-92 to 1996-97; and what percentage of the additional spending has been on bureaucracy. [10405]
13 Jan 1997 : Column: 169
Mr. Horam: Table 1 shows the average annual cash increase at 1996-97 prices in the national health service budget from 1991-92 to 1996-97; 1996-97 figures are forecasts.
| Cash | Cash at 1996-97 prices | |
|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 26,788 | 30,695 |
| 1996-97 | 34,798 | 34,798 |
| Increase over period | 8,010 | 4,103 |
| Average per year | 1,602 | 821 |
Information on additional spending bureaucracy is not available.
Care Funding
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the bids for adult intensive and high dependency care funding for 1996-97. [10751]
Mr. Horam: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Fluoridation
Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he or his departmental officials last met representatives of (a) the British Dental Association and (b) the British Fluoridation Society; and what matters were discussed. [10656]
Mr. Malone: Meetings between Department of Health officials and the British Dental Association are held during the course of the year to discuss different aspects of dentistry, and with the British Fluoridation Society to discuss water fluoridation. The last meeting with the BFS was in March last year.
Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received since 1992 regarding artificial fluoridation; and if he will make a statement. [10657]
Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 2 December 1996, at columns 547-48.
Computers
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when reimbursement from public funds was first given for computers in general practice. [10675]
Mr. Malone: The computer reimbursement scheme came into effect on 1 April 1990 but was retrospective to 1 April 1989. The first payments were made during the 1990-91 financial year.
Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when national requirements for the accreditation of general practice computer systems first came into force. [10676]
Mr. Horam: The requirements for accreditation were released in April 1993 for implementation in general practice computer systems from April 1994. Copies of the latest version have been placed in the Library.
13 Jan 1997 : Column: 170
Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total amount reimbursed to general practitioners from public funds for purchase of computer systems in each of the last six years. [10674]
Mr. Malone: The total amounts directly reimbursed to general practitioners from public funds for the purchase of computer systems in each of the last six years is as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1990-91 | 19 |
| 1991-92 | 34 |
| 1992-93 | 40 |
| 1993-94 | 39 |
| 1994-95 | 45 |
| 1995-96 | 64 |
Source:
The annual financial returns of the Family Health Services Authorities.
Note:
(65) 1995-96 data are provisional.
Inter-country Adoption
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department disseminates about its procedures relating to the granting of health certificates for inter-country adoption home study reports. [10730]
Mr. Burns: Information on the provision of the Department's inter-country adoption certificate of approval has been disseminated to all statutory authorities and approved voluntary adoption agencies in the United Kingdom, to embassies, consulates and high commissions of appropriate countries appointed to the United Kingdom, to British posts abroad, to individual adopters and to individual social workers.
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he is giving to providing section 64 grants for a help and advice service to people wishing to adopt children from other countries. [10732]
Mr. Burns: In the current financial year £50,000 has been set aside from the section 64 general grant scheme to fund the overseas adoption helpline which provides information on inter-country adoption requirements to those interested. Section 64 funding has also been awarded to other organisations which provide information on adoption matters.
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the applications for section 64 grant to provide a help and advice service to people seeking to adopt children from other countries. [10731]
Mr. Burns: In the financial year 1996-97 funding was provided to the Bridge child care development service for the overseas adoption helpline which provided information on overseas adoption. No application was received for an exclusive overseas adoption information service for 1997-98.
13 Jan 1997 : Column: 171
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for which inter-country adoption home study reports his Departments' certificates have been (a) granted and (b) withheld. [10729]
Mr. Burns: The Department of Health introduced certificates in July 1992 confirming that the application to which it was attached met the statutory requirements of both the United Kingdom and the country to which the application was made. Certificates are provided for applications which have been approved by the statutory authorities in the United Kingdom. Certificates are not provided for privately commissioned home study reports.
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