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Neurologists
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many neurologists there are per 100,000 population in (a) England and (b) each member state of the European Union. [11881]
Mr. Malone: There were 510 neurologists in England as at 30 September 1995. This gives one doctor per 100,000 of population.
The Department receives no information about the numbers of neurologists in other member states of the European Union.
Mr. Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting time for a consultation with a consultant neurologist following a General Practitioner referral in each NHS trust in England. [11899]
Mr. Horam:
This information is not available centrally. Such information as is available is contained in "Waiting Times for First Outpatient Appointments in England: Detailed Statistics--Quarter ended 30 September 1996", copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the number of neurologists. [11882]
Mr. Malone:
The specialist workforce advisory group advises the NHS executive and the Welsh Office on the number of higher specialist trainees needed, to ensure an adequate supply of properly trained doctors in each specialty. The Government accepted its recommendation to increase the number of higher specialist trainees in 1996-97 by 1,500. Additional funding of £5.7 million has been provided for this. The recommended increase in numbers of higher specialist trainees in neurology was 12 per cent.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MS patients had been prescribed beta interferon by hospital consultants at the latest date for which information is available. [11885]
Mr. Malone:
Data are not collected centrally on drugs prescribed and dispensed in hospitals. The only data available are from the prescribing analysis cost system generated by the Prescription Pricing Authority, and relate only to prescriptions dispensed in the community. A total of 266 prescriptions for beta interferon products were dispensed in the community during July-September 1996.
Mr. Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 10 December, Official Report, column 151, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on health authorities financial allocations for beta interferon. [11954]
Mr. Malone:
No. It is for individual health authorities to decide the level and type of services purchased in partnership with general practitioners locally and through consultation with other agencies and local people, taking account of local circumstances and national policies and priorities.
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Mr. Chris Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of accident and emergency departments by region. [11675]
Mr. Horam:
The number of national health service trusts, special health authorities and directly managed units with large accident and emergency departments in 1995-96 is given by region in the table.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Northern and Yorkshire | 30 |
| Trent | 16 |
| Anglia and Oxford | 21 |
| North Thames | 31 |
| South Thames | 30 |
| South and West | 25 |
| West Midlands | 25 |
| North West | 33 |
| England | 211 |
Source:
The NHS Performance Guide 1995-96.
Cannabis
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the cannabis derivatives which can lawfully by prescribed by doctors. [11876]
Mr. Malone: Dronabinol and nabilone are the only cannabis derivatives that may be lawfully prescribed by doctors.
NHS Finance
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will place in the Library a paper indicating the (a) cash to be allocated for general medical services in 1997-98, (b) the percentage change in the GMS allocation from 1996-97 to 1997-98 and (c) the estimated resident population in 1997-98 for each health authority; [12086]
- (2) if he will place in the Library a paper indicating the amount of money gained or lost by each health authority from its HCHS capitation funding target for 1997-98 as a result of (a) changes to the market forces factor and (b) other changes to the capitation funding formula, indicating the nature of those other changes; [12088]
(3) if he will place in the Library a paper indicating (a) in (i) cash and (ii) percentage terms the change in HCHS funding between 1996-97 and 1997-98, (b) the 1997-98 HCHS cash allocation and (c) in (i) cash and (ii) percentage terms the distance of each health authority from the HCHS target in 1997-98. [12089]
Mr. Horam: The information requested can be found in the 1997-98 "Health Authority Revenue Cash Limits Exposition Book", copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account he takes of rurality when calculating funding for hospital and community health services and for general medical services. [12010]
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Mr. Horam: The analytical work on which the hospital and community health service formula is based considered both population density and the proportion of population living in urban areas as drivers of need that are relevant to rural areas. None of these factors proved to be statistically significant enough to feature in the formula. However, rurality may be a factor in the cost of providing services, particularly community health and ambulance services, and invitations to tender for appropriate research have been issued.
General practitioners' remuneration includes specific fees to recognise the costs and pressures of practice in rural areas.
Obesity
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of (a) men and (b) women aged 16 to 64 years his Department assessed to be obese in (i) 1993 and (ii) 1994. [12057]
Mr. Horam: In the Health Survey for England 13 per cent. of men and 16 per cent. of women aged 16 to 64 were classified as obese--defined as a body mass index of over 30kg/m 2 --both in 1993 and in 1994.
Walsgrave Hospital
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the latest position as regards the Walsgrave hospital's private finance initiative proposals. [11939]
Mr. Horam: The Walsgrave hospitals national health service trust has submitted the full business case for the private finance initiative scheme. The national health service executive and Her Majesty's Treasury are reviewing the business case and will make a decision on the approval at the end of this review.
Income and Expenditure Returns
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date (a) health authorities and (b) NHS trusts have to submit their 1996-97 third quarter income and expenditure returns and year end out-turn forecasts to the NHS executive; and when these returns will be available to hon. Members. [12129]
Mr. Horam: The forecast income and expenditure returns must be submitted to the national health service executive headquarters as follows:
Health authorities
(1) 1996-97 Quarter Three: 22 January 1997
(2) 1996-97 Quarter Four (year end out-turn): 23 April 1997
Trusts
(1) 1996-97 Quarter Three: 31 January 1997
(2) 1996-97 Quarter Four (year end out-turn): 30 April 1997
These returns will be available to hon. Members, following the meeting of the National Health Service Policy Board on:
(1) 1996-97 Quarter Three: 12 March 1997
(2) 1996-97 Quarter Four: 18 June 1997
Hospital Beds
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will publish the availability of hospital beds
22 Jan 1997 : Column: 669
in the United Kingdom and each other EU member state per 100,000 people for the latest available year in which the European Union average is indexed at 100; [11575]
- (2) what was the number of hospital beds per 100,000 people for the last three years for which figures are available in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) each EU country. [11565]
Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman) on 19 June 1996 at column 496.
Salmonella Gold Coast Contamination
Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many cases of food poisoning caused by salmonella gold coast contamination have been recorded in the last year; and what percentage of these cases can be attributed to cheese from Wyke Farms of Somerset; [11791]
- (2) how many cases of food poisoning caused by salmonella gold coast contamination have been recorded in each of the district council areas of Cumbria in the last year; and what percentage of these have been attributed to cheese from Wyke Farms of Somerset. [11792]
Mr. Horam: The public health laboratory service reported 86 cases of infection with salmonella gold coast between January 1996 and 17 January 1997. Information is not held centrally as to their distribution between district council areas.
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