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Hospital Wards

Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his forecast of when there will be more single-sex than mixed-sex wards; what cost is involved; and if he will make a statement. [15115]

Mr. Horam: Information on the number of single-sex and mixed-sex wards is not collected centrally. As announced last month, we are taking forward a programme of work to ensure that patients charter standards on this issue are fully met. As a first step, we have asked health authorities to agree challenging local targets with trusts for achieving charter objectives on privacy and dignity and to report back to the national health service executive by the end of February.

Alzheimer's Disease

Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the progress of research funded by the Government into Alzheimer's disease and on his plans for extending it. [15863]

Mr. Burns: The Government's commitment to the health and well-being of all mentally ill people is set out by the inclusion of mental health as one of five key areas in our Health of the Nation strategy. The Medical Research Council, the Department's policy research programme and the national health service research and development programme are all undertaking work into dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. For example, the policy research programme is contributing almost £1 million to the Medical Research Council's cognitive and aging study. Results of Government-funded research are made freely and widely available.

Bradford Hospitals Trust (Accidents to Patients)

Mr. Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many falls of elderly patients in the care of Bradford Hospitals Trust have been recorded. [16046]

Mr. Burns: The information requested is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of Bradford Hospitals national health service trust.

18 Feb 1997 : Column: 543

NHS Funding (Yorkshire)

Mr. Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the allocation that Yorkshire health authorities would have received from the national health service under the previous funding formula; and what is the current allocation. [16041]

Mr. Horam: The national weighted capitation formula is used to provide a calculation of each health authority's fair share of available resources, known as its weighted capitation target. Changes in the calculated target inform the allocations process, they do not direct it. Changes in targets do not lead to immediate and corresponding changes in actual allocations.

The table shows the effect of the new formula on targets for health authorities in Yorkshire in 1997-98.

Health authority	Total formula changes 1997-98
	£000s
Bradford	+2,043
Calderdale and Kirklees	+1,234
East Riding	+620
Leeds	+1,597
North Yorkshire	-2,970
Wakefield	+351
Barnsley	+475
Doncaster	+171
Rotherham	+161
Sheffield	+1,605
Total	+5,287

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Nurses

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses in England were aged (a) between 20 and 30, (b) between 31 and 40, (c) between 41 and 50, and (d) over 50 years in each year from 1987-88 to 1995-96. [12690]

Mr. Horam [holding answer 27 January 1997]: The information is not available in the form requested. The ages of nurses employed by the national health service in England are shown in the table.

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NHS Hospital community health services (HCHS) nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (excluding agency and learners(35)) by age in England as at 30 September 1987 to 1995(36)whole-time equivalents

	Under 30 years	30 to 39 years	40 to 49 years	50 years and over	Age not known	Total
1987
All NMHV staff	106,280	80,840	84,180	57,270	4,770	333,340
Qualified	80,490	63,460	56,210	35,450	3,740	239,360
Unqualified	25,790	17,370	27,970	21,810	1,030	93,980
1988
All NMHV staff	104,150	81,900	85,360	59,420	4,070	334,910
Qualified	79,460	65,070	57,600	36,670	3,130	241,920
Unqualified	24,690	16,830	27,760	22,760	950	92,980
1989
All NMHV staff	100,080	84,100	86,060	61,850	4,400	336,500
Qualified	76,830	67,440	59,340	38,210	3,270	244,610
Unqualified	23,250	16,670	27,190	23,640	8,950	91,890
1990
All NMHV staff	95,550	86,370	86,380	63,630	4,590	336,520
Qualified	71,550	69,130	59,340	39,030	3,280	242,340
Unqualified	21,580	16,500	28,700	24,430	1,190	90,400
Other	2,420	740	340	160	120	3,780
1991
All NMHV staff	95,440	89,370	86,520	62,470	11,070	344,860
Qualified	69,380	70,960	59,530	37,860	5,530	243,250
Unqualified	20,640	16,840	26,200	24,330	2,530	90,550
Other	5,420	1,570	780	280	3,010	11,050
1992
All NMHV staff	88,410	93,830	87,900	63,600	10,310	344,050
Qualified	66,170	75,360	61,260	38,300	5,490	246,570
Unqualified	19,600	17,400	25,970	24,960	2,920	90,850
Other	2,640	1,070	670	340	1,910	6,630
1993
All NMHV staff	80,120	95,830	86,440	62,610	15,420	340,420
Qualified	59,320	76,680	60,170	36,840	8,840	241,850
Unqualified	18,790	17,760	25,150	25,160	5,090	91,950
Other	2,000	1,400	1,120	610	1,490	6,620
1994
All NMHV staff	76,720	100,170	85,650	61,970	13,090	337,600
Qualified	55,870	79,610	59,610	35,840	7,860	238,780
Unqualified	18,790	18,740	24,680	25,340	5,010	92,550
Other	2,060	1,820	1,370	800	220	6,270
1995(36)
All NMHV staff	70,430	102,050	82,940	58,890	16,130	330,440
Qualified	54,380	84,170	61,730	36,860	9,690	246,820
Unqualified	15,870	17,660	21,020	21,930	6,440	82,910
Other	180	220	190	100	10	710
Learners' not included in the above
	1987	64,570	1990	58,840	1993	21,040
	1988	62,940	1991	47,340	1994	11,080
	1989	62,100	1992	34,740	(36)1995	7,180

Notes:

(35) Learners are nurses on traditional nurse training courses and are directly employed by the NHS HCHS. Project 2000 training was introduced in 1989 and has gradually replaced traditional pre-registration nurse training. Project 2000 students are funded by bursaries, they are supernumary not employees and thus excluded from the count of NHS HCHS nursing staff. There were about 33,000 Project 2000 students in September 1995.

(36) Figures for 1995 are based on a new classification for non-medical staff known as "new occupation codes". These codes replaced the old "payscale" based classification used in earlier years. Figures for 1995 are, therefore, not directly comparable with earlier years.

Figures exclude General Medical Service practice nurses--numbering 9,970 in 1995.

Source:

Department of Health's annual non-medical workforce census.

18 Feb 1997 : Column: 545

18 Feb 1997 : Column: 545

Anaesthetics (Organophosphate Exposure)

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the possible dangers arising out of the use of Suxamethonium and similar anaesthetics on patients who have been exposed to orgnaophosphates, with particular reference to (i) agricultural workers, (ii) pet owners and (iii) Gulf war veterans; and if he will make a statement. [14152]

Mr. Horam [holding answer 5 February 1997]: The Department of Health has not commissioned research into the use of Suxamethonium use in agricultural workers, pet owners or Gulf war veterans exposed to organophosphate pesticides.

The available research into the side-effects of Suxamethonium and related anaesthetics, as for all

18 Feb 1997 : Column: 546

marketed medicines, was assessed at the time of granting the marketing authorisation and continues to be evaluated by the Medicines Control Agency whenever new information emerges.

Suxamethonium and related anaesthetics are contra-indicated for use in patients known to have low serum levels of pseudocholinesterase--the enzyme which breaks down this type of medicine. Most often low levels of pseudocholinesterase are due to an inherited structural abnormality of the enzyme but another cause of low pseudocholinesterase activity is acute organophosphorus insecticide poisoning. There is a specific warning in the product information, produced by the manufacturer and authorised by the licensing authority, which contra-indicates use in those patients who have poisoning with an organophosphorus insecticide.

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