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NHS Trusts
31. Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the role and responsibilities of NHS trusts and their non-executive directors. [7974]
Mr. Milburn: National Health Service trusts exist to provide a range of vital health services to the communities they serve. Non-executive directors are appointed to guide the work of the trust and to take decisions about policy and strategic direction to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of services.
Operations
32. Dr. Tony Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether operations are being performed by appropriately qualified and supervised doctors. [7975]
22 Jul 1997 : Column: 559
Mr. Milburn:
We do not collect details about the medical staff who carry out operations. Hospital consultants are responsible for supervising the work of doctors in training. All doctors have a professional responsibility to ensure that they only undertake operations within their clinical competence.
33. Ms Beverley Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about hospital waiting lists in (a) Stretford and Urmston and (b) Greater Manchester. [7976]
Mr. Milburn:
Information about numbers of patients waiting for admission to national health service trusts in England is published quarterly in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England", copies of which are available in the Library. The latest information available gives the position on 31 March 1997. This shows that the numbers of patients waiting for admission on either an in-patient or day case basis to the two major trusts in Stretford and Urmston have increased by 20 per cent. since 31 March 1996. In Greater Manchester the numbers waiting have increased at nine of the 12 major trusts serving the area, by 10 per cent. overall. The latter is in line with the increase nationally over the period.
34. Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to promote a greater awareness of nutrition in relation to the causes of ill health; and if he will make a statement. [7977]
Ms Jowell:
Research by the Health Education Authority shows that most people in all social classes now know the key messages of healthy eating.
The Department will continue to secure and publish expert independent advice from the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy; to work with the Health Education Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in developing and publishing materials for health professionals and the general public on healthy eating throughout the age range; and to continue work to ensure that nutrition features in the training of health professionals and teachers.
On 7 July I announced the Department's plans to publish a Green Paper in the autumn on a strategy for health which will be subject to wide consultation.
35. Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when primary care commissioning pilots will commence. [7978]
Mr. Milburn:
A programme of primary care-led commissioning pilots was announced on 26 June. Applications to take part in the programme should be made by 31 August and the final selection will be made by 30 September. Following a preparatory period, the evaluation will start on 1 April 1998.
22 Jul 1997 : Column: 560
37. Mr. Pickthall:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if it is his Department's intention to put insulin pen needles on prescription. [7980]
Mr. Milburn:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Greenock and Inverclyde (Mr. Godman) on 17 June, Official Report at column 102.
38. Mr. Chidgey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements he has made to ensure that services are not affected in the present financial year by the deficits in health authority and health trust budgets. [7981]
Mr. Milburn:
We are under no illusions about the legacy we inherited. We know that the national health service is under considerable pressure this year. The first duty of the NHS is to respond to those in greatest need, ensuring capacity to respond to emergencies. This it must do. We are also actively taking steps to ensure full co-operation between local social services and the health service to help cope with winter pressures.
Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to visit the Premier Health NHS trust headquarters in Lichfield to discuss efficiency savings in the national health service. [7967]
Mr. Milburn:
We have no plans to visit the Premier Health National Health Service Trust, but are aware of the trust's improving efficiency and its streamlined management structure. The Government welcome this, given our firm commitment to reducing bureaucracy in the NHS.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the applicability of sale and lease arrangements to the NHS. [6790]
Mr. Milburn:
Sale and leaseback may be appropriate where value for money to the national health service can be clearly demonstrated. However, the consequences of any such arrangements need to be carefully considered to ensure they are to the long term benefit of the NHS.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider hospital PFI proposals which include the provision by the contracting body of any form of clinical support services. [7418]
Mr. Milburn:
I refer the right hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 10 July 1997, Offical Report, at column 578.
Private finance initiative schemes which come forward for approval before the announcement at the end of the year will not be approved if they include services which Ministers consider, in the interests of the national health service, to be inappropriate.
22 Jul 1997 : Column: 561
Mr. Barron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department on mumps, measles and rubella vaccination campaigns for each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what is the amount of expenditure planned for (a) 1997; (b) 1998 and (c) 1999. [7838]
Ms Jowell:
It is not possible to identify expenditure on measles, mumps and rubella immunisation separately within the childhood immunisation programme.
Immunisation expenditure is made up of three components: the cost of buying the vaccines; the cost of giving the vaccines; and the cost of the accompanying information materials. Only vaccine purchase expenditure can be identified for each vaccine, and is shown in the table.
Expenditure on giving measles, mumps and rubella immunisations cannot be separately identified since general practitioners receive a target payment for immunisation based on the percentage of children on their list who are immunised against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, haemophilus influenzae type B, and measles, mumps and rubella. Similarly information expenditure, through the Health Education Authority and the Department of Health's own immunisation materials for parents, covers the whole immunisation programme: as such it is not possible to identify expenditure which might be attributable to measles, mumps and rubella immunisation.
The cost of purchasing measles, mumps and rubella vaccines in each of the last five financial years is in the table:
The figures include:
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1992-93: £4.3 million
1993-94: £5.3 million
1994-95: £16.8 million
1995-96: £6.8 million
1996-97: £9.7 million
(i) all years: a single dose of measles, mumps and rubella--(MMR)--vaccine offered to all children at age 12 to 15 months;
The estimated cost of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines purchased over the next three years is:
(ii) all years: rubella vaccine offered to sero-negative women;
(iii) 1994-95: measles and rubella vaccine offered to all children aged between 5 and 16 during a nationwide campaign to avert a predicted epidemic;
(iv) until October 1996: rubella immunisation offered to all girls at age 10-14;
(v) from October 1996: a second dose of MMR vaccine offered to all children at the time they receive their pre-school immunisations.
(vi) a catch-up second dose MMR programme also initiated from October 1996. Full details are in EL(96)61, copies of which are available in the Library.
1997-98: £7.9 million
1998-99: £7.9 million
1999-2000: £7.8 million
Note: includes the forecast of two doses of MMR vaccine offered to all children before school entry; and rubella vaccine offered to sero-negative women.
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