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Legal Costs
Sir Peter Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total cost of legal advice, damages and out of court settlements met by the NHS in defending or resolving claims made by former patients and their families in the most recent year for which figures are available. [9623]
Mr. Milburn: Information in the form requested is not kept centrally. Payments made in respect of compensation under legal obligation and clinical negligence/personal injury cases settled out of court in England in 1995-96 are shown in the table.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| Compensation under legal obligation | 48,730 |
| Clinical negligence with qualified legal advice | 110,672 |
| Personal injury with qualified legal advice | 12,925 |
| Other clinical negligence and personal injury without qualified legal advice | 1,033 |
| Total | 173,360 |
Source:
1. Annual accounts of district and regional health authorities and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate hospitals.
2. Annual accounts of NHS trusts.
Waste and Bureaucracy
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his powers to tackle waste and bureaucracy within the national health service. [9904]
Mr. Milburn: Ministers are able, through the national health service executive, to introduce measures to tackle waste and bureaucracy in the NHS and we have already done so. On 22 May we announced a package of measures including a £100 million reduction in NHS management costs in 1997-98.
The Audit Commission also has an important role in promoting efficiency in the NHS.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Coaker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the various appeals related to the recent PFI hospitals announcement will be heard; and when the decisions will be announced. [9784]
24 Jul 1997 : Column: 725
Mr. Milburn:
Representations are currently being considered. I will write to the parties concerned informing them of our decision very shortly.
Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the need for further research on occupationally-based inequalities in health.[10175]
Ms Jowell:
Research on socio-economic differences in health are usually based on data derived by occupational classifications.
We have asked Sir Donald Acheson to carry out a review of inequalities in health, which will include occupationally based inequalities in health. In the light of that review the Department will assess the need for further research in this area.
24 Jul 1997 : Column: 726
The Economic and Social Research Council has recently assessed the need for research on socio-economic inequalities in health. It is currently commissioning a £4 million programme of research. The Department is currently commissioning research which will evaluate steps that the national health service has taken to reduce inequalities in health, including socio-economic inequalities.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health authorities and NHS trusts were in deficit at the end of the financial year in each of the past 10 years. [10074]
Mr. Milburn:
The numbers of trusts and health authorities in deficit at the end of each year since 1988-89 were as follows:
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| Year | Trusts | Health authorities | Family health services authorities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-89 | -- | 114(212) | -- |
| 1989-90 | -- | 177(212) | (4)75(90) |
| 1990-91 | -- | 104(211) | (4)84(90) |
| 1991-92 | 2(57) | 53(206) | 30(90) |
| 1992-93 | 25(126) | 89(199) | 83(90) |
| 1993-94 | 23(292) | 67(167) | 71(90) |
| 1994-95 | 36(419) | 65(121) | 70(90) |
| 1995-96 | 94(433) | 92(115) | 67(90) |
| 1996-97 | 128(429) | 59(100) | -- |
(4) The figures for 1989-90 and 1990-91 refer to Family Practitioner Committees.
1. The figures in brackets identify the total number of trusts/authorities in the relevant year.
2. Information is from the published accounts except for 1996-97 where the figures are from the Quarter 4 monitoring information.
3. Trusts were first established in 1991 and there are therefore no figures for earlier years.
4. Health authority figures for the period 1988-89 to 1995-96 include District, Regional and Special Health Authorities of the London postgraduate teaching hospitals.
5. The 1996-97 Health Authority figures are for merged health authorities (previously separate District Health Authorities and Family Health Service Authorities).
6. HA Accounts before 1991-92 are not comparable due to organisational changes.
7. Figures for earlier years, and in respect of FPCs for 1988-89 are not readily available.
8. Changes in accounting policies mean that not all years accounts are prepared on a comparable basis.
24 Jul 1997 : Column: 725
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the increase in funding for the NHS in each of the past 10 years in (a) cash (b) real and (c) percentage terms; and what are those figures for 1997-98. [10087]
Mr. Milburn: The information requested is set out in the table.
| Year | Increase in cash (£ million) | Increase in real terms (1996-97 prices) (£ million)(5) | Percentage growth (real terms)(5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-88 | +1,495 | +1,036 | 4.3 |
| 1988-89 | +1,745 | +889 | 3.5 |
| 1989-90 | +1,442 | +206 | 0.8 |
| 1990-91 | +2,471 | +1,079 | 4.1 |
| 1991-92 | +3,027 | +1,841 | 6.7 |
| 1992-93 | +2,617 | +1,712 | 5.9 |
| 1993-94 | +971 | +170 | 0.6 |
| 1994-95 | +1,629 | +1,259 | 4.1 |
| 1995-96 | +1,388 | +564 | 1.7 |
| 1996-97 | +1,196 | +313 | 1.0 |
| 1997-98 | +1,359 | +285 | 0.9 |
(5) GDP deflator of 2 July 1997.
24 Jul 1997 : Column: 726
Ophthalmic Surgery
Mrs. Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase the resources available for ophthalmic surgery; and if he will make a statement. [10012]
Mr. Milburn: We have just announced an increase in resources for the national health service for 1998-99 of £1.2 billion. It is for health authorities and general practitioner's to use these extra resources to plan and arrange services for their residents, following an assessment of their needs, and to make decisions about the level of resources required for any particular service.
Health Authorities
Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the duties devolved to health authorities under the National Health Service Act 1977.[10177]
Mr. Milburn:
The roles and responsibilities of health authorities will be considered as part of the Government's plans to replace the internal market.
24 Jul 1997 : Column: 727
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors have (a) applied for and (b) been accepted on to specialist consultant lists; and how many are awaiting accreditation. [10068]
Mr. Milburn:
Since 12 January 1996, the General Medical Council has received approximately 40,000 applications for entry to the specialist register. To date, the names of 29,219 doctors have been entered onto the register. These include both existing specialists and doctors who have completed their specialist training since 12 January. Since 1 January 1997, it has been a legal requirement for a doctor to be entered on the specialist register before taking up a substantive or honorary NHS consultant appointment.
The system of accreditation by the medical royal colleges was replaced from 12 January 1996 by the introduction of the certificate of completion of specialist training, awarded by the Specialist Training Authority. To date, the STA has awarded 1,589 CCSTs to doctors who have completed their specialist training.
Mr. Lock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical negligence legal actions have been brought against NHS trusts and health authorities in the last three financial years; and what were the total (a) legal costs involved in defending the actions, (b) legal costs paid out to plaintiffs in the actions and (c) awards made by courts or agreed out-of-court settlements to plaintiffs in the actions; and if he will make a statement. [10083]
Mr. Milburn:
At present, information on the number of medical negligence legal actions and associated legal costs is not held centrally, although plans are in hand to improve the range and quality of data on clinical negligence. The total amount paid in respect of compensation under legal obligation, and clinical negligence and personal injury cases settled out of court in 1995-96 in England was £173.6 million.
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