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HEALTH
NHS Trusts
12. Ms McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria govern the qualifications and experience required for membership fo NHS trusts.[13820]
Mr. Milburn: The Government's new criteria are designed to make boards more representative of the communities they serve and to encourage more National Health Service users and carers to become board members. Candidates should live in the area served by the trust, and demonstrate a commitment to the NHS and to the local community.
19. Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in respect of which projects the extra money made available for the NHS in the 1997 Budget has been allocated. [13828]
Mr. Milburn: The additional resources will be used to help hospitals cope with emergencies, reduce delays in discharge, support primary, community and social care services to keep people out of hospital where possible and begin to restrain the growth in waiting lists. The resources represent an investment for the long term in making the whole health and social services system work better in the future.
26. Mr. Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the regional distribution of the extra funding which he is providing for the NHS over the winter period. [13835]
Mr. Milburn:
Distribution to the eight regional offices has been made on a basis pro-rata to the allocations that their health authorities received for 1997-98. This has given fair regional shares within which the resources can be targeted quickly at areas with greatest need.
11 Nov 1997 : Column: 535
29. Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has for removing the market forces factor from NHS financial allocations. [13838]
Mr. Milburn:
We acknowledge that there are concerns in the National Health Service over the way the current market forces factor (MFF) operates.
We have asked the new Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation to undertaken a full review of the staff MFF.
For 1998-99 the staff MFF component of the weighted capitation formula has been modified.
21. Mr. David Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on GP commissioning guidance for 1998-99. [13830]
Mr. Milburn:
In early September, we published guidance on the new approach to commissioning for 1998-99. This marked the transition from divisive, bureaucratic contracting out to a new co-operative approach. This will pave the way for a White Paper which will replace the internal market with a framework for quality and fairness.
22. Mr. Blunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS provision in East Surrey. [13831]
Mr. Milburn:
The provision of NHS services in East Surrey is a matter for East Surrey Health Authority to determine. They do this by working with local general practitioners, NHS trusts, other agencies and local people to ensure that national policies are implemented in a way which is sensitive to local needs.
23. Mr. Illsley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding the proposed private finance initiative refurbishment of catering facilities at Barnsley District General Hospital.[13832]
Mr. Milburn:
The Outline Business Case to refurbish catering facilities at Barnsley District General Hospital was approved on 13 October. The Trust is now seeking to attract private sector capital for this scheme under the Private Finance Initiative and will advertise in the Official Journal of the European Communities within the next month.
24. Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response he has received to his investing in dentistry initiative; and when he will allocate the funding earmarked for the programme. [13833]
Mr. Milburn:
Since the extra £9 million under the Investing in Dentistry initiative was announced in September, we have received eleven requests for funding from health authorities. Funds are being allocated as decisions are made on each proposal submitted.
11 Nov 1997 : Column: 536
34. Mr. Gill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the Shropshire health authority regarding NHS dentistry in South Shropshire. [13843]
25. Mr. Lepper:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to transfer money from NHS bureaucracy into patient care. [13834]
28. Mr. Caplin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are his priorities for reducing bureaucracy in the NHS.[13837]
Mr. Milburn:
On 22 May, we announced a programme of measures to reduce management costs by £100 million this year. We will shortly announce further target reductions for 1998-99.
As part of our plans to replace the internal market, we are looking at the scope for further management costs saving.
27. Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to promote local health strategies in respect of public health. [13836]
Ms Jowell:
Our forthcoming Green Paper, Our Healthier Nation, will emphasise the need for action at all levels--individual, local, and Government--to bring about improvements in health. Local level is where national policies are translated into practice. Joint working will be crucial to help us achieve the goals for improving health.
30. Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new proposals he has to identify incompetence among NHS surgeons. [13839]
Mr. Milburn:
The law bringing into force the General Medical Council's professional performance procedures, which affect all doctors, was implemented on 1 July 1997 and we will shortly be issuing guidance to the National Health Service on its role in these procedures.
In addition, the Chief Medical Officer has written to all Chief Executives and Medical Directors of NHS trusts asking them to ensure that they have effective procedures in place for doctors to report their concerns about the conduct, performance or health of medical colleagues. This builds on the General Medical Council's guidance in Duties of a Doctor which requires all doctors to:
The effectiveness of these new procedures will be kept under review.
31. Mr. Syms:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the White Paper on the intended banning of tobacco advertising. [13840]
11 Nov 1997 : Column: 537
Ms Jowell:
The White Paper on tobacco control, which will include plans to ban tobacco advertising, will be published next year.
32. Mr. Chidgey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what actions he plans to take to reduce waiting lists in Winchester and Eastleigh in the next 12 months.[13841]
Mr. Milburn:
We expect health authorities and trusts to work together to reverse the trend in runaway growth in waiting lists and times that we inherited from the previous Government. This will take time but the extra £269 million we have re-assigned for the National Health Service in England for 1997-98, the extra £1 billion for next year announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in July and the further cuts in NHS bureaucracy to be announced shortly will help.
Rev. Martin Smyth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the pattern of waiting lists throughout the United Kingdom, indicating the top three regions and specialties where the lists are greatest.
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to meet his targets to reduce NHS waiting lists. [13812]
Mr. Milburn:
In England we inherited runaway growth in waiting lists from our predecessors. The £269 million we have re-directed to the National Health Service in England for 1997-98 and the extra £1 billion for next year announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in July will help health authorities and trusts to begin to restrain that growth. The latest available information about waiting lists in individual regions and specialties is contained in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England (Resident Based) Quarter ended 30 June 1997", copies of which are available in the Library. Questions relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively.
"act quickly to prevent patients from risk if you have good reason to believe you or a colleague may not be fit for practise".
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