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Allergy Services
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of allergy services. [71690]
Mr. Hutton: The Department recognises the concerns expressed over the services available for the assessment and treatment of allergies in the National Health Service. Officials will soon be meeting representatives of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology and other relevant professional and patient support bodies to discuss the future of allergy services. The Society will be proposing an agenda for this meeting based on their preliminary discussions with the other interested parties.
The Advisory Group on Medical Education and Training, chaired by the Chief Medical Officer, is currently considering an application from the Royal College of Physicians' Joint Committee on Higher Medical Training for the recognition of allergy as a clinical specialty in its own right.
Doctors
Mr. Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of (1) the number of doctors practising in the NHS who are overseas trained and (ii) the percentage they constitute of the medical workforce; what estimate he has made of the number who will retire in the next 10 years; and what assessment he has made of the impact this will have on the need for (a) overseas recruitment and (b) increased training places in the United Kingdom; [71803]
- (2) what estimate he has made of the (i) number and (ii) percentage of general practitioners in the NHS who are overseas trained; and what estimate he has made of the number who will retire in the next 10 years. [71804]
Mr. Denham:
The autumn 1997 headcount of doctors in the National Health Service in England showed that there were 86,960 general practitioners (unrestricted principals) and hospital doctors, of whom 19,070 (22 per cent.) qualified outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Within these figures, there were 27,100 GPs (unrestricted principals), of whom 4,530 (17 per cent.) qualified outside the EEA.
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| Total | Qualified outside the EEA | |
|---|---|---|
| GPs (unrestricted principals) | 8,070 | 3,130 |
| Hospital doctors | 11,310 | 3,570 |
| Totals | 19,380 | 6,700 |
Notes:
1. Figures quoted are rounded to the nearest 10
2. Totals may not equal sum of components due to rounding
Source:
Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census, 30 September 1997
Department of Health General Medical Statistics, 1 October 1997
Intake to undergraduate medical schools in the United Kingdom has risen steadily in the past decade. The Government have accepted the recommendation of the Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee, that the intake should increase further, by nearly 20 per cent. over the next few years. This should mean a steady growth in the supply of UK-trained doctors, well into the next century. None the less, it seems likely that supply will be supplemented by a range of recruitment and retention initiatives, for example, the salaried GPs scheme and further overseas recruitment, where required.
NHS Staff (Pay)
Mr. Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce parity in pay rises between NHS staff covered by the Pay Review Body and those outside the Pay Review Body, and if he will make a statement. [71807]
Mr. Denham: We have signalled clearly that the award for nurses and the Professions Allied to Medicine is a special case and should not be seen as a yardstick for other National Health Service staff. We will open negotiations soon with non-review body staff groups and will seek a fair settlement which reflects labour market conditions.
Mr. Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average current starting salary for (a) a graduate nurse and (b) a graduate entrant Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer with a BSc degree. [71809]
Mr. Denham: The current minimum starting salary for newly qualified nurses, including graduate nurses, is £12,855. This is the minimum point on the Grade D salary scale, the maximum point on the scale being £14,705.
The current minimum starting salary for a graduate entrant Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer with a Bachelor of Science degree is £7,476. This is the minimum point on the trainee MLSO salary scale, the maximum point being £9,796.
The current minimum starting salary for a qualified MLSO, with BSc degree plus post-registration training, is £11,812. This is the minimum point on MLSO1 salary scale, the maximum point being £15,546.
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Employers have the freedom to place a nurse or a MLSO on any point of their appropriate salary scale.
Mr. Austin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to change the national Framework Agreement of 1995 for NHS staff; and if he will make a statement. [71808]
Mr. Denham:
We published "Agenda for Change", our proposals for modernising the NHS pay system, on Monday 15 February. We are opening talks with NHS professional and staff organisations on the basis of this agenda.
Mr. Peter Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of branded drugs prescribed by GPs in 1997-98 was prescribed by dispensing practices and what proportion by non-dispensing practices; [71568]
Mr. Denham:
The information requested is shown in the table.
(2) what proportion of (a) all drugs and (b) branded drugs prescribed by GPs were prescribed by dispensing practices in 1997-98. [71570]
| Prescriber | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prescribing practices (109) (%) | Dispensing practices(110) (%) | |
| Branded, ie non-generic items(111) | 82 | 18 |
| All items | 91 | 9 |
(107) Information for items prescribed and dispensed in National Health Service hospitals is not available.
(108) The prescription information was obtained from the Prescribing Analyses and Cost (PACT) system and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions written by general practitioners and practice nurses in England which are dispensed in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. All figures exclude dressings and appliances.
(109) Drugs prescribed by prescribing practices which are dispensed by community pharmacists.
(110) Includes drugs prescribed by dispensing practices which are dispensed by community pharmacists.
(111) In PACT, prescription items can be prescribed generically, and recorded as a generic, but dispensed and reimbursed as a proprietary because a generic does not exist. The percentage of non generic drugs prescribed in the reply does not include these items.
Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the average consultation rates of (a) a prescribing GP and (b) a dispensing GP. [71572]
Mr. Denham: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of drugs expenditure in 1997-98 was on branded drugs; [71591]
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Mr. Denham: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Per cent. | |
|---|---|
| Percentage of net ingredients cost(113) of prescription items which were branded, i.e. non generic drugs | 49 |
| Percentage of prescription items which were branded, i.e. non generic | 37 |
(112) Information for items prescribed and dispensed in National Health Service hospitals is not available.
(113) The net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug. This cost does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charge income.
Source:
PPA, Prescribing Analyses and Cost (PACT) system
Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of drugs were prescribed in 1997-98 in hospitals and by GPs. [71569]
Mr. Denham: The information requested is not available. Data for items prescribed in National Health Service hospitals are not held centrally.
Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total overspend in 1997-98 of health authority-administered Family Health Service drugs budgets. [71573]
Mr. Denham: In 1997-98, health authorities overspent their Family Health Service drugs budget by a net total of £69 million.
Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average list size of (a) a prescribing GP and (b) a dispensing GP. [71571]
Mr. Denham: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Unrestricted principals(114) | Average list size |
|---|---|
| Dispensing(115) | 1,734 |
| Non-dispensing | 1,905 |
(114) An Unrestricted Principal is a practitioner who is in contract with a health authority to provide the full range of general medical services and whose list is not limited to any particular group of persons. Most people have an Unrestricted Principal as their general practitioner.
(115) A dispensing doctor is one who is authorised to prescribe and dispense prescriptions for patients who either have difficulty reaching a chemist due to inadequate means of transportation or who live in a rural area. The average list size for dispensing doctors includes all patients on the doctors' lists, not just those to whom the doctor is authorised to dispense.
Source:
Department of Health General Medical Services Statistics 1 October 1997
Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) dispensing and (b) non-dispensing GPs there were at the latest available date. [71567]
Mr. Denham: There were 4,263 dispensing and 22,836 non-dispensing general practitioners at 1 October 1997.
- Source:
- Department of Health General Medical Statistics 1 October 1997.
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