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HEALTH
East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust
Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he expects to conclude his appraisal of the inquiry into the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust; [72303]
- (2) if the results of his appraisal of the inquiry into the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust will be made public. [72304]
Mr. Denham: The report of the inquiry into the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust was published on 2 March. Copies of the report are in the Library.
Primary Care Group Boards
Mr. Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requirements there are for members of primary care group boards to register outside interests. [72600]
Mr. Denham:
Primary care group board members are required to disclose relevant interests and enter them in the Health Authority's register of interests in accordance with the Health Authority's standing orders and standing financial instructions.
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Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements exist for monitoring the continuing personal suitability of trainee doctors for their future rule throughout the full period of their training. [72307]
Mr. Denham:
The responsibility for the health and conduct of medical students lies with the individual university medical schools and the General Medical Council has issued guidance on this topic. The GMC has a further responsibility to ensure that doctors who qualify continue to be fit to practise. Supervision of postgraduate training lies with the Specialist Training Authority of the Medical Royal Colleges and the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were registered with (i) NHS and (ii) other dentists in (a) 1985, (b) 1990, (c) 1995 and (d) the last year for which figures are available. [72652]
Mr. Denham:
The average number of patients registered with General Dental Service (National Health Service) dentists in England for the year 1995 is 27.1 million. For the year 1998, the average is 24.1 million. The figures are averages of the end of month registration numbers. The two figures are not comparable because the registration period was changed for new registrations from September 1996.
Formal registration of patients was introduced on 1 October 1990, so figures for the years 1985 and 1990 are not available. Dentists who do not have NHS patients are not obliged to provide the Department with details of their patients and therefore we do not collect this information.
Rev. Martin Smyth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of intensive care in the United Kingdom. [72664]
Mr. Denham:
There are about 1,500 adult and 250 paediatric intensive-care beds in England providing one-to-one nursing for critically ill patients. The health services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for Northern Ireland.
Ms Keeble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken by his Department to attract graduates into careers as NHS biomedical scientists in pathology. [73101]
Mr. Denham:
The Department has published a career leaflet entitled 'A career in the NHS for graduates in biomedical science', which is made available to all university and local careers offices.
Ms Keeble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of recruitment in the NHS for biomedical scientists in pathology. [73100]
Mr. Denham:
Biomedical Scientists in pathology are recruited into the National Health Service in response to local need and accurate national statistics are not held. The
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National Advisory Group for Scientists and Technicians has been constituted to provide a national co-ordination mechanism for local work-force planning and education commissioning for the scientific and technical staff groups. It has met once with the relevant professional bodies, including that representing Biomedical Scientists, and has established a sub-group to develop data capture methods to obtain local work-force planning information.
Ms Keeble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the starting salary for a graduate working in the NHS as a biomedical scientist in pathology. [73099]
Mr. Denham:
'Biomedical Scientist' is another title for Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer.
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Erith and Thamesmead (Mr. Austin), on 16 February 1999, Official Report, columns 727-28.
Dr. Tony Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the pay structure of ambulance staff. [73109]
Mr. Denham:
We published "Agenda for Change"--our proposals for modernising the National Health Service pay system for all NHS staff--on 15 February. We are opening talks with NHS professional and staff organisations on the basis of this agenda.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations he has had with (a) nurses and (b) other healthcare practitioners on joint training for new doctors. [73755]
Mr. Denham:
Individual university medical schools determine their own undergraduate medical curricula in the light of the recommendations from the General Medical Council's Education Committee, which has the statutory responsibility to determine the extent of knowledge and skill required for the granting of primary medical qualifications in the United Kingdom. The Committee's most recent recommendations were published in the 1993 report "Tomorrow's Doctors", which pointed out that during the undergraduate years, doctors should begin to develop an understanding of the roles, skill and responsibilities of the various caring professions and a capacity for teamwork. Medical schools are currently introducing new curricula in line with the recommendations of "Tomorrow's Doctors".
Mr. Bruce George:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what studies are being undertaken to assess the efficacy and value of mepitel dressings for treating skin conditions; and when he expects to receive the results of the studies; [74450]
(3) what assessments his Department has undertaken of the efficacy and value of mepitel dressings in treating patients with (i) epidermolysis bullosa and (ii) other skin conditions. [74451]
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Mr. Denham:
Listings of appliances in Part IX of the Drug Tariff are made only in response to, and after consideration of, applications from the manufacturers. We regard all matters concerning such applications to be confidential unless the company chooses to reveal them. We would expect companies to provide any evidence needed to support their application.
Dr. Stoate:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if the Government will respond formally to the report of the working party on the review of continence services; [74551]
(3) if he will publish the report of the review on continence services prior to making any decisions on its recommendations; [74541]
(4) what is the timescale for implementation of the recommendations of the review of continence services. [74543]
Mr. Hutton:
The purpose of the review of continence service policy is to produce updated guidance for health authorities, primary care groups and National Health Service trusts on NHS continence services. We expect to see proposals for the guidance, including its implementation, in time for publication in spring 1999.
Mr. Syms:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made against the Government's target of saving £100 million from bureaucracy in the NHS. [74739]
Mr. Denham:
On 22 May 1997, we announced plans to reduce National Health Service management costs by £100 million (£84 million in England) in 1997-98 and "The new NHS" White Paper announced that, over the five years from 1997-98, £1 billion which would otherwise have been spent on management and administration would be freed up for patient care. Details of reductions achieved in 1997-98 will be published shortly.
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Ministers in his Department last met representatives of (a) private nursing services and (b) those responsible for private sector care and nursing homes. [74537]
Mr. Hutton:
Ministers regularly meet representatives of these groups in a variety of forums to discuss matters of mutual interest.
(2) if he will add mepitel dressings to the drug tariff to allow for prescribing in the community; [74452]
(2) when he expects to receive the report of the working party on continence services; [74542]
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