| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
HEALTH
Waiting Lists
18. Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities have asked trusts to increase out-patient consultation times for waiting list surgery; and if he will make a statement. [85015]
Mr. Denham: We are not aware of any health authorities asking trusts to increase waiting times for out-patient consultations. We are, however, aware that health authorities are expecting the National Health Service to see over a third of a million more new out-patients in 1999-2000 than last year.
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were waiting more than 13 weeks for an out-patient consultation in the last quarter for which figures are available. [85762]
Mr. Denham: At 31 March 1999, the number of patients still waiting for a first out-patient appointment more than 13 weeks after general practitioner referral was 456,033.
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the health authorities which have asked general practitioners to reduce the number of patients they refer to hospitals for waiting list surgery. [86065]
Mr. Denham: We are not aware of any health authorities asking general practitioners to reduce the number of patients they refer to hospitals for out-patient appointments.
We do, however, expect all health authorities and primary care groups to regularly discuss with GPs arrangements for ensuring patients receive the treatment they need, as quickly as possible. This is key to improving health, reducing inequalities and modernising National Health Service services.
27. Mr. Whittingdale:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been removed from central health service waiting list statistics since 2 May 1997, without having received the treatment intended. [85024]
Mr. Denham:
Patients are removed from waiting lists for a number of reasons other than treatment. These are:
8 Jun 1999 : Column: 271
The number of patients removed from waiting lists in 1998-99 totalled 672,000. This is broadly in line with the proportion removed from the waiting list in recent years.
19. Mrs. Anne Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about trends in the number of NHS dentists providing services over the last five years. [85016]
Mr. Denham:
The general trend in the number of General Dental Service (GDS) dentists in England has been upwards, with the number of GDS dentists increasing by about 400 to 500 a year since 1996.
20. Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consult with health authorities on the role of school medical services in improving the health of children and young people. [85017]
Mr. Hutton:
Our agenda for improving the health of the population recognises the need to focus attention on children's mental, physical and emotional health care needs. The school medical services will have a major role to play. We are introducing many important policy initiatives which will depend on effective health service input to schools and nurseries; these include the "Healthy Schools" initiative, "Sure Start" and "Quality Protects". Health authorities and other key players will, of course, be consulted.
21. Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings he has held with local officials on the progress of the Camden and Islington health action zone. [85018]
Mr. Denham:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had meetings with local Health Authority officials on the progress of the Camden and Islington Health Action Zone (HAZ). However, I and my Ministerial colleagues will be visiting all the newly established second wave HAZs, including Camden and Islington, in due course.
23. Mr. Mullin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of general practitioners in Sunderland; and if he will make a statement. [85020]
Mr. Denham:
The Government have introduced a number of national policy measures to improve the recruitment of general practitioners, which Sunderland Health Authority has been implementing locally. The Health Authority introduced a Career Start Scheme and has successfully recruited four salaried GPs. The Priority Healthcare Wearside NHS Trust, Sunderland Health Authority, the University of Sunderland and the City of Sunderland Council have developed proposals for a second-wave personal medical services pilot.
8 Jun 1999 : Column: 272
24. Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the ratio of nurses to patients in the NHS. [85021]
Mr. Denham:
With the additional funding announced in July last year, the NHS should be able to employ up to 15,000 more nurses by the year 2002.
26. Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department is undertaking into factors affecting hospital out-patients waiting times. [85023]
Mr. Denham:
The Department is committed to undertaking a major research programme to improve our understanding of factors affecting both in-patient and out-patient waiting lists and times.
Research projects already agreed include an evaluation of the National Booked Admissions Programme and a review of research evidence on strategies to improve the appropriateness of general practitioner referrals.
28. Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to revise the current funding mechanism for health authorities to take account of factors specific to rural areas. [85025]
Mr. Denham:
Last November, we announced a review of the formula used to make cash allocations to health authorities and primary care groups. The review will cover a wide range of issues, including factors relating to rural areas.
29. Mr. Wilkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responsibilities for hospital administration the Eastern Regional Executive of the National Health Service retains in Greater London. [85026]
Mr. Denham:
The Eastern Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive has overall responsibility for Mount Vernon and Watford Hospitals NHS Trust. Mount Vernon Hospital is in Greater London and the management of its local acute services will transfer to Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust with effect from 1 July. Hillingdon Hospital Trust comes under the London Regional Office.
Plastics surgery and burns and cancer services will continue to be managed by the Mount Vernon and Watford Hospitals NHS Trust. These are the subject of reviews on how best these services can be delivered to a wide population in the Eastern, London and South East regions.
30. Ms Drown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with broadcasters on reducing the depiction of smoking on television; and if he will make a statement. [85028]
Ms Jowell:
We plan to discuss this with the broadcasters or regulators as part of a developing campaign. The regulatory codes give guidance about the
8 Jun 1999 : Column: 273
depiction of smoking and drinking in programmes. They should not include smoking or drinking unless the context or dramatic veracity require it. Particular care is needed with programmes likely to be seen by children, and smoking should not be shown as an attractive or normal activity in pre-watershed programmes. Tobacco advertising is banned from television.
31. Mr. Sawford:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds his Department has allocated to services to tackle osteoporosis. [85029]
Ms Jowell:
The Department does not specify what proportion of health authorities' funding allocations is to be spent on services to tackle osteoporosis. It is for health authorities, in partnership with National Health Service trusts, primary care groups, local authorities and local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health and modernising services. The additional resources of at least 5.45 per cent. cash increase to all health authorities for 1999-2000 will help them in this.
32. Mr. Russell Brown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that health authorities use the HIV prevention special allocation in ways appropriate to the epidemiology of HIV. [85030]
Ms Jowell:
The forthcoming guidance to health authorities on the use of HIV and AIDS special allocations re-emphasises the need to match funding to local epidemiology. The guidance also highlights the latest supporting epidemiological data on HIV prevalence nationally, which reinforces the target groups identified in the current HIV Health promotion strategy, which are: gay men, bisexual men, and other men who have sex with men; men and women who travel to, or have family links with, high prevalence countries where the predominant mode of transmission is sex between men and women, currently in sub-Saharan Africa, people diagnosed with HIV and AIDS and injecting drug users.
(i) patient admitted as an emergency for the same condition;
(ii) patient removed for other reasons, such as a patient being transferred to another trust's waiting list;
(iii) patient/doctor decides operation is no longer needed (for example--patient recovering from illness);
(iv) patient treated elsewhere (for example, at a private provider);
(v) patient died.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |