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HEALTH
Road Accidents (Recovered Costs)
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been recovered from insurers of those responsible for road accidents under the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999; in how many cases recovery has been achieved; and if he will make a statement. [97802]
Mr. Hutton: The Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 came into effect on 5 April this year. From that date responsibility for the collection of charges passed from individual hospitals to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health, with the Compensation Recovery Unit, a part of the Benefits Agency, acting on his behalf.
In the first six months of operation the Compensation Recovery Unit has received notification of 271,251 new claims for compensation following a road traffic accident. One third of these cases have been confirmed as involving treatment at an NHS hospital, one third have no NHS element and one third are currently being checked. This has resulted in the identification of an estimated £40m potential income for NHS trusts in England, Scotland and Wales, to be released as and when the underlying compensation claims are settled.
The Compensation Recovery Unit took delivery of a new computer system on 5 April 1999, not only to deal with NHS charge recovery but also to replace the elderly system in place for the recovery of state benefits since 1990. Technical problems with the new computer system have delayed the transfer of around two million records of claims for all types of personal injury compensation from the old system to the new. This, in turn, has delayed the collection of NHS charges in many cases where compensation has been paid since the scheme started in April.
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The technical difficulties are now being overcome and the scheme is beginning to deliver significant sums of money to trusts. An initial payment was made at the end of July when 185 trusts shared £230,305. August saw an improvement to 225 trusts sharing £713,162 and, at the end of September, 230 trusts shared £1,727,942. I can now confirm that the Compensation Recovery Unit recovered, and paid to 255 trusts, a further £3.7 million at the end of October, the largest ever monthly payment to the NHS in respect of recovery following road traffic accidents. This payment significantly exceeds the amounts previously collected by trusts in an average month in 1998-99 and shows a clear trend towards the step change in income we believe the new system will deliver.
I will be making a further report on progress at the end of December and again at the end of the full financial year.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS Direct schemes are (a) in operation and (b) planned; and if he will make a statement. [97964]
Ms Stuart:
There are currently thirteen NHS Direct sites in operation and the service is available to over 40 per cent. of the population of England. From early December 1999, four new sites will become operational and five of the existing sites will expand their coverage, making the service available to over 60 per cent. of the population of England. NHS Direct will be available to the whole population of England by the end of the year 2000.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many suffer from arthritis in (a) the UK and (b) Shropshire; and if he will make a statement. [96662]
Mr. Hutton:
It is estimated that between 8 and 10 million people suffer from one of the different types of arthritis in the United Kingdom. The disease strikes people of all ages but is more common in older people.
Figures are not available on the prevalence of arthritis on a county by county basis.
Miss Kirkbride:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of dentists taking only private work by region in each year since 1995. [96200]
Mr. Hutton:
The information requested is not available centrally.
Mr. Peter Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the adequacy of the resources for the NHS in the current financial year. [97224]
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Mr. Denham:
For the current year, the National Health Service in England received an extra £2.8 billion providing real terms growth of 5.1 per cent. bringing the total net expenditure to £39.7 billion. These extra funds are allowing the NHS to deliver more responsive high quality services.
Mr. Crausby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans has he to introduce fast-track treatment for macular eye disease; [97356]
Mr. Hutton:
Information on the number of people suffering from age-related macular degeneration is not collected centrally but I am aware of estimates made by the recently established AMD Alliance International that over half a million people in the United Kingdom have this condition. Only 10 per cent. to 15 per cent. of cases--"wet AMD"--are treatable by laser co-agulation and I am not aware that, where it is appropriate, patients are experiencing undue delay in obtaining treatment.
The extension of eligibility for free National Health Service sight tests to people aged 60 or over, introduced from April, is ensuring that more people at risk of AMD are receiving eye examinations from which patients with signs of eye disease are referred for specialist assessment.
Mr. Dobbin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the increase in nursing provision for regional health authorities in England since 1 May 1997. [97358]
(2) how many people in the United Kingdom suffer from macular eye disease. [97357]
| Area | 1997 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|
| England total | 330,620 | 332,200 |
| Anglia & Oxford | 32,040 | 32,310 |
| North Thames | 46,920 | 46,710 |
| North West | 49,300 | 49,740 |
| Northern & Yorkshire | 45,030 | 44,870 |
| South & West | 41,850 | 42,100 |
| South Thames | 42,680 | 42,250 |
| Trent | 34,760 | 34,930 |
| West Midlands | 34,200 | 35,400 |
| SHAs and others | 3,840 | 3,880 |
Notes:
Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts. Figures exclude learners and agency staff. 'hc' indicates number. 19,300 nursing and midwifery training commissions are planned for 1999-2000, an increase of 4,000 over three years. Because of the time lag in completing training, this increase is not reflected in the workforce data
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of nurses (a) in the NHS and (b) at York District Hospital. [97795]
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Mr. Hutton:
Data on the number of nurses are shown in the table.
| hc(29) | wte(30) | |
|---|---|---|
| England Total | 421,750 | 332,200 |
| York Health Services NHS Trust | 2,080 | 1,600 |
(29) 'hc' indicates number
(30) 'Wte' indicates whole time equivalent
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten
2. Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts 3. Figures exclude learners and agency staff
Source:
Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
Epilepsy
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the incidence of epilepsy (a) amongst those aged (i) under 16 years, (ii) 16 to 60 years, and (iii) over 60 years, and (b) in total in the most recent year for which figures are available. [97470]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
| Age | Approximate incidence per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| Under 19 | 60 |
| Between 25 and 29 | 90 |
| Between 35 and 39 | 80 |
| Between 45 and 49 | 60 |
| Between 65 and 69 | 87 |
| Over 80 | 159 |
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the level of funding targeted by his Department on (a) the treatment of epilepsy and (b) research into epilepsy during 1999. [97469]
Mr. Hutton: The information is not available in the format requested.
It is for health authorities and Primary Care Groups to plan and arrange the services available to people in their care. However, complex epilepsy is included in the comprehensive list of specialised services in the Health Service Commissioning in the New National Health Service. This means that regional offices will need to give special consideration to commissioning services for people with complex epilepsy.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) which receives most of its income via grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry funds medical research as part of the Government's funding of the science and engineering base. In 1998-99 the MRC spent £3.6 million researching epilepsy. The MRC also fund a considerable amount of basic research in the area, (e.g. on nerve function and damage) which is not included in this figure.
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