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Family Friendly Working Practices
25. Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to extend family friendly working practices in the NHS. [115174]
Mr. Denham:
In 1999 the Government launched the Improving Working Lives campaign. Each region has appointed a Champion to lead a multi disciplinary task force to develop family friendly policies and identify and
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share good practice. They will pay particular attention to trusts with high levels of vacancies. A kitemarking system will be set up, so that National Health Service organisations that perform well can be recognised.
35. Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress made in introducing family friendly working practices in the NHS. [115184]
Mr. Denham:
We have launched a £1 million Improving Working Lives campaign in the National Health Service. A similar budget has been agreed for 2000-01. Each region has set up a multi-disciplinary task force to share good practices. The task forces will support implementation of the Working Lives Standard and concentrate on those trusts with the most vacancies. In September 1999 Ministers launched a consultation exercise to develop a set of standards on good employment practices against which employers and their staff can measure themselves. Responses indicate general support from local NHS organisations, individuals and staff-side representatives. The re-drafted standards are currently out for consultation.
Last year's national recruitment campaign attracted over 5,000 former nurses back to the NHS, and 60 per cent. of those returning have taken up part-time posts, proving that NHS employers are becoming more flexible and family friendly.
26. Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the extra capitation given to health authorities in respect of the elderly. [115175]
Mr. Hutton:
The current allocations formula recognises that the elderly make more use of health services than the rest of the population. Health authorities with a relatively elderly population have their weighted capitation targets increased accordingly.
27. Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much extra funding has been made available to the NHS since May 1997. [115176]
Mr. Denham:
National Health Service net expenditure in 1996-97 was £32.9 billion. In 2000-01 NHS expenditure will be £44.2 billion, a real terms increase of 20.5 per cent. on 1996-97. By 2003-04 NHS expenditure will reach £56.4 billion, a real terms increase of 42.7 per cent. on 1996-97.
34. Mr. Alan W. Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the United Kingdom's gross domestic product was devoted to health care (a) in 1996-97 and (b) in 2000-01; and what was the European average for those years. [115183]
Mr. Denham:
In 1996-97, United Kingdom Gross National Health Service expenditure was 5.7 per cent. of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Based on the latest forecasts of GDP and planned NHS expenditure figures, for 2000-01, UK gross NHS expenditure is forecast to be 6.1 per cent. of GDP.
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The Department does not collect information on health care expenditure in other European countries. It is collected by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and can be obtained from the 1999 OECD health database.
28. Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the work of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. [115177]
Mr. Denham:
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has made a good start to its work. NICE has produced a fast-track appraisal of the anti-flu drug Relenza and an appraisal on wisdom teeth. NICE's work programme was announced in November 1999 and has an agreed schedule of further appraisals, guidelines and GP referral protocols.
29. Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to raise standards of cleanliness and hygiene in NHS hospitals. [115178]
Mr. Denham:
Trust chief executives are responsible for standards of cleanliness and hygiene in hospitals. All acute trusts have the assistance of the infection control team. The controls assurance framework published on 22 November 1999 has a section relating to infection control, including specific reference to cleanliness. The Infection Control Nurses Association and the Association of Domestic Managers have published "Standards for Environmental Cleanliness in Hospitals", which NHS Estates is sending to all NHS trusts.
30. Mr. Jenkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the first primary care trusts to become operational. [115179]
Mr. Denham:
Seventeen primary care trusts will become operational on 1 April 2000. They will deliver more integrated primary and community services, ensuring better access for patients, therefore providing a stronger role for community services in the National Health Service.
32. Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of (a) the cost of setting up primary care trusts and (b) the cost of their annual operation. [115181]
Mr. Denham:
Each health authority where there is a proposal to establish a primary care trust (PCT) receives a contribution from central funds of £25,000 towards the costs of preparing the proposal for local consultation and of the consultation itself. If the proposal is approved by the Secretary of State, a further central contribution is made towards the preparatory costs of the PCT. This contribution comprises £100,000 for a commissioning only PCT or £175,000 for a PCT which will also provide services. In addition, local health systems are expected to contribute to the costs of establishing and developing a new PCT.
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Seventeen PCTs have been approved to begin operating from 1 April at a total central cost of £3.325 million. Information is not, however, held centrally on the total cost of establishing each PCT.
31. Mr. Martlew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when NHS Direct will start to operate in Cumbria. [115180]
Ms Stuart:
The White Paper "The New NHS: Modern, and Dependable" announced the Government's commitment to NHS Direct. At present, NHS Direct covers 65 per cent. of the population. By the end of October this year, the whole of England, including Cumbria, will be covered.
36. Mrs. Heal:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the number of places available for nurse training. [115185]
Mr. Denham:
We provided increased investment to enable us to deliver 6,000 new nurse training places by 2002. This target was based upon delivering 1,000 of those new places in 1999-2000, but we are now planning to deliver around 1,600. Further investment will enable us to provide an additional 1,000 nurse and midwifery pre-registration training places in 2000-01.
37. Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to increase the availability of modern equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in NHS hospitals. [115186]
38. Mr. Gareth R. Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to increase the availability of modern equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in NHS hospitals. [115187]
Yvette Cooper:
In January, the Government announced a £100 million cash injection which will pay for the most up to date equipment (computed tomography, scanners, simulators and planning computers to calculate radiotherapy doses) to diagnose and treat cancer more quickly and effectively. This £100 million cash boost for cancer is the biggest-ever single investment in cancer equipment in the history of the NHS.
This record investment is on top of the allocation of £93 million from the National Lottery that has been allocated for cancer diagnosis and treatment equipment (breast screening equipment--mobile trailers, ultrasound and mammography machines, MRI scanners and linear accelerators) to over 200 NHS hospitals.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to reduce the number of deaths caused by painkillers. [115151]
Yvette Cooper:
We have introduced tight restrictions on the pack sizes of over-the-counter painkillers, together with overdose warnings for paracetamol products. The effect of these measures is being monitored. We are
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currently reviewing the need for strengthened warnings for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with other European member states.
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