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Waiting Lists (Essex)
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting for hospital treatment at Essex Rivers Health Care Trust on (a) 31 March 1997 and (b) the latest date for which figures are available. [116839]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 30 March 2000]: The information is as follows:
| Month | Total number waiting |
|---|---|
| 31 March 1997 | 6,737 |
| 31 January 2000 | 6,212 |
Source:
Form KH07 completed Quarterly
Monthly waiting list return
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Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been waiting for 12 months or more for hospital treatment at Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust on (a) 31 March 1997 and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available. [116847]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 30 March 2000]: The information is as follows:
| Month/year | Number |
|---|---|
| 31 March 1997 | 6 |
| 31 January 2000(29) | 534 |
(29) The latest date for which figures are available
Sources:
Form KH07 completed Quarterly
Monthly waiting list return
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had waited 13 weeks or more for an outpatient appointment at Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust on (a) 31 March 1997 and (b) 31 December 1999. [116842]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 30 March 2000]: The information is as follows:
| Month/year | Number |
|---|---|
| 31 March 1997 | 1,821 |
| 31 December 1999(30) | 3,916 |
(30) The latest date for which figures are available
Source:
Form QMO8 completed quarterly
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had waited over 26 weeks for an outpatient appointment at Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust on (a) 31 March 1997 and (b) 31 December 1999. [116838]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 30 March 2000]: The information is as follows:
| Month/year | Number |
|---|---|
| 31 March 1997 | 404 |
| 31 December 1999(31) | 1,336 |
(31) The latest date for which figures are available
Source:
Form QMO8 completed quarterly
Intensive Care Units
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the staffing levels of intensive care units in each year from 1995 to 1999, (a) nationally and (b) in Herefordshire; and if he will make a statement. [116901]
Mr. Denham:
The information requested is not collected centrally.
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Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the BCG vaccination programme for the current academic year. [116953]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 30 March 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 10 February 2000, Official Report, column 261W.
Mr. Steinberg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency calls were made to ambulance brigades in Durham Health Authority in the last five years; and what was the average response time for each of those years. [117214]
Ms Stuart:
Details about the performance of all National Health Service ambulance trusts are contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin Ambulance Services, England 1998-99, copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Edwards:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the Government have made in implementing the WHO (Europe) proposals for national and local food and nutrition action plans following the Malta 1999 consultation. [117527]
Ms Stuart:
We recognise the importance of good nutrition throughout life for maintaining health. We are playing an active role in supporting the development of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Food and Nutrition Action Plan with a view to its adoption by the WHO's Regional Committee in September 2000. We agree that each member state should develop its own action plan in response, taking into account the remit of other key organisations, particularly the European Union. We have set out the role of diet in promoting health and preventing disease in "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation", particularly in the key priority areas of coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. The National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease requires local players, co-ordinated by the local health authority, to develop and implement a comprehensive programme of effective policies including promoting healthy eating by April 2001.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) number and (b) percentage of properties in his charge are empty; and what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce the number of such properties. [116912]
Ms Stuart:
The Department occupies administrative property (the civil estate). The Department has no empty properties.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's retained estate comprises surplus or potentially surplus property not transferred to National Health Service trusts, and is managed by NHS Estates. There are about 85 properties that are empty, which is about 17 per cent. of the estate.
3 Apr 2000 : Column: 354W
All of these sites are in the course of being sold on an accelerating basis. All surplus property is sold as soon as possible after they become vacant, but only when planning consent for alternative use has been obtained from the relevant local planning authority.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the total cost to the NHS of (a) instituting charges per script and (b) allowing prescription charges to be paid by instalments; and if he will make a statement. [116680]
Ms Stuart:
Based on 1998-99 figures for charges collected by pharmacists and dispensing doctors in England, it is estimated that around £50 million in prescription charge revenue would have been lost if the prescription charge had been paid for each chargeable form rather than each item. It is likely that there would also be additional costs to the drugs bill arising from the prescribing of items which can be purchased from pharmacies for less than the prescription charge. The current process of paying prescription charges is widely understood by the public and simple to administer. Introducing payment by instalments is impractical as it would unnecessarily complicate the current arrangements and require additional bureaucracy to keep track of instalment payments for each charge payable.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the spending on cleaning services and how many cleaning staff were employed in the NHS in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [116682]
Ms Stuart:
The information is not available as requested. National figures are collected centrally on the number of support staff employed in National Health Service trusts; cleaning staff are included within this category. Similarly, national figures on expenditure are collected centrally on contract hotel services and laundry and cleaning equipment. Expenditure on cleaning staff is included within this category.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost to the NHS of hospital acquired infections in the last five years; what measures his Department is taking to tackle such infections and at what cost; and if he will make a statement. [116683]
Yvette Cooper:
The recently quoted figure of £1 billion is an estimate derived from a Department commissioned study of one hospital. It is not possible to accurately estimate the cost to the whole National Health Service from these findings. Infection control is a "must do" in current NHS National Priorities Guidance. New standards on infection control were issued in November 1999 and an action plan setting out specific objectives and targets was issued to the NHS on 11 February 2000. Costs of activity to prevent hospital acquired infections are impossible to assess because much of this activity is a fundamental part of the work of all health care staff.
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