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Health Authority Finances
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) sums and (b) percentage increase in funding required, to achieve financial balance in each NHS health authority area by 2000-01; and what percentage of the additional NHS funding recently announced is required to achieve financial balance in each case. [117267]
Mr. Denham: The information requested is not available as health authorities and primary care groups have not finalised their commissioning and financial plans for 2000-01.
Buckinghamshire Health Authority
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to fund Buckinghamshire health authority at its capitation level. [116954]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 30 March 2000]: Buckinghamshire health authority's share of the £660 million announced on 28 March 2000 is £8.1 million. Together with the allocation already announced, this brings their allocation for 2000-01 to £407.6 million, a total cash increase of 9.41 per cent. This is more than the average cash increase of 8.88 per cent.
Dentists
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the demand for more NHS dentists in Shrewsbury and Atcham. [117291]
Mr. Hutton:
National Health Service dentistry is accessible for much of the population of Shropshire, although we are aware of long-standing problems in some areas. Together with Shropshire health authority we have taken steps to deal with the problems through a dental access centre based in Shrewsbury and Donnington, where services are offered to non-registered patients.
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In addition, we awarded eleven "Investing in Dentistry" grants in Shropshire which generated promises of 24,750 extra patient registrations with dentists. We will publish further plans for modernising and improving access to NHS dentistry soon.
Mr. Rendel:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had been waiting over 13 weeks for an outpatient appointment at Berkshire hospitals at the end of 1999; and what target had been set for outpatient waiting lists at Berkshire hospitals for 1999. [116756]
Mr. Denham
[holding answer 30 March 2000]: The table shows the total number of people waiting over 13 weeks for an outpatient appointment by each National Health Service trust in Berkshire at December 1999. Trust targets are agreed locally with the relevant health authorities.
| Organisation | Total number waiting 13 weeks or over (Q2) |
|---|---|
| East Berkshire NHS Trust for People with Learning Disabilities | 0 |
| East Berkshire Community Health NHS Trust | 165 |
| Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust | 702 |
| Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust | 2,748 |
| West Berkshire Priority Care Services NHS Trust | 374 |
| Total | 3,989 |
Nursing Homes (Durham)
Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many privately-run and owned nursing homes are registered with Durham Health Authority; and how many were so registered in each of the last five years. [117213]
Mr. Hutton:
The information available is in the table.
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| Type of accommodation | (11)1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | (12)1998 | (13)1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General nursing homes | (14)-- | (14)-- | (14)-- | 94 | 92 |
| Mental nursing homes | (14)-- | (14)-- | (14)-- | 28 | 26 |
| Private hospitals and clinics | (14)-- | (14)-- | (14)-- | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 103 | 113 | 113 | 123 | 118 |
(11) Information for 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97 relate to the period 1 October to 31 March.
(12) Information for 1998 and 1999 relates to 31 March.
(13) Information for 1999 is provisional.
(14) Not available.
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Munchhausen Syndrome by Proxy
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of alleged Munchhausen Syndrome by Proxy there have been in parents of children with autistic spectrum disorder in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [117140]
Mr. Hutton:
Information is not collected centrally about the number of cases of alleged Munchhausen Syndrome by Proxy there have been, in parents of children with autistic spectrum disorder.
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However, the Department recognises that suspected cases of Munchhausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) are among the most difficult and demanding areas of activity to undertake for paediatricians and other professional groups devoted to child care and protection.
Whatever the circumstances of individual cases, it remains true that the professionals involved are best placed to decide on the most appropriate means of determining whether MSBP is at issue and, if so, how to act in the best interests of the child and the carer throughout any intervention.
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Mr. Edward Davey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing care and residential care beds
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have been provided by local authorities in each of the past seven years; and if he will make a statement. [117270]
Mr. Hutton:
The table provides details of the number of local authority supported residents for the years requested.
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| Year | Total of all supported residents (15) | Local authority staffed homes | Independent residential homes | Independent nursing homes | Other and unstaffed homes (15) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 98,359 | 77,596 | 19,270 | (16)(17)-- | 1,493 |
| 1994 | 148,731 | 70,444 | 48,714 | 25,154 | 4,419 |
| 1995 | 185,865 | 67,327 | 70,153 | 43,238 | 5,147 |
| 1996 | 215,546 | 61,943 | 91,221 | 57,246 | 5,136 |
| 1997 | 242,139 | 58,747 | 111,530 | 66,058 | 5,804 |
| 1998 | 255,502 | 54,611 | 121,923 | 72,904 | 6,064 |
| 1999 | 260,727 | 50,061 | 131,159 | 73,467 | 6,040 |
(15) Figures for unstaffed homes (group homes) were not collected before 1994. The figures for 1993 are for "other" accommodation only.
(16) Prior to 1 April 1993, local authorities did not fund nursing care placements.
(17) Not available
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Live Animal Experiments
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 8 March 2000, Official Report, column 760W, concerning animal testing and medicines, for what reasons the Government will not introduce a statutory requirement that labels on medicines include a statement providing information enabling those who oppose the use of animals in medical and veterinary research to make an informed judgment as to whether they should use these products on themselves and their pets. [116735]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 3 April 2000]: All medicines for human and veterinary use must be tested in animals to provide information about their safety before they can be granted a licence. The labelling of medicinal products is governed by European law and there is no requirement for the inclusion in the labelling of information that a product was tested on animals.
Capital Modernisation Fund
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the £2 billion announced for the NHS is from the Capital Modernisation Fund. [116679]
Mr. Denham: None of the £2 billion announced for the National Health Service for 2000-01 is from the Capital Modernisation Fund.
Regulatory Reform
Mr. Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement. [117415]
Ms Stuart [holding answer 4 April 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr. Quinn) by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 4 April 2000, Official Report, column 385W.
Single-sex Hospital Wards (West Sussex)
Mr. Loughton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of
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converting all hospital wards in West Sussex to single sex wards; what funds he will make available for such purposes; and whether the funds will be in addition to general health authority funding levels already announced. [117716]
Mr. Denham
[holding answer 4 April 2000]: We have reiterated our commitment to meeting our target to eliminate mixed sex accommodation, and arrangements for increased performance management and more regular monitoring of progress in this area have been set in place.
We have set three specific objectives for the National Health Service in order to achieve the elimination of mixed sex accommodation:
The results of a monitoring exercise published in August 1999, which are in the Library, showed that 93 per cent. of health authorities would achieve the objectives by 2002. Results of the most recent monitoring exercise will be published in spring 2000.
Ensure that appropriate organisational arrangements are in place to secure good standards of privacy and dignity for hospital patients;
Achieve fully the standard for segregated washing and toilet facilities across the NHS;
Provide safe facilities for patients in hospital who are mentally ill which safeguard their privacy and dignity.
We aim to achieve these objectives fully in 95 per cent. of all health authorities by 2002.
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