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NHS Savings
Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the net savings made from replacing the NHS internal market by the arrangements introduced in April 1999. [120330]
Mr. Denham: Savings from replacing the National Health Service internal market have played a major part in ensuring that the Government are on course to achieve their commitment to save £1 billion from the cost of bureaucracy in the NHS. Savings have accrued through a series of measures including:
- abolishing the internal market and ending competition;
- introducing new primary care groups in place of general practitioner fundholding;
- replacing yearly contracts within the NHS with long-term agreements;
- abolishing the wasteful "extra-contractual referral" system
- pooling services and functions;
- merging NHS trusts to save at least £500,000 in each case.
Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to (a) monitor and (b) measure the net savings arising from replacement of the NHS internal market. [120331]
Mr. Denham: The cost of managing the National Health Service has been monitored in a consistent way since 1995-96 and change in the quantum of management costs is used as the basic measure of savings accrued. No additional steps have been taken to monitor and measure the net savings arising specifically from replacement of the NHS internal market.
Monitoring of NHS management costs is carried out quarterly and annually for health authorities and primary care groups. Monitoring of management costs in NHS trusts is carried out annually.
Savings in total management costs are calculated annually from the information supplied by individual HAs and NHS trusts. Information to identify the level of savings accrued from mergers of NHS trusts is collected separately.
Electronic Health Records
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the progress made by (a) health authorities in Shropshire and (b) nationally to develop Electronic Health Records as set out in the report, "Information for Health". [120367]
Ms Stuart: The information strategy for the Modern NHS 1998-2005 "Information for Health", called for a number of demonstrator sites to be set up to explore the issues associated with the creation of electronic records. The setting up of these sites is a key component of supporting the delivery of electronic health records throughout the National Health Service.
I announced the names of the four Electronic Health Record (EHR) demonstrators on Monday 17 April during my visit to Burton hospitals, South Staffordshire. The
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sites chosen are Cornwall, South Staffordshire, County Durham and Tees. Work will commence once the deliverables have been agreed with each of the sites, on developing the concept of longitudinal care and 24-hour emergency access to clinical records. The sites will also consider emerging issues such as areas of personal rights to control over medical information (European context) and e-health agenda.
A larger number (up to 12) of Electronic Patient Records (EPR) demonstrators will start working in June on specific areas that have been identified as priorities by their local health community. These will include how information can be shared more effectively among members of the primary health care teams and between different organisations for the benefit of patient care. They will also closely support the concept of how information will actually support the delivery of the local Health Improvement Programme. The names of the successful sites will be announced in the next few weeks.
The demonstrator sites will be subject to national evaluation and will run for two years.
Shropshire local health community has developed a full Local Implementation Strategy for Information for Health. This was submitted to the Regional Office on 31 March 2000 and is currently being evaluated. It sets out a clear vision of the way in which the Shropshire local health community will achieve the targets set out in "Information for Health" in the period between 2000-05. The vision is supported by detailed investment proposals for the organisations involved in the planning and delivery of health and social care services to patients and the public in Shropshire.
Medical Laboratory Science Officers
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average amount of (a) paid and (b) unpaid time a medical laboratory science officer is expected to set aside for studying for a continuing professional development certificate. [120337]
Mr. Denham: The information requested is not collected centrally. Health Service Circular 1999/154, "Continuing Professional Development: Quality in The New NHS", supports National Health Service employers to develop locally managed arrangements for continuing professional development (CPD) to ensure that CPD programmes address the personal and career development needs of individuals and meet local service objectives and the needs of patients.
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in allowing medical laboratory science officers to join the Pay Review Body; and if he will make a statement. [120335]
Mr. Denham: Our proposals for modernising National Health Service pay, which were published in February 1999 in "Agenda for Change", include bringing some groups of highly qualified staff within the scope of the Nursing Pay Review Body, without changing its fundamentally professional character.
Initial discussions with NHS trade unions on pay modernisation resulted in a joint Framework of Principles and Agreed Statement on the Way Forward which was published on 8 October 1999. Para 7.2 of the joint
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Framework sets out the following starting point for more detailed discussions with trade unions on the qualifying criteria for groups to come with the scope of the NPRB:
- Professions with a minimum entry requirement of three years educational study (or equivalent) to diploma level or higher, in a health specific area (other than medicine or dentistry) and which are state registered and have a substantial majority of members employed in health care.
- Exceptions might be agreed for staff groups which met the majority but not all of these conditions.
- Staff groups which support professions added to the NPRB remit, and who have a direct connection with the transferred groups similar to that between nursing auxiliaries and registered nurses, would also need to be considered for transfer.
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records are kept by his Department of death rates among medical laboratory science officers. [120338]
Mr. Denham: Information on death rates among medical laboratory science officers is not collected centrally, but may be held locally by individual National Health Service employers.
Health Workers
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on (a) recruitment and (b) retention among health workers not covered by the Pay Review Body. [120334]
Mr. Denham: We recognise that National Health Service staff are the key to delivering its ambitious programme to modernise the service, and we are taking a number of steps which will help to address the issue of recruitment and retention of all NHS staff.
We are modernising services and modernising employment practice in the NHS: developing more supportive, flexible and family friendly working practices; extending and improving investment in lifelong learning and professional development; tackling violence and racism in the workplace; involving staff in the way services are delivered and in the changes and developments that affect their working lives. Pay is also being addressed.
In addition, we are developing the interactive service "NHS Careers" which will cover all NHS staff in due course.
Psychologists and Child Psychotherapists
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the recruitment of clinical psychologists and child psychotherapists. [120328]
Mr. Denham: We recognise that National Health Service staff are the key to delivering its ambitious programme to modernise the Service, and we are taking a number of steps which will help to address the issue of recruitment and retention of clinical psychologists and child psychotherapists.
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The recently published National Service Framework for mental health demands concerted local action through health improvement programmes, using local mechanisms for workforce planning, education and training, and continuing professional development and lifelong learning. The standards set out will require properly trained and supported additional staff across all groups to provide modern health care.
The Department has established an action team, chaired by Sue Hunt, an experienced mental health services chief executive, to deliver a nationally co-ordinated programme of support to help local health and social services authorities meet their complex workforce needs.
We are modernising services and modernising employment practice in the NHS: developing more supportive, flexible and family friendly working practices; extending and improving investment in lifelong learning and professional development; tackling violence and racism in the workplace; involving staff in the way services are delivered and in the changes and developments that affect their working lives. Pay is also being addressed.
In addition, we are developing the interactive service "NHS Careers" which will cover all NHS staff in due course.
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