House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 21 Nov 2000 (pt 19)

Elderly People (Ethnic Minorities)

Mr. Singh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he intends to adopt as part of the National Plan to lower death rates from coronary heart disease, diabetes and tuberculosis, strokes, liver cancer and diabetes among older persons in ethnic minorities. [138319]

Yvette Cooper: On 14 November my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced additional resources for the National Health Service totalling £450 million targeted at tackling cancer and heart disease including extra money for life saving drugs and to reduce waiting times, and extra support for smoking cessation services. We will also double the money targeted at dealing with the health effects of deprivation in England's poorest areas, many of which have significant ethnic minority communities.

The NHS Plan sets out the actions to be taken to reduce inequalities through investment and reform in key services. These significant new resources will help the NHS to deliver these commitments.

Tackling cancer and coronary heart disease, which are the two biggest killer diseases, will make a significant inroad into inequalities in health. We recently published the NHS Cancer Plan, a comprehensive programme of action linking prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and research. The Plan pledges to cut the death rate from all cancers by one fifth by 2010; this includes the death rate from liver cell cancer secondary to hepatitis C.

A National Service Framework (NSF) coronary heart disease and the NHS Cancer Plan have already been published. These set the standards for improving a range of services which older people use, including those from ethnic minorities. The Diabetes National Service Framework, to be published in 2001 for implementation in the NHS from 2002, will pay particular heed to the needs of those who are disproportionately affected by diabetes, such as people from minority ethnic groups. The National Service Framework for Older People, which is to be introduced from April 2001, will also help to ensure that the health and social care needs of older people from all backgrounds are properly addressed.

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Control of communicable disease, including tuberculosis, is identified in the National Priorities Guidance as a "must do" activity. Control of tuberculosis in older persons is based on a strategy of treatment of identified cases and screening of their close contacts, screening and treatment for immigrants from countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis and active surveillance of tuberculosis. Surveillance of tuberculosis has been enhanced to allow more detailed identification of risk groups and to assess the success of treatment in individual cases. Detailed Guidance to the NHS is set out in the report of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Tuberculosis entitled "The Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis in the United Kingdom: Recommendations for the Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis at Local Level", copies of which are available in the Library.

Medical Practitioners (Complaints)

Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints against medical practitioners practising in Scotland were handled by the General Medical Council in each of the last five years; how many were dismissed; and what penalties were applied where the complaint was found to be justified. [137538]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 13 November 2000]: These matters are the responsibility of the General Medical Council. I understand that the GMC will shortly be in a position to provide this information when they have completed improvements to their information technology systems.

Practice Nurses

Mr. Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of practice nurses employed by (a) GPs and (b) NHS hospitals received the full pay increase awarded under the last agreement by the Pay Review Body. [138820]

Mr. Denham: We accepted in full the recommendations of the Review Body for Nursing staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine (NPRB) for 2000-01 in respect of approximately 431,000 nurses, midwives and health visitors who are directly employed by National Health Service bodies.

In a letter dated 21 February (AL(NM) 1/2000) all NHS employers were told that

"Employers must ensure that the new pay scales are implemented quickly to allow staff to receive their increased salaries in April", and we have no evidence that any NHS employer failed to do so.

Another 10,700 whole-time equivalent nurses are employed by about 8,700 individual general practitioner practices. These staff do not automatically benefit from national pay awards, although many GP employers do employ staff on terms and conditions of service that are analogous to those of NHS employees. We have already specified in the Core Contract for Personal Medical Services that adoption of NPRB recommendations, where these are both accepted and adopted by the Government across the rest of the NHS is mandatory and we are working with the representatives of the profession to encourage all practices to match NMRB awards in the light of the extra investment announced on 14 November 2000.

General Medical Practitioners by sex and status, 1989-99

England					Numbers and percentages
	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
Practitioners⁽⁸⁾	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Practitioners (excluding GP retainers)	27,749	27,523	27,888	28,185	28,460	28,735	28,869
Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs)⁽⁹⁾	25,608	25,622	25,686	25,968	26,289	26,567	26,702
of which: GMS UPs	25,608	25,622	25,686	25,968	26,289	26,567	26,702
Restricted Principals	164	149	138	138	147	142	127
Assistants	242	190	425	466	495	581	636
GP Registrars⁽¹¹⁾	1,735	1,562	1,639	1,613	1,529	1,445	1,404
of which: GMS⁽¹²⁾	1,735	1,562	1,639	1,613	1,529	1,445	1,404
Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA)	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
PMS other⁽¹³⁾	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Estimated WTE UPEs⁽¹⁴⁾	--	25,158	25,074	25,228	25,407	25,534	25,550
Estimated WTE retainers⁽¹⁴⁾	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

Males
Practitioners⁽⁸⁾	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Practitioners (excluding GP retainers)	20,863	20,519	20,364	20,332	20,243	20,179	20,007
UPEs⁽⁹⁾	19,778	19,529	19,256	19,236	19,252	19,218	19,092
Restricted Principals	103	95	82	81	87	82	73
Assistants	91	77	174	186	200	227	237
GP Registrars⁽¹¹⁾	891	818	852	829	704	652	605
Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA)	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
PMS other⁽¹³⁾	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

Females
Practitioners⁽⁸⁾	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Practitioners (excluding GP retainers)	6,886	7,004	7,524	7,853	8,217	8,556	8,862
UPEs⁽⁹⁾	5,830	6,093	6,430	6,732	7,037	7,349	7,610
Restricted Principals	61	54	56	57	60	60	54
Assistants	151	113	251	280	295	354	399
GP Registrars⁽¹¹⁾	844	744	787	784	825	793	799
Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA)	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
PMS other	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

UPEs⁽⁹⁾
per 100,000 population	53.6	53.4	53.3	53.7	54.2	54.5	54.6

21 Nov 2000 : Column: 167W

General Medical Practitioners by sex and status, 1989-99

England Numbers and percentages

1996 1997 1998 1999 % change 1998-99 Average annual % change 1989-99

Practitioners⁽⁸⁾ -- -- -- 30,959 -- --

Practitioners (excluding GP retainers) 29,116 29,389 29,697 29,987 1.0 0.8

Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs)⁽⁹⁾ 26,855 27,099 27,392 27,591 0.7 0.7

of which: GMS UPs 26,855 27,099 27,031 26,710 -1.2 0.4

Restricted Principals 115 101 97 90 -7.2 -5.8

Assistants ⁽¹⁰⁾841 ⁽¹⁰⁾846 701 650 -7.3 10.4

GP Registrars⁽¹¹⁾ 1,305 1,343 1,446 1,520 5.1 -1.3

of which GMS⁽¹²⁾ 1,305 1,343 1,415 1,445 2.1 -1.8

Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA) -- -- 52 94 81 --

PMS other⁽¹³⁾ -- -- 9 42 367 --

Estimated WTE UPEs⁽¹⁴⁾ 25,567 25,678 25,831 25,902 0.3 --

Estimated WTE retainers⁽¹⁴⁾ -- -- -- 321 -- --

Males

Practitioners⁽⁸⁾ -- -- -- 19,840 -- --

Practitioners (excluding GP retainers) 19,925 19,909 19,802 19,815 0.1 -0.5

UPE⁽⁹⁾ 18,941 18,908 18,863 18,832 -0.2 -0.5

Restricted Principals 65 60 51 49 -3.9 -7.2

Assistants 348 354 262 252 -3.8 10.7

GP Registrars⁽¹¹⁾ 571 587 608 630 3.6 -3.4

Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA) -- -- 16 38 138 --

PMS other⁽¹³⁾ -- -- 2 14 600 --

Females

Practitioners⁽⁸⁾ -- -- -- 11,119 -- --

Practitioners (excluding GP retainers) 9,191 9,480 9,895 10,172 2.8 4.0

UPEs⁽⁹⁾ 7,914 8,191 8,529 8,759 2.7 4.2

Restricted Principals 50 41 46 41 -10.9 -3.9

Assistants 493 492 439 398 -9.3 10.2

GP Registrars⁽¹¹⁾ 734 756 838 890 6.2 0.5

Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA) -- -- 36 56 56 --

PMS other -- -- 7 28 300 --

UPEs⁽⁹⁾

per 100,000 population 54.7 54.9 55.4 55.5 -- --

England					Numbers and percentages
	1996	1997	1998	1999	% change 1998-99	Average annual % change 1989-99
Practitioners⁽⁸⁾	--	--	--	30,959	--	--
Practitioners (excluding GP retainers)	29,116	29,389	29,697	29,987	1.0	0.8
Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs)⁽⁹⁾	26,855	27,099	27,392	27,591	0.7	0.7
of which: GMS UPs	26,855	27,099	27,031	26,710	-1.2	0.4
Restricted Principals	115	101	97	90	-7.2	-5.8
Assistants	⁽¹⁰⁾841	⁽¹⁰⁾846	701	650	-7.3	10.4
GP Registrars⁽¹¹⁾	1,305	1,343	1,446	1,520	5.1	-1.3
of which GMS⁽¹²⁾	1,305	1,343	1,415	1,445	2.1	-1.8
Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA)	--	--	52	94	81	--
PMS other⁽¹³⁾	--	--	9	42	367	--
Estimated WTE UPEs⁽¹⁴⁾	25,567	25,678	25,831	25,902	0.3	--
Estimated WTE retainers⁽¹⁴⁾	--	--	--	321	--	--

Males
Practitioners⁽⁸⁾	--	--	--	19,840	--	--
Practitioners (excluding GP retainers)	19,925	19,909	19,802	19,815	0.1	-0.5
UPE⁽⁹⁾	18,941	18,908	18,863	18,832	-0.2	-0.5
Restricted Principals	65	60	51	49	-3.9	-7.2
Assistants	348	354	262	252	-3.8	10.7
GP Registrars⁽¹¹⁾	571	587	608	630	3.6	-3.4
Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA)	--	--	16	38	138	--
PMS other⁽¹³⁾	--	--	2	14	600	--

Females
Practitioners⁽⁸⁾	--	--	--	11,119	--	--
Practitioners (excluding GP retainers)	9,191	9,480	9,895	10,172	2.8	4.0
UPEs⁽⁹⁾	7,914	8,191	8,529	8,759	2.7	4.2
Restricted Principals	50	41	46	41	-10.9	-3.9
Assistants	493	492	439	398	-9.3	10.2
GP Registrars⁽¹¹⁾	734	756	838	890	6.2	0.5
Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA)	--	--	36	56	56	--
PMS other	--	--	7	28	300	--

UPEs⁽⁹⁾
per 100,000 population	54.7	54.9	55.4	55.5	--	--

⁽⁸⁾ Includes GP retainers.

⁽⁹⁾ Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs) includes GMS Unrestricted Principals. PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs. See Definitions, section 14.

⁽¹⁰⁾ Includes 286 LIZ assistants in 1996 and 296 LIZ Assistants in 1997.

⁽¹¹⁾ Previously referred to as Trainees.

⁽¹²⁾ GP Registrars in GMS Partnerships.

⁽¹³⁾ Contains two doctors who were employed under PMS contract by an NHS Trust, and about which details are unavailable.

⁽¹⁴⁾ WTE has been estimated using the results from the 1992-93 GMP Workload Survey. See Definitions, para 14 16.

21 Nov 2000 : Column: 169W

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