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Salaries
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what salary is being paid to the holder of the office of Chief Executive of the NHS and Permanent Secretary to the Department of Health. [146955]
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Ms Stuart: Information concerning the salaries of all permanent secretaries is published in the annual Senior Salaries Review Body report. For the purposes of the report the pay ranges applicable to permanent secretaries are divided into £5,000 bands. It is not normal practice to publish the actual salary in payment to individual permanent secretaries. The salary of Nigel Crisp, Chief Executive of the National Health Service and Permanent Secretary to the Department of Health, falls within the range £145,000-£149,999.
London Ambulance Service
Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase the funding of the London Ambulance Service, to improve pay and conditions of staff. [146625]
Ms Stuart: Ambulance staff on national terms, including those employed by the London Ambulance service, have been offered an above inflation increase of 3.7 per cent. from 1 April 2001. We are currently awaiting a response from trade unions on this offer. National Health Service trusts have the flexibility to pay still more where there are proven recruitment and retention difficulties.
This year an extra £6 million was given to the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Discussions are underway over additional funding for 2001-02.
High-energy Drinks
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the side-effects of high-energy drinks; what research he has commissioned into these products; and if he will make a statement. [145953]
Ms Stuart [holding answer 22 January 2001]: We have not received any recent representations on the side-effects of high-energy drinks and the Department and the Food Standards Agency have not commissioned any research in this area.
Mortality Rates
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish his Department's clinical indicators and the CHKS tables of mortality rates by hospital trust. [146490]
Mr. Denham: The last set of clinical indicators published by the Department was issued in July 2000 in "Quality and Performance Indicators".
CHKS is a private sector organisation, which collects data from a proportion of trusts in the United Kingdom.
Keyhole Operations
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recommendations have been made by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence about reducing keyhole operations on financial grounds; and if he will make a statement. [146767]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 23 January 2001]: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has given guidance on the use of laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer and inguinal hernia. The details of this guidance can be obtained from NICE.
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When undertaking its appraisals NICE takes into account both clinical and cost effectiveness in accordance with Directions from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and the National Assembly for Wales.
Nursing Care Costs
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer concerning nursing care, on 17 January 2001, Official Report, columns 246-47W, if he will set out for each local authority with social services responsibilities the amount that has been deducted from their SSA to reflect the change in responsibility for paying for nursing care. [146702]
Mr. Hutton: No amount has been deducted from local authorities' standard spending assessment to reflect the planned change in responsibility for paying for nursing care. If Parliament agrees to change the way nursing care in nursing homes is funded, we will ensure the appropriate financial arrangements are made.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 15 January 2001, Official Report, column 5W, on nursing home charges, how frequently the needs of a person will be assessed by a registered nurse. [146455]
Mr. Hutton: We plan to issue guidance to the effect that reassessment will take place three months after the first assessment of registered nurse input and then at intervals of no more than 12 months. The guidance will also outline the circumstances which will trigger immediate reassessment. The registered nurse whom is providing care to the individual will be monitoring the person's condition and will make any immediate changes to care that are necessary.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 17 January 2001, Official Report, column 247W, concerning payment of fees, if he will set out the forecasts for fee levels in residential and nursing homes for the spending review period. [146704]
Mr. Hutton: A wide range of factors were taken into account in the spending review for future changes in costs and functions faced by social services authorities. This does not attempt to forecast a fee level for nursing homes or residential homes. That is matter for negotiation between each home and its client, or the responsible local or health authority.
Waiting Lists
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many out-patients were waiting for treatment for more than six months in each of the last 10 years in the (a) Sutton and Cheam constituency and (b) Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Health Authority. [146378]
Mr. Denham: The data requested are not held by constituency.
Data on outpatients were not collected prior to 1997.
The number of patients waiting longer than six months for a first outpatient appointment resulting from a general practitioner referral in Merton Sutton and Wandsworth as at 31 March is as follows:
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| Year | Number of patients waiting |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 185 |
| 1998-99 | 1,014 |
| 1999-2000 | 1,273 |
NHS Finances
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent forecast is of the (a) turnover, (b) surplus or deficit and (c) surplus or deficit as a percentage of the turnover, for (i) each health authority, (ii) each NHS trust, (iii) each NHS region and (iv) England in the current financial year and in 1999-2000. [146377]
Mr. Denham: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Hospital Funding (Lancashire)
Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the extra capital and revenue resources he has made available to (a) Royal Lancaster Infirmary and (b) Blackpool Victoria Hospital since 1 May 1997. [145542]
Mr. Denham: The extra capital and revenue resources which have been made available to the Morecambe Bay Hospitals National Health Service Trust (which is now responsible for the Royal Lancaster Infirmary) and Blackpool Victoria Hospital NHS Trust is as follows:
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total overall income (£ million) | 48.5 | 50.3 | 111.3 | 123.9 | |
| Percentage increase on total income | 3.81 | -- | 11.35 | -- | |
| The Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust has also received £15.3 million for capital investment(4) | |||||
(2) The Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust was formed on 1 April 1998 following the merger of three acute hospital trusts (Furness General Hospitals NHS Trust, Lancaster Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Westmoreland Hospital NHS Trust). In addition, the information for the years 1996-97 and 1997-98 is specific to the former Lancaster Acute Hospitals NHS Trust only.
(3) The overall income of trust includes non-recurrent one-off allocations.
(4) The figure of £15.3 million also includes £4.1 million which relates to capital investment schemes at the then Lancaster Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Overall Income (£ million) | 79.8 | 84.8 | 128.5 | 184.1 | |
| Percentage increase on total income | 6.31 | 51.52 | 43.20 | -- | |
| The Blackpool Victoria Trust has also received £11.3 million for capital investment | |||||
(5) The overall income of trust includes non-recurrent one off allocations.
(6) Blackpool Victoria Hospital Trust receives income from the training consortium which has been included within its overall operating income and the increase in this income accounts for the large percentage increases year on year on total income.
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