| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Medical Negligence
Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance he issues to GPs on the use of deputising services in respect of liability insurance for medical negligence; [149094]
- (2) in the last 10 years how many GPs found guilty of medical negligence have not held medical insurance; [149098]
(3) what statutory provisions govern the employment by GPs of deputising services; [149095]
(4) since which date GP deputising services have been required to ensure that the GPs they employ hold medical insurance; [149097]
Ms Stuart: The statutory provisions governing the employment by general practitioners of deputising services can be found in Schedule 2 of the General Medical Services (NHS) regulations 1992 (as amended). These require that a doctor shall take all reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that the service provided by the deputising organisation is adequate and appropriate and that the doctors it supplies are suitably experienced and are not subject to disciplinary action.
However, no specific guidance has been issued to GPs on the use of deputising services in respect of liability insurance for medical negligence or medical insurance. It would be considered good practice for all providers of services to the National Health Service to ensure that all doctors they employ have adequate indemnity.
Information on the numbers of GPs found guilty of medical negligence who did not hold medical insurance is not held centrally.
Following the independent review of GP out-of-hours services published in October 2000, all out-of-hours providers are to be required to meet new quality standards.
8 Feb 2001 : Column: 656W
Only organisations (such as co-ops and those providing deputising services) that demonstrate they can meet and maintain the quality standards will be accredited to provide out-of-hours services. One of the quality standards is for accredited organisations to hold indemnity cover.
The legislation necessary to give health authorities the power to accredit out-of-hours organisations is currently being considered by parliament as part of the Health and Social Care Bill.
Hospital Mortuary Facilities
Sir Nicholas Lyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list in respect of each hospital in the NHS (a) the number of beds in the hospital, (b) the number of permanent mortuary spaces available, (c) the number of temporary mortuary spaces available, (d) the proportion of temporary and permanent mortuary spaces which comply with (i) health and safety requirements, (ii) health service standards and (iii) designated staffing levels, (e) if its mortuary facilities are CPA accredited and (f) if it used non-refrigerated and non-compliant temporary facilities in the past two years. [149279]
Mr. Denham: I have placed information on the number of beds in each National Health Service hospital in England in the Library. Hospital mortuaries are accredited as part of National Health Service pathology services; it is not, therefore, possible to identify separately those hospital mortuaries which do not meet accreditation standards. Information is not held centrally on the number of permanent or temporary mortuary facilities, the standards they comply with, or the use of non-refrigerated or non-compliant temporary facilities.
Deceased Patients
Sir Nicholas Lyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish (a) the verbatim guidelines about how dignity and respect for deceased patients should be ensured, as issued by his Department in May 2000, and (b) the letter written by the NHS Chief Executive to all trusts on this subject on Monday 15 January. [149278]
Mr. Denham: The joint Health Service/Local Authority Circular "Winter 2000-01: Capacity Planning for Health and Social Care" (HSC 2000/016: LAC 2000-14) issued on 23 May 2000 stated:
- NHS organisations should work with local councils to ensure that all services involved in the disposal of bodies: medical certification, registration, coroners, funeral directors and burial or cremation services are in place and that adequate out-of-hours services are available.
- NHS trusts should ensure that mortuary capacity is adequate to meet peaks in winter deaths and take steps to provide additional facilities where this is likely to be required. Temporary mortuary facilities must meet minimum standards to respect patients' dignity. Refrigerated vehicles and trailers must not be used.
The letter written by the National Health Service chief executive to all trusts on this subject on Monday 15 January has been placed in the Library.
8 Feb 2001 : Column: 657W
Bedford Hospital
Sir Nicholas Lyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his oral statement of 16 January 2001, Official Report, column 201, on Bedford Hospital, if he will place in the Library the parts of the final report as delivered to his Department which were left out of the version which is in the Library. [149277]
Mr. Denham: The investigation was carried out by civil servants from the Eastern Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive, which is part of the Department. The report was therefore written within the Department and copies of the final report have been placed in the Library.
Non-residential Services
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the statutory guidance to be issued on charges for non-residential services. [149365]
Mr. Hutton: We plan to issue the statutory guidance on charges for home care and other non-residential social services in the spring.
Health Expenditure
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for (a) Great Britain and (b) each health authority area, the expenditure on health by weighted head of population, expressed in real terms, for each year since 1997 for which figures are available. [149436]
Mr. Denham: Expenditure on health per weighted head of population for England, and for each health authority area in England, from 1997-98 to 1999-2000, expressed in real terms, is shown in the tables. Information relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
1. Figures for 1997-98 and 1998-99 have been shown in real terms, with 1999-2000 as the baseline, using the GDP deflator.
2. Expenditure is taken from Health Authority Annual Accounts or Summarisation Forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in each year. The expenditure is the total spent on the purchase of healthcare by the Health Authority. The majority of General Dental Services for all three years and an element of drugs expenditure for 1997-98 and 1998-99 is not included in the health authority accounts and is separately accounted for. All drugs expenditure is included in the 1999-2000 figures.
3. Figures differ from those provided at Official Report, vol.352, columns 358-60W, as pharmaceutical services expenditure was excluded in the former answer to assist comparability. Comparability is not possible in this answer owing to the difference in reporting resulting from the formation of primary care groups. The GDP deflator and base years are also different between the answers.
4. Where N/A appears in the table, this refers to the result of the mergers of Cambridge and Huntingdon, East Norfolk and North West Anglia Health Authorities to give Cambridgeshire and Norfolk Health Authorities on 1 April 1999.
Sources:
Health Authority audited accounts for 1997-98 and 1998-99.
Health Authority audited summarisation forms for 1999-2000.
Weighted population estimates for 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
General Domestic Product (GDP) Deflator for 1997 to June 2000 calculated from Office for National Statistics data for GDP.
8 Feb 2001 : Column: 659W
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 691.22 |
| 1998-99 | 707.89 |
| 1999-2000 | 757.22 |
Notes:
1. Figures for 1997-98 and 1998-99 have been shown in real terms, with 1999-2000 as the baseline, using the GDP deflator.
2. Expenditure is taken from the health authority summarised accounts which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in each year, and from the accounts of the Dental Practice Board for General Dental Services and the Prescription Pricing Authority for Pharmaceutical Services.
3. Figures differ from those provided at Official Report, vol.352, columns 358-60W, owing to the use of the GDP deflator and different base years.
Sources:
Summarised account of the health authorities 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
Weighted population estimates for 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
General Domestic Product (GDP) Deflator for 1997 to June 2000 calculated from Office for National Statistics data for GDP.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |