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Nursing Care
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will announce the details of the arrangements to provide free nursing care to elderly people in residential and nursing homes. [518]
Jacqui Smith: Detailed draft guidance on how we plan to implement free nursing care will be issued for consultation shortly.
Correspondence
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to reply to the letters to him dated 8 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr. R. McMorris. [343]
Ms Blears: A reply to my right hon. Friend's letter dated 8 May was sent on 25 June.
Residential and Nursing Care
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out his plans for costs limiting expenditure on the provision of free nursing care as provided for in the Health and Social Care Act 2001. [180]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 25 June 2001]: Detailed draft guidance on how we plan to implement free nursing care will be issued for consultation shortly.
NHS (Surrey)
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting for treatment at East Surrey Hospital, together with the average length of waiting time in (a) May 1997 and (b) May 2001. [146]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 25 June 2001]: East Surrey Healthcare and Crawley Horsham National Health Service Trusts merged in 1998-99 to form the Surrey and Sussex NHS Trust. As waiting times data are collected on
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an aggregated trust basis only and not on a hospital basis, data are not available for East Surrey Hospital. The information for these trusts are given in the table.
| Trust | Total inpatient waiting list | Average (median) waiting times (months) |
|---|---|---|
| June 1997(1) | ||
| East Surrey Healthcare | 4,801 | 3.49 |
| Crawley Horsham | 4,262 | 5.21 |
| Combined data | 9,063 | 4.32 |
| April 2001 | ||
| Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust | 8,377 | 5.07 |
(1) Monthly returns have only been collected since March 1998
Note:
East Surrey Healthcare and Crawley Horsham merged to form one trust (Surrey and Sussex Healthcare) in 1998-99.
Data for the two trusts East Surrey Healthcare and Crawley Horsham for June 1997 have been combined in order to provide comparable data.
Source:
KH07 quarterly return/monthly waiting times returns
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the state of negotiations between Surrey and Sussex NHS Trust and a private nursing home provider concerning the future of Oxted Hospital. [144]
Ms Blears [holding answer 25 June 2001]: Negotiations are still ongoing between Surrey and Sussex Healthcare National Health Service Trust and a preferred private sector provider. An announcement will be made by the trust following the outcome of these negotiations.
Waiting Times
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list his Department's targets with respect to (a) average and (b) maximum waiting times for (i) in-patient appointments, (ii) in-patient treatment, (iii) out-patient appointments and (iv) out-patient treatment. [389]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 25 June 2001]: As part of the National Health Service Plan, the NHS is working towards reducing the current maximum in-patient wait of 18 months to 15 months by March 2002 and reducing the out-patient wait of over six months by March 2002. These targets are part of a staged reduction in waiting times, with in-patient waiting times continuing to fall from 18, to 15, to 12, nine then ultimately six months by 2005. The maximum out-patient waiting time will fall to three months by 2005.
No targets exist for average waiting times; however, as the NHS Plan targets are implemented, all patients will benefit from shorter waiting times, provided that the Government can recruit the extra staff, and the NHS makes the necessary reforms.
Mixed-sex Wards
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will specify the target date for the ending of (a) mixed-sex wards and (b) Nightingale wards. [434]
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Ms Blears [holding answer 25 June 2001]: Our policy is to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation in 95 per cent. of health authorities by the end of 2002. The vast majority of National Health Service trusts are on target to achieve our objectives by the target date.
We are also committed to eliminating Nightingale wards for all older people. £120 million was announced in the Budget, and this will be used over three years to achieve our aims by March 2004.
NHS Vacancies
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP posts are vacant; and how many have been vacant for more than three months. [378]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 25 June 2001]: This information is not available in the form requested. Available information is contained in the Department of Health publication--"General Practitioner Recruitment, Retention and Vacancy Survey 2000 for England and Wales". Copies are available in the Library or alternatively at www.doh.gov.uk/stats/gprrvsurvey.htm.
Special Advisers
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the special advisers in his Department, together with their date of appointment and their responsibilities; which of them are authorised to speak to the media; and if he will make a statement. [436]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 25 June 2001]: I have appointed Professor Paul Corrigan and Darren Murphy as special advisers. Areas of responsibility have yet to be finalised. In its response to the Sixth Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, the Government committed themselves to a new Code of Conduct for Special Advisers and a revised Model Contract. The new Code and Contract apply to all appointments of special advisers made after the Election.
Severalls Hospital, Colchester
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the sale of the former Severalls hospital at Colchester; and if he will make a statement. [227]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 25 June 2001]: The sale of the first phase of the parcels of land in Colchester, near to the Severalls hospital, has been completed. Further phases are currently being marketed as part of a proposed public-private partnership to achieve the National Health Service Plan's objective of a one-off sale of surplus property to help fund the NHS modernisation programme.
Officials are continuing to work closely with the local planning authority regarding the development proposals for the site.
Arthritis
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to allow new drugs to be used in the treatment of arthritis. [779]
Mr. Hutton: Infliximab (Remicade) and etanercept (Enbrel) are currently being appraised by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). Until NICE has
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completed its appraisal, National Health Service bodies have been advised to use their existing arrangements to determine local policies based on the publicly available evidence. NICE expects to issue guidance in October 2001 unless there are appeals against its determination.
Care Home Standards
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the amount of space required to transfer a patient from a bed, couch or trolley, allowing manoeuvres, to an assisted bath under Standard 21.3 of his "National Minimum Standards for Care Homes"; [383]
- (2) what estimate he has made of the costs of implementing Standard 22.2 of the "National Minimum Standards for Care Homes"; and how many homes currently without a passenger lift will have to install one. [384]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 25 June 2001]: National Minimum Standards will ensure that care provision is fit for purpose and meets the assessed needs of residents.
Where residents cannot walk to an assisted bath, sufficient space must be provided to allow safe and manageable transfer from any means used to transport residents to the bath.
The need for provision of particular facilities such as passenger lifts and the costs associated with their installation will vary from home to home.
It will be for the National Care Standards Commission to decide, in the particular circumstances of each home, whether the home conforms to all the standards necessary to meet the assessed needs of the residents.
Wythenshawe Hospital
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will announce his decision on the future of the transplant unit at Wythenshawe hospital. [845]
Mr. Hutton: We will issue a document soon setting out our proposals for the future of the National Cardiothoracic Transplant Service including the transplant unit at Wythenshawe hospital in Manchester. The final decision on the siting of the four national units will be made in the light of comments received and in time for the necessary changes to be completed by April 2002.
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