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Public-private Partnerships
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the projects which have been considered as potential public-private partnerships since 1997 which have not been undertaken because the public sector comparator had a lower net present value than the public-private partnership proposed; and if he will make a statement. [13454]
Mr. Hutton: Private finance initiative was considered for the eight schemes listed but in each case did not produce a suitable value for money solution:
- Rochdale Healthcare National Health Service Trust (Rochdale Infirmary development)
Royal Berkshire and Battle NHS Trust (consolidation of services)
Central Sheffield University Hospitals NHS Trust (Stonegrove Maternity unit)
Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust (reconfiguration of services)
Thames Gateway NHS Trust (Isle of Sheppey Community Hospital)
Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust (Lymington and New Forest Community Hospital)
Portsmouth Healthcare NHS Trust (mental health facilities)
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (eye care facilities).
Trolley Waits (Leicestershire)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Leicester, East, 24 October 2001, Official Report, columns 306–07W, what statistics are kept on the average waiting time on a trolley before admission to a Leicestershire hospital in the last 12 months. [13546]
Mr. Hutton: Latest published figures show that of the 15,690 patients admitted through the accident and emergency department at University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service Trust between July 2000 and June
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2001, an average of 83 per cent. were admitted within two hours and 92 per cent. were admitted within four hours. Overall average waiting time figures are not calculated.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost of the delay since June to private finance initiative schemes for hospitals. [14248]
Mr. Hutton: Shortlisted bidders at three private finance schemes—Stoke Mandeville Hospital National Health Service Trust, South West London Community NHS Trust (Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton) and Havering Hospitals NHS Trust—have delayed submitting best and final offers since June until development work on a new retention of employment model (ROE), under which ancillary services staff could retain their NHS employment terms but be managed by the private sector, is completed. It is expected that this work will be completed before the end of the year.
No other PFI schemes are at a stage where the ROE development is causing a delay.
Consultants' Hours
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what change in the required number of NHS consultants would result if they were to work only contracted hours; [14041]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the hours in excess of contracted hours worked by NHS consultants in the last five years. [14050]
Mr. Hutton: National health service consultants are employed under a professional contract, in that they do not specify particular hours of work. Whole-time and maximum part-time contract holders have a contractual commitment to devote substantially the whole of their professional time, up to 11 sessions, to their national health service duties. In 1999 a survey by KPMG did, however, demonstrate that both the volume of work and intensity of work, as a whole, had increased since 1990. Intensity pay supplements, amounting to £50 million were therefore introduced from April 2000 to recognise and reward increases in work load, intensity of work and contribution to the NHS.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the change in work load for NHS consultants as a result of the Calman report and the new deal. [14051]
Mr. Hutton: It is not possible to identify the effect of individual initiatives on changes in consultant work load. As well as implementation of the Calman report and the new deal, there have been parallel changes in service management and patient throughput, and changes in the balance of in-patient and day-case clinical work which will have had an effect on consultant work load.
Since the new deal was launched in 1991 there has been an increase in the consultant work force of 7,200 (45.5 per cent.) and since the Calman reforms were implemented in 1996 there has been an increase of 3,800 (19.9 per cent.). There have also been significant increases in the number of trainees and other hospital doctors in the relevant period.
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Annual Budget Settlement
Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the amount of each item of funding over and above the annual budget settlement, made by his Department to (a) Shropshire health authority and (b) other health providers in the country in 2001–02 to date. [14474]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
GP Statistics
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs there were in (a) Berkshire and (b) the Slough primary care trust area in (i) 1992, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 2001. [14320]
Ms Blears: Figures for 2001 are not yet available. Figures for 1992, 1997 and 2000 are shown in the table.
| Area | 1992 | 1997 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire HA | |||
| All practitioners(44) (excluding GP retainers) | 419 | 437 | 456 |
| Unrestricted principals and equivalents(45) | 396 | 425 | 449 |
| Slough PCG(46) | |||
| All practitioners(44) (excluding GP retainers) | — | — | 63 |
| Unrestricted principals and equivalents(45) | — | — | 58 |
(44) All practitioners include unrestricted principals and equivalents, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para. 52 SFA) and PMS Others. GP retainers were first collected in the 1999 census. As at 1 October 1999 there were 12 in Berkshire HA and 0 in Slough PCG. As at 30 September 2000 there were 15 in Berkshire HA and 0 in Slough PCG.
(45) Unrestricted principals and equivalents include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.
(46) The creation of PCGs was announced in 1998, Slough PCG came in to existence in April 1999. It became a trust on 1 April 2001.
Source:
Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics
NHS Funding Formula
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on how the higher travel costs and average basic pay of health workers in rural areas is reflected in the NHS funding formula. [14378]
Mr. Hutton: The Department uses a weighted capitation formula to determine each health authority's fair share of available resources, to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need. The formula weights each health authority's population
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according to their relative need for healthcare and unavoidable geographical differences in the cost of providing healthcare.
Within the formula the staff market forces factor estimates the relative differentials that national health service employers need to pay in order to recruit and retain staff. And the emergency ambulance cost adjustment reflects the unavoidable cost variations of providing emergency ambulance services. This adjustment particularly benefits areas with low population density and lower numbers of journeys than average.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for including rurality as a factor in the NHS funding formula. [14379]
Mr. Hutton: The national health service funding formula weights each health authority's population according to their relative need for health care and the unavoidable geographical differences in the cost of providing health care.
Earlier studies have not identified evidence of need for health care associated with rurality that is not already covered within the formula. However some services cost more to provide in rural areas. An emergency ambulance cost adjustment has been included in the formula since 1998–99.
A review of the formula is currently under way. By 2003 following the review, reducing inequalities will be a key criterion for allocating NHS resources to different parts of the country. The review will include consideration of the health needs of rural areas.
Strategic Outline Cases
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 November 2001, Official Report, column 118W, regarding major capital projects, when he expects to invite the next round of strategic outline cases for hospital building projects. [14347]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 13 November 2001]: There are currently no plans to invite a further round of strategic outline business cases for major hospital building projects. However, Ministers will consider cases outside this round where necessary.
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