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Hyperbaric Disorders
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many English patients were treated in Scotland for hyperbaric disorders in each of the last five years. [16844]
Jacqui Smith: Information on English patients treated in Scotland for hyperbaric disorders is not collected centrally.
Hospital Cleanliness Audit
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the score for each element in the external audit of cleanliness for each NHS hospital; [16841]
- (2) if he will publish the external audit of cleanliness for each NHS hospital in each of the 14 specified elements. [16843]
Ms Blears: On 31 October 2001, the Department published the results of the most recent assessments of cleanliness for national health service hospitals. These results reflect the overall standard of the patient environment. The publication of these results is in line with the commitment we gave in the NHS plan to place this information in the public domain.
The score for each element of the external audit of cleanliness for NHS hospitals has been reported to the NHS trusts concerned. The scores must be interpreted in the context of the written recommendations of the patient environment action teams (PEATs). The publication of the score for each individual element alone will not provide a rounded assessment of standards within each hospital.
NHS trusts are still working to complete the implementation of their 2001–02 patient environment action plans and we expect to see continued improvements throughout the coming months. NHS trusts must incorporate the recommendations of the PEATs within their existing patient environment action plans, as a means of delivering further improvements. These improvements will be reflected in raised scores for each element of the inspection process by April 2002.
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Glivec
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pending the National Institute for Clinical Excellence's appraisal of Glivec for chronic myeloid leukaemia patients, what guidance he has given health authorities on prescribing Glivec (a) to those who have been on Novartis' extended access programme, (b) to those who are on the current trial of the drug and (c) to those who have been diagnosed with CML recently and fall under neither (a) or (b). [17160]
Jacqui Smith: A letter about the future provision of Glivec, agreed by Ministers and signed by both Neil McKay, the chief operating officer, and Professor Mike Richards, the national cancer director, was sent on 24 October to all national health service regional directors.
Novartis, the manufacturers of Glivec, are making a limited free supply available for those patients on the Extended Access Programme (EAP). It will then be for health authorities and trust to discuss the funding of the treatment. However, as the letter of 24 October makes clear, there is no question of treatment being withdrawn from patients on funding grounds once EAP supplies end. Treatment should cease only on clinical grounds.
Those patients involved in trials of Glivec will continue to have their treatments funded by Novartis.
For new patients, as with all newly licensed treatments in advance of a NICE appraisal, the Department's advice is that funding authorities should consider the clinical evidence available for a specific treatment before making any decision.
It is expected that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) will publish guidance on Glivec in August 2002.
Emergency Admissions (North-west)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage change in emergency admissions has occurred in NHS trusts in the north-west between 2000 and 2001 to date; and if he will make a statement. [16895]
Jacqui Smith: In the first seven months of 2001, there was an increase of 0.3 per cent. in emergency admissions in national health service trusts in the north-west region compared with the same period in the previous year.
Public Bodies
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list those public bodies to which his Department appoints members and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000; [17591]
- (2) if he will list those public bodies which are the responsibility of his Department and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000. [17592]
Ms Blears: Public Bodies 2000 sets out the information on non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), certain public corporations (including nationalised industries) and national health service bodies. There are four types of NDPB: executive NDPBs; advisory NDPBs; tribunal NDPBs; and boards of visitors to penal establishments. The next edition of Public Bodies will be published
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around the end of the year. Information about task forces, annual reports and ad hoc advisory groups is set out in the annual report, published by the Cabinet Office. Copies of Public Bodies 2000 are in the Library and this publication may be accessed via the Cabinet Office's website (http:/www.official-documents.co.uk/document/ caboff/pb00.htm). Copies of the annual report on task forces and similar bodies have also been placed in the Library and the annual report is also being made available on the Cabinet Office's website.
The following public bodies have been established since the publication of Public Bodies 2000. All the bodies listed are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State who is responsible for all the public appointments made to their boards.
- Advisory NDPBs
- Advisory Committee on Tissue Banking
- Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy
- Independent Review Panel on the Classification of Borderline Medicines
- Social Care Institute for Excellence
- Specialist Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance
- Executive NDPBs
- General Social Care Council
- Tribunal NDPBs
- Prescription Price Control Tribunal
- Special Health Authorities
- Health Development Agency (replacing the Health Education Authority)
- National Care Standards Commission
- National Clinical Assessment Authority
- National Patient Safety Agency
- National Treatment Agency
- National Health Service Appointments Commission
- Retained Organs Commission.
The Department is also responsible for local NHS trusts, health authorities, and primary care trusts, individual details of which are not listed in Public Bodies. Non-executive appointments to these bodies are now a matter for the NHS Appointments commission. Details of all these local NHS bodies as at 1 April 2000, including their non-executive members, are given in the Department of Health Public Appointments Annual Report, a copy of which is in the Library. A copy of the 2001 Public Appointments Annual Report, giving information as at 1 April 2001, will be sent to all hon. Members as soon as it is available. 14 NHS trusts and 25 primary care trusts have been established since 1 April 2001.
Nurses
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the health service spent on hiring agency nursing staff (a) in total and (b) broken down by NHS trust, in (i) 1995–96, (ii) 1996–97, (iii) 1997–98, (iv) 1998–99, (vi) 1999–2000 and (vi) 2000–01; and what the figures were at the latest date for which figures are available. [20184]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 3 December 2001]: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
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The tables contain data that outline the expenditure on non-national health service nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (by NHS trust, health authority and primary care trust) in England, 1995–96 to 2000–01. The non-NHS staff figures include all nurses, midwives and health visiting staff not directly employed by the trusts. We are unable to disaggregate agency nurses. The 2000–01 figures are the latest available and are provisional.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) NHS employed and (b) agency nurses were employed on the Isle of Wight in (i) 1997, (ii) 1998, (iii) 1999, (iv) 2000 and (v) 2001; [17682]
- (2) how much money was spent on agency nurses on the Isle of Wight in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000 and (e) 2001. [17683]
Ms Blears: The number of national health service nurses employed by the Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust is as follows:
| Year | Whole time equivalents |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 570 |
| 1998 | 600 |
| 1999 | 630 |
| 2000 | 670 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
2. Figures exclude learners and agency staff
Source:
Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census
2001 data are not yet available.
Information is not collected centrally on the numbers of agency nurses used or the cost incurred.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing vacancies there are in the NHS in the Buckingham constituency. [17854]
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing vacancies there are in the NHS in Arundel and South Downs. [18319]
Ms Blears: The information is not available in the format requested. Private Hospitals
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of NHS in-patients were treated in private hospitals in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000 and (e) 2001 on the Isle of Wight; and what was the respective yearly cost to the NHS of the treatment. [17684]
Ms Blears: The information requested is not available centrally.
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