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Learning Disabilities
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has given to the learning disability partnership boards regarding the need to establish intentional community provision in Hampshire under the provisions of the Valuing People Paper. [22275]
Jacqui Smith: On 31 August 2001, the Department issued statutory guidance on implementing the proposals set out in "Valuing People". This confirms that local councils must give people with learning disabilities a genuine opportunity to choose between a range of housing, care and support options that include village and intentional communities. Copies of the guidance (Health Service Circular 2001/016: Local Authority Circular (2001)23) are available in the Library.
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The guidance also states that learning disability partnership boards should work with councils and other bodies to ensure that a local housing strategy for people with learning disabilities and related plans for commissioning care and support packages is developed by winter 2002–03.
Wanless Report
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the identified spending for mental health referred to in the Wanless report will be allocated to (a) preventive interventions, (b) increased use of atypical antipsychotic drugs, (c) increased staffing and (d) spending on capital projects; and if he will make a statement. [22619]
Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's pre-Budget statement has made clear the need to secure substantial additional resources to ensure a modern health service across all clinical areas. There is no doubt that increases in national health service expenditure over the next decade will see substantial increases in spending on mental health including preventive interventions, increased use of atypical antipsychotic drugs, increased staffing, and spending on capital projects. We are studying the Wanless report with great interest and it will be an important source of analysis and information in the allocation of resources to the service.
Mental Health (Children)
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school-age children suffer from mental health problems; and if he will make a statement. [22489]
Jacqui Smith: A survey of the mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain was carried out in 1999 by the Office for National Statistics on behalf of the Department, the Scottish Health Executive and the National Assembly for Wales. The intention was to provide up-to-date baseline information on the prevalence of mental disorders among 5 to 15-year-olds. Prevalence rates were produced for the three main categories of mental disorder, for example conduct disorders, hyperactivity and emotional disorders.
Key findings on prevalence were:
- about 10 per cent. of children aged 5–15 in Great Britain had a mental disorder in 1999;
5 per cent. had conduct disorders (eg aggressive and antisocial behaviour), 4 per cent. had emotional disorders (eg anxiety, depression) and 1 per cent. were hyperkinetic (inattention, overactivity);
mental disorders were significantly more common in boys than girls in both the 5–10 and the 11 to 15-year-old age groups.
Diabetes
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the proposed funding for diabetes care outlined in the interim Wanless report is broken down; and if he will make a statement. [22766R]
Jacqui Smith: We published the standards for the Diabetes National Service Framework on 14 December, with the delivery strategy to follow in summer 2002. Funding decisions for the period 2003 to 2005 are the subject of the current spending review.
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Anti-TNF Therapy
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the availability of anti-TNF therapy within the NHS. [22739]
Jacqui Smith: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising the two main drugs involved in this therapy, etanercept (enbrel) and infliximab (remicade). Until NICE has completed its appraisal, national health service bodies have been advised to use existing arrangements to determine local prescribing policies, using the publicly available evidence to inform their decision.
Health Pay Review
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the reports and recommendations of the health pay review bodies. [24096]
Mr. Milburn: I am responding on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the reports of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) and the Review Body on Nursing staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine (NPRB), which are published today. I understand that a similar announcement is being made by the Minister for Health and Community Care in Scotland, and the Minister for Health and Social Services in Wales. Copies of the reports are available in the Vote Office and the Library. I am grateful to the chairmen and members of both Review Bodies for their hard work.
The pay recommendations of the two Review Bodies are being accepted in full and without staging.
Nurses, midwives and health visitors are to get an across the board increase of 3.6 per cent. Some 45,000 of the lowest paid nursing support staff on grade A will benefit from a minimum cash uplift of £400 giving them pay rises of up to 4.3 per cent. Non registered staff on grades A and B will also have access to an additional incremental point if they achieve National Vocational Qualifications.
On call and standby payments increase by 50 per cent. while Psychiatric and Regional Secure Unit Allowances are increased by 32 per cent. Other cash based allowances are increased by 3.6 per cent.
London Allowances will be increased by 3.6 per cent. and the earnings related element will be consolidated into a new rate of £3,228 for all nursing staff working in inner London irrespective of their earnings.
This year additional action has been targeted to support clinical leadership in the national health service. Staff undertaking matron roles will have access to an increased maximum salary up to £32,760. The lowest three incremental points on the Nurse Consultant scales will be deleted giving a new minimum rate of £33,940. Nurse Consultants will potentially be able to earn up to £46,675.
On top of these increases the extension of the geographic coverage of Cost of Living Supplements from 1 April 2002 to a further six health authorities will result an estimated 20,000 more qualified NPRB staff benefiting from additional increases worth between £400 and £600.
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The minimum starting pay of a newly qualified nurse will rise to £16,005, in Inner London starting pay for a new nurse will be £19,873, including London Weighting and the Cost of Living Supplement.
The NPRB has also recommended an across the board increase of 3.6 per cent. for physiotherapists, radiographers and other allied health professionals within its remit. The lowest increment of the basic grade will be deleted with the assimilation arrangements for all existing basic grade staff. Starting pay for newly qualified staff will increase by 7.5 per cent. on 1 April 2002 to £17,115 or £21,028 in London, inclusive of London Weighting and the Cost of Living Supplement. Cash based allowances are increased in line with awards made to nursing staff.
The Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) has recommended an overall pay increase of 3.6 per cent. for salaried doctors and dentists and general dental practitioners. In addition the DDRB has recommended adjustments to the pay scales, including increases in the scale maxima, for senior house officers, associate specialists, staff grade practitioners, and dental officers, and an extension in the dentists' commitment scheme worth around an extra £5 million per year.
For general medical practitioners it has recommended an increase in the amount to be delivered through the fee scale of 4.6 per cent, together with an increase in the out of hours supplement for GP registrars from 30 per cent. of basic salary to 50 per cent.
The pay rise recommended by the DDRB takes the starting consultant salary to £52,640 and that of a consultant on the maximum of the scale with maximum distinction award to £133,585. The number of distinction awards has also been increased by 186 which will support the Government's proposals to reform the existing schemes to give more opportunity to reward consultants for their commitment and contribution to the NHS.
These above inflation increases are fair and reflect the important contribution that these key staff are making to delivering the modernisation agenda outlined in the NHS Plan.
Psycho-geriatricians
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psycho-geriatricians there were in England in each of the last five years; and how many will be in post by 2004. [23290]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All staff | 640 | 710 | 760 | 820 | 860 |
| of which: | |||||
| Consultants | 230 | 240 | 270 | 310 | 330 |
Note:
Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Department of Health medical and dental work force census.
The number of trained specialists in old age psychiatry is projected to increase by at least a third by 2004.