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Neurology
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce the (a) scope and (b) content of the National Service Framework on neurological conditions. [31880]
Jacqui Smith: The scoping event held in November with a wide cross section of stakeholders provided some very helpful material, relevant both to the scope of the National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions (NSF) and to considerations about how to develop it. The NSF project team will advise Ministers shortly about refining the scope of the NSF and identifying the specific conditions to be included. The Department expects to announce details of the scope and content of the NSF later this year.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out for each NHS (a) region, (b) health authority and (c) trust the (i) mean, (ii) mode and (iii) median waiting time for a first appointment to see a neurologist in each quarter for the last four years. [31877]
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Mr. Hutton: The data requested are being prepared by the Department and will be published in full shortly. Waiting times data are available on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/waitingtimes.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many neurologists there were in England, broken down by region, in the last five years; and how many he estimates there will be in post in the next five years. [31878]
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Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
Our current supply projections expect an increase of around 75 trained specialists to be available to take up consultant posts in neurology by 2005, an increase of 23 per cent.
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All staff | Consultant | All staff | Consultant | All staff | Consultant | All staff | Consultant | All staff | Consultant | |
| England | 620 | 260 | 640 | 280 | 640 | 300 | 660 | 300 | 690 | 330 |
| Northern and Yorkshire | 80 | 30 | 80 | 30 | 70 | 30 | 70 | 30 | 70 | 40 |
| Trent | 40 | 20 | 50 | 20 | 50 | 20 | 50 | 20 | 60 | 20 |
| West Midlands | 50 | 20 | 50 | 30 | 60 | 30 | 70 | 30 | 70 | 30 |
| North West | 70 | 30 | 70 | 30 | 70 | 30 | 80 | 40 | 80 | 40 |
| Eastern | 50 | 20 | 50 | 20 | 50 | 20 | 60 | 30 | 60 | 30 |
| London | 220 | 90 | 230 | 100 | 220 | 100 | 200 | 100 | 210 | 100 |
| South East | 90 | 40 | 90 | 40 | 100 | 50 | 100 | 50 | 110 | 60 |
| South Western | 40 | 20 | 40 | 20 | 40 | 20 | 40 | 20 | 50 | 20 |
Note:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Where regions are shown, staff holding appointments in more than one region are included separately in each region. The sum of regional totals therefore differs slightly from the England total and a direct comparison between England totals and regional totals is not advised.
Source:
Department of Health medical and dental work force census
Acquired Brain Injury
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to improve community-based rehabilitation services for those with an acquired brain injury. [16820]
Ms Blears: In February 2001, the Department announced a National Service Framework for long-term conditions would be developed, with a particular focus on the needs of people with neurological disease and brain and spinal injury. The NSF will try to encompass all aspects of care including rehabilitation, and ensure fair and appropriate access to these across the country.
The Health Select Committee report on head injury rehabilitation, and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline for the initial assessment, management and first referral of patients with head injury are likely to inform the development of the NSF.
In-patient Treatment (Bedfordshire)
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give (a) the number and (b) the percentage of patients in Bedfordshire waiting over 12 months for in-patient treatment in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2001. [19737]
Ms Blears [holding answer 3 December 2001]: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Quarter 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 2001–02 | |
| Total patients waiting for in-patient treatment | 12.267 | 10,304 |
| 12+ waiters | 641 | 779 |
| Percentage of 12+ waiters | 5.23 | 7.56 |
Source:
KH07 quarterly return/monthly returns
NHS Dentistry (Braintree)
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists were providing NHS treatment in the Braintree district in (a) 1979, (b) 1989, (c) 1997 and (d) 2001. [21755]
Ms Blears: The total number of general dental service dentists who carry out the majority of their work in North Essex health authority area which includes the Braintree district is shown in the table for 30 September in the years 1997 and 2001.
Comparable data for 1979 and 1989 are not available. Before April 1990, Essex Family Practitioner Committee covered the areas of North Essex and South Essex health authorities. Data for this area are given for 1979 and 1989 and also for the later years for comparison.
| Year | North Essex HA | North and South Essex HAs(39) |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | n/a | 319 |
| 1989 | n/a | 430 |
| 1997 | 285 | 496 |
| 2001 | 319 | 566 |
(38) Dentists who do the majority of their work in the area. Excludes dentists who do most of their work in other areas.
(39) Before April 1990, Essex Family Practitioner Committee (FPC) covered the areas of North Essex and South Essex health authorities.
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Public Relations Consultants
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by (a) his Department and (b) bodies for which it is responsible on external public relations consultants in each of the last four years. [27394]
Ms Blears: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Refurbishment
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the cost of buildings refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last four years. [27962]
Ms Blears: The estimate of the cost of buildings refurbishment carried out by the Department, its executive agencies and executive non-departmental public bodies in each of the past four complete financial years is shown in the table.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 2,290 |
| 1998–99 | 2,023 |
| 1999–2000 | 5,778 |
| 2000–01 | 5,002 |
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This does not include refurbishment work carried out within the national health service nor the cost of fitting out of any new properties prior to occupation.
Ambulance Service
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average number of (a) emergency and (b) non-emergency calls per year handled by each ambulance service was in (i) England, (ii) South-west England and (iii) South-east England; and what is the number per thousand population in the last 12 months. [28227]
Ms Blears: Information for all ambulance national health service trusts, by regional office area, about the number of emergency calls received in 2000–01 that resulted in an emergency response arriving at the scene of the incident is shown in the table. The rate per thousand population is also included. Information about non-emergency calls is not available in the form requested.
(40) Excludes duplicate calls to the same incidents.
(41) Part of a community Trust
Source:
Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimates for 2000
Department of Health KA34 return, Statistics Division SD2B
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Information about non emergency patient journeys and other requests for transport, together with more detailed information about response times to Government targets for all NHS ambulance trusts are contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin "Ambulance Services, England 2000–01". A copy is in the Library and available on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/ public/sb0115.htm.
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