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Essex Health Authority

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of implementing the management changes associated with the creation of the Essex health authority. [28498]

Ms Blears: The creation of Essex health authority from 1 April 2002 is part of the national programme of implementing shifting the balance of power encompassing changes to the national health service at national, regional and local level. Taken together these changes will release £100 million of savings from reducing bureaucracy.

NHS Asset Sales

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the disposal of land and buildings and other assets deemed surplus to requirements by three star NHS trusts in England will require the consent or approval of other bodies. [28673]

Mr. Hutton: When the national health service performance ratings for acute national health service trusts were published in September 2001, a number of earned autonomy freedoms were announced for the top performing hospitals. Three star trusts are able to retain £5 million, instead of the current £1 million, of the receipt from land sales without the need for a business case.

In accordance with the Department's Estatecode these NHS trusts are still required to refer proposed disposals to NHS Estates who will provide an informed client overview of those disposals.

Health Cost Claim Form

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has plans to simplify form HC1, entitled Claim for Help with Health Costs. [28972]

Ms Blears: Form HC1 has been designed to collect the information necessary to calculate a person's entitlement to help with health costs. We have no plans to amend it.

Nurses (Buckinghamshire)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many nurses are employed in each of the hospitals located in Buckinghamshire health authority; [30057]

31 Jan 2002 : Column 554W

Ms Blears: Information on nursing staff in the Buckinghamshire health authority area is currently only available for 2000, this is shown in the table.

NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS): Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff by organisation and qualification within the Buckinghamshire health authority area as at 30 September 2000

Whole-time equivalentsHeadcount
All nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff3,5505,390
Qualified2,6803,830
Unqualified8701,560
Aylesbury Vale Community Healthcare NHS Trust6601,120
Qualified380610
Unqualified280510
Buckinghamshire HA
Qualified(42)(42)
Milton Keynes Community Health NHS Trust400520
Qualified300360
Unqualified110150
Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust6601,100
Qualified530800
Unqualified130300
South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust1,1401,720
Qualified890 1,270
Unqualified250450
Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust640880
Qualified540720
Unqualified100160
Two Shires—Northampton and Bucks Ambulance NHS Trust
Qualified4050

(42) Five or less and greater than zero

Notes:

1. Figures exclude learners and agency staff

2. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten

3. Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts

Source:

Department of Health non-medical work force census


Data at 30 September 2001 will be available shortly.

For the number of vacancies, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 4 December 2001, Official Report, columns 182–83W.

31 Jan 2002 : Column 555W

Christmas-day Working

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff were required to work on Christmas day 2001 as a percentage of the normal staffing levels. [30939]

Mr. Hutton: Information on the number of national health service staff working or required to work on Christmas day is not collected centrally.

The Department's work force censuses collect the number of staff working for the national health service in England, once a year at 30 September 1 .


Pay Beds

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will estimate the (a) gross income to the national health service provided by pay beds and (b) income net of the cost to NHS capacity of the provision of pay beds in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available; [30990]

Mr. Hutton: The Department does not hold information centrally on the number of pay beds in the national health service. Laing and Buisson, who publish reviews on the independent healthcare sector, estimate that as of mid-June 2001 there were approximately 3,000 pay beds in the NHS, around 1,400 of which were in dedicated private patient units (PPUs). The remaining 1,600 beds were in ordinary NHS wards.

There are no national estimates on the income and related costs of pay beds in the national health service. Each NHS trust is responsible for ensuring that the income received for pay beds covers the direct costs involved plus a contribution towards overheads.

Figures for gross and net income solely for pay beds is not collected centrally. The Department does collect gross income information under the headings of 'non-NHS private patients' and 'non-NHS other'. No information is available on a net basis. 'Non-NHS patients' includes all income received and receivable for patient care services from private patients. 'Non-NHS other' includes a number of sources such as prescription charges in trusts, Road Traffic Act income (1996–97 only), amenity bed charges, income from overseas patients which are not covered by reciprocal agreements and income from the capital hip care Centre (from 1998–99).

Totals of the gross income for these two categories for the last five financial years are shown in the table.

31 Jan 2002 : Column 556W

£000

Year Non-NHS patientsNon-NHS other
1996–97235,733153,384
1997–98273,232169,566
1998–99290,840216,677
1999–2000304,826224,187
2000–01316,627265,953

Source:

NHS Trust Summarisation Schedules 1996–97 to 2000–01.


Multiple Sclerosis Drugs

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent discussions he has had with the drug companies about the cost of beta interferon; [31195]

Ms Blears: Discussions are continuing with the manufacturers of the four disease modifying drugs for multiple sclerosis. These discussions are dependent upon the final guidance about these drugs from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions his Department has had with the (a) MS Society, (b) manufacturers and (c) neurologists, about options for continuing the availability of beta interferon and glatiramer within the NHS; when he expects those discussions to be concluded; and if he will make a statement concerning the timing of a trial; [13108]

Ms Blears: Discussions are continuing with the manufacturers of the four disease modifying drugs for multiple sclerosis. These discussions are dependent upon the final guidance about these drugs from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.


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