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Care Home Beds (Bromsgrove)
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of care home beds lost in the Bromsgrove constituency in (a) the last year and (b) the last two years. [35275]
Yvette Cooper: Information for the Bromsgrove constituency is not available centrally. The number of residential and nursing care homes and beds in Worcestershire is shown in the table.
| Residential care homes | Nursing care homes, hospitals and clinics | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homes | Places | Homes | Places | |
| 1999 | 317 | 3,781 | 104 | 3,226 |
| 2000 | 314 | 3,719 | 100 | 2,831 |
| 2001 | 303 | 3,530 | 98 | 2,670 |
Source: Department of Health annual returns
Standard Spending Assessments
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level in 2002–03 was of (a) personal services SSA per resident, (b) personal social services SSA per resident over 65, and (c) personal social services SSA per resident under 18 years of age for (i) Buckinghamshire, (ii) Milton Keynes, (iii) Oxfordshire, (iv) Bedfordshire, (v) Hertfordshire, (vi) Northamptonshire, (vii) Windsor and Maidenhead, (viii) Hillingdon, (ix) Harrow, (x) Kingston-upon-Thames, (xi) Ealing and (xii) England. [35819]
Jacqui Smith: The personal social services spending assessment figures requested are shown in the table.
| Local authority | Total PSS SSA per resident | Elderly(93) SSA per resident 65+ | Children's SSA per resident 0–17 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckinghamshire | 130.32 | 579.80 | 85.90 |
| Milton Keynes | 146.03 | 759.67 | 143.23 |
| Oxfordshire | 135.29 | 603.92 | 97.66 |
| Bedfordshire | 141.53 | 630.70 | 104.66 |
| Hertfordshire | 162.91 | 708.21 | 109.22 |
| Northamptonshire | 144.77 | 627.09 | 114.75 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 134.57 | 540.98 | 100.16 |
| Hillingdon | 177.96 | 738.64 | 173.77 |
| Harrow | 189.09 | 833.28 | 158.73 |
| Kingston-upon-Thames | 159.03 | 663.26 | 156.73 |
| Ealing | 221.66 | 902.34 | 293.90 |
| England | 184.63 | 703.61 | 169.29 |
(93) Includes elderly residential and elderly domiciliary SSAs
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Landfill Sites (Health Effects)
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent evidence he has received concerning the damaging effects caused to the health of people living near landfill sites. [35632]
Yvette Cooper: The Department is aware of a number of research studies published in the scientific literature, which investigate health outcomes in people living near landfill sites. These have been considered by the Department, which has sought advice from the independent expert advisory committee, the committee on the toxicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment (COT). They felt that it was not possible to draw any definite conclusions regarding possible health effects from these studies and further research was warranted. The most recent statement by the COT is available on the Department's website (www.doh.gov.uk/ landh.htm). The Government have commissioned a programme of work on the impacts on health of landfill sites, details of which are also available on the website, and the Department continues to monitor relevant publications.
Child Care Workers
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 6 February 2002, Official Report, column 1041W, ref 19094, on child care workers, what measures he has taken to ensure that employers of child care workers notify the Secretary of State when they have dismissed a person from a child care position on the grounds of misconduct which harmed a child or placed a child at risk of harm. [35868]
Jacqui Smith: Guidance on the operation of the Protection of Children Act 1999 was published in September 2000 and distributed to a large range of child care organisations. This guidance explains the statutory responsibilities placed on child care organisations to refer names to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in certain circumstances. The guidance continues to be made available and is published at the Department's website for easy access.
Additionally, local authority children's services are regularly inspected by the social services inspectorate. These inspections include scrutiny of the provisions for children's safeguards to ensure the requirements of the Children Act and subsequent legislation and regulations are being implemented.
Care Beds
Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many care beds were (a) closed in the public sector and (b) created in the private sector in each year from 1990 to 1997; [35369]
25 Feb 2002 : Column 997W
- (2) how many care beds have been closed in (a) the private sector and (b) the public sector since 1997; and how many have been created in each sector since 1997. [35370]
Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of home care beds closures or new home care beds is not centrally available. The number of care home beds in independent homes and local authority staffed homes is presented in the table.
| At 31 March | (a) Total number of care beds in independent(94) care homes | (b) Total number of care beds in local authority staffed homes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 310,700 | 120,300 |
| 1991 | 345,000 | 112,600 |
| 1992 | 367,900 | 100,900 |
| 1993 | 385,000 | 90,200 |
| 1994 | 402,900 | 81,200 |
| 1995 | 416,900 | 75,500 |
| 1996 | 429,500 | 72,700 |
| 1997(95) | 468,600 | 65,800 |
| 1998 | 489,500 | 64,000 |
| 1999 | 487,200 | 59,000 |
| 2000 | 483,800 | 55,500 |
| 2001 | 477,100 | 50,900 |
(94) The figures relate to residential care beds in independent residential homes and nursing beds in private nursing homes, hospitals and clinics.
(95) The number of nursing beds in 1997 refers to the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997.
Source:
Department of Health's annual returns.
Drug Administration (School Staff)
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what conditions (a) school nurses and (b) other school staff may administer (i) aspirin, (ii) MMR vaccine, (iii) other vaccines and (iv) the morning after pill without parental consent. [35223]
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Yvette Cooper [holding answer 11 February 2002]: The guidance "Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs" issued by the Department for Education and Skills covers circumstances in which medication may be administered, and underlines the need for a clear policy to be set out, drawn up in partnership with parents. School staff should generally not give aspirin to pupils and never to a child under 12 years of age, unless prescribed. Parents must give consent to their child's participation in any immunisation programme, for which school nurses are responsible. Other school staff do not conduct immunisation programmes.
School nurses may provide prescription only medicines, like the morning after pill, to pupils within the legal framework and arrangements set out in Patient Group Directions. There are no circumstances in which other school staff may supply emergency contraception. The necessity for parental consent to these measures depends on whether or not a child is considered to be competent to give consent. Children and young people are often able to provide their own consent for medication—where they are considered to be competent under the Frazer Guidelines set out in 1985. Involving parents is recognised to be good practice but the primary duty is to the child's best interests.
Secondments
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the names of staff who have been seconded to his Department from the private sector since May 1997, indicating (a) the names of the organisation from which each has come, (b) their responsibilities and Civil Service grades within his Department, (c) the organisation responsible for paying their salary and (d) the start and end dates of their secondment. [35836]
Ms Blears [holding answer 12 February 2002]: Secondments and attachments are part of the Interchange Initiative which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other organisations. Before an interchange can occur all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interest arises.
Details of secondments from the private sector commencing in the years shown are in the table.
Note:
For the secondees to the Private Finance Unit the Department of Health negotiates a reimbursement fee with the individual company to cover the period of the secondment.
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Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were seconded between (a) PWC Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Ernst & Young, (c) Deloitte & Touche, (d) KPMG and (e) Andersen and his Department in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) April 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available. [33867]
Ms Blears: Interchange is a key component of the reform agenda. The Modernising Government White Paper committed us to increasing Interchange, in particular by bringing in more people on secondment and sending more of our people out. Secondments and attachments are part of the Interchange Initiative, which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other organisations. All sectors of the economy are involved: voluntary, education, health, public and private.
Centrally held records indicate that the following secondments have taken place:
- 1999–2000
- A Secondment from Deloitte & Touche to the Department of Health, providing advice to NHS Trusts on legal and financial aspects of PFI contracts.
- 2000–01
- Three secondments from, respectively, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst and Young, and KPMG. In addition there was a reciprocal secondment ("Job swap") from Deloitte & Touche to the Department of Health, with the Deloitte & Touche secondee to the Department being involved in developing PFI policy and approving schemes. The Department of Health secondee to Deloitte & Touche is involved with various NHS Health related projects and research work.
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