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Human Rights Act Compliance
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 46W, on Human Rights Act 1998 compliance in hospitals, how many complaints made on human rights grounds have been made by detained patients through the NHS complaints procedures. [44772]
Jacqui Smith: This information is not held centrally.
NHS Service Reviews
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of services have been reviewed in line with Government policy in the handbook "Better Quality Services" since September 1999. [45726]
Ms Blears: The Department has reviewed approximately 25 per cent. of its services and activities since September 1999 in line with Government policy in the handbook "Better Quality Services" (BQS).
However, since March 2001 specific BQS activity has been overtaken by a fundamental review of the Department, which covered all its services and activities.
This has been carried out in the spirit of BQS in line with Government policy and has generated a programme of change that focuses on our delivery contract and aims to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Correspondence
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was, for each year since 1995, the average response time for providing a substantive answer to (a) hon. Members' correspondence, (b) correspondence from members of the public and (c) written parliamentary questions in the (i) Commons and (ii) Lords. [7046]
Ms Blears: The available information is in the table.
| Percentage of replies sent | ||
|---|---|---|
| to MPs within service first targets of 20 day | members of the public within service first targets of 20 days | |
| 1995 | 79 | |
| 1996 | 87 | |
| 1997 | 76 | 4 |
| 1998 | 61 | 63 |
| 1999 | 47 | 56 |
| 2000 | 50 | 80.5 |
| 2001 | 60 | 87.5 |
I regret that comparable data about parliamentary questions is not readily available in the form requested because the record management database from which it is drawn is currently not reliable, for the reasons set out in the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
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Delayed Discharge (Barrow and Furness)
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharge patients there are in the Barrow and Furness constituency waiting to leave hospital. [45263]
Jacqui Smith: On 17 March 2002, there were 52 delayed transfers of care recorded at Furness general hospital in Barrow. Of these, 32 awaited placement in a nursing or residential home; seven were awaiting completion of assessment; six were waiting for NHS non-acute care; five were there for reasons of patient choice and two for other reasons.
The number of delayed transfers of care in Cumbria is being reduced with the additional funds allocated to Cumbria county council as part of "Building Capacity"
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and the implementation of the report of the Change Agents, which was commissioned by the Department of Health. This improvement is expected to continue through 2002–03.
Personal Care
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates his Department has made of the total cost of making the provision of personal care for retired people free. [45508]
Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave my hon. Friend for Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) on 7 March 2002, Official Report, column 542W. In making estimates, we have assumed that only a small proportion of self-funders in residential care are of working age, so that the vast majority of the costs relate to older people.