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Treatment Costs
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average gross cost in pounds per course of treatment in England for (a) children and (b) adults in 2000–01. [44289]
Mr. Hutton: The costs of courses of treatments for adults and children are not routinely recorded at national level.
The NHS records different elements of care in different ways. Inpatient and day case treatments are counted using Finished Consultant Episodes. In 2000–01, the average costs for an Inpatient Episode and a Day Case Episode are £1,188 and £386 respectively.
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Outpatient attendances are reported separately and reported on a cost per attendance basis. In 2000–01, the average cost per attendance, across all specialties was £78. It is not possible from current data to split these costs between adults and children.
The NHS records activity and costs at a more detailed level than the aggregate costs shown above. The average unit costs of individual treatments, procedures and types of appointments etc. for each NHS provider are collected annually. From this data national average unit costs are produced and published annually. This detailed cost and activity data is published in the Reference Costs publication and can be combined in various combinations to reflect the course of treatment for individual conditions. These costs do not include associated costs incurred in general practice.
Full details of these unit costs for 2000–01 can be found in the Reference Costs 2001 publication located in the Library. This information is also made more widely available through the Department's Internet site at www.doh.gov.uk/nhsexec/refcosts.htm.
Food Supplements
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed EU Directive on Foods and Supplements on the ability of patients who choose to treat themselves to continue to do so; and if he will make a statement. [44271]
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Yvette Cooper: The proposed Directive would establish lists of permitted vitamin and mineral sources and a framework for setting maximum permitted levels. The lists would remain open for seven years pending safety assessments for additional substances, and individual maximum permitted levels have not yet been set. The Directive would not immediately outlaw any products that are currently on the market in the United Kingdom; in the longer term its impact would depend on future developments on additions to the lists and setting of maximum levels.
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he plans to take to implement the EU Directive on Food Supplements; what impact the Directive will have on the continued availability of products that can currently be used; and if he will make a statement. [44288]
Yvette Cooper: The Government intend to implement the proposed EU Directive as agreed, taking full advantage of the opportunity we have secured for Member States to allow continued sale for up to seven years of products containing vitamin and mineral sources not on the permitted lists. The Food Standards Agency is responsible for preparing implementing legislation and will be consulting widely on draft Regulations.
The impact of the Directive on the continued availability of products currently on the market would depend on future developments on maximum limits and lists of permitted nutrients. We are firmly committed to the view that, in the interests of consumer choice, the law should allow food supplements which are safe and properly labelled to be freely marketed.
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received regarding the EU Directive on Food Supplements; and if he will make a statement. [44270]
Yvette Cooper: Several letters and telephone calls have been received recently from industry, consumers and health practitioners such as nutrition therapists. Broadly, these have expressed concerns over the potential for the Directive on food supplements to restrict the availability of some vitamin and mineral supplements, especially those which contain high doses of individual nutrients.
Public Service Agreements
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public service agreements his Department (a) passed and (b) failed to meet in each year since 1999; and if he will make a statement. [44309]
Mr. Hutton: Information about progress on public service agreements targets has been published in the department's Departmental Reports for 2000 and 2001. Further details will be published in the next Departmental Report, due in spring 2002.
Work Loads
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he collates on the average lifetime workload of (a) general practitioners, (b) hospital doctors and (c) nurses. [44282]
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Mr. Hutton: The Department does not currently hold this kind of data. The NHS workforce censuses do identify individuals, and in theory it is possible to track doctors through their working life over time. However, this data source has only existed since 1987, and does not provide enough data to allow us to analyse doctors' whole careers.
This type of analysis may be possible in the future. The Electronic Staff Record, which is anticipated to be fully operational from early 2005, should enable more direct analyses of flows of staff into and out of the NHS. The Department is investigating the practicality of this.
The Department is aware of the importance of participation rates and lifetime working patterns to inform workforce planning. It uses labour force survey data and reviews labour market research to estimate average wastage rates from the qualified workforce. The average wastage rate reveals how many people we might expect to lose from the workforce each year, before we add in the new qualifiers.
Health Ladder Programme
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future arrangements for the Health Ladder programme as it affects Waltham Forest; and if he will make a statement. [45181]
Mr. Hutton: From 1 April 2002, accountability for the SRB Health Ladder Scheme in Redbridge and Waltham Forest will transfer from Redbridge and Waltham Forest health authority to the North East London Strategic health authority.
The scheme's management team will be transferred to the North East London NHS Workforce Confederation.
The team will continue to be based locally in Becketts House in Ilford and the work will continue to be overseen by a local Partnership Board.
Lou Gehrig's Disease
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the United Kingdom by nation and region, are diagnosed as having Lou Gehrig's disease; and what percentage of these are veterans of the Gulf War in the last year for which figures are available. [23207]
Jacqui Smith [pursuant to her reply, 14 January 2002, c. 65–66]: I regret that my previous reply was incorrect.
Lou Gehrig's disease is classified as Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in this country and there are between 5,000 and 6,000 sufferers of MND in the UK. Worldwide, the annual incidence of MND is estimated to be 1.5 new cases per 100,000 people. To date, the Ministry of Defence is aware of four veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict who have been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, three of whom have died. The table shows the hospital admission figures for motor neurone disease in 2000–2001.
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Hospitals (Shropshire)
Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the specialties provided at (a) the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and (b) the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford. [45733]
Yvette Cooper: The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital provides the following inpatient specialties:
- General Surgery
Urology
Trauma and Orthopaedics
ENT
Ophthalmology
Oral Surgery
Anaesthetics
General Medicine
Gastroenterology
Haematology (Clinical)
Cardiology
Dermatology
Medical Oncology
Neurology
Paediatrics
Obstetrics for patients using a hospital bed or delivery facilities
Gynaecology
General Practice with Maternity Function
Radiotherapy.
- General Surgery
Urology
Trauma and Orthopaedics
ENT
Ophthalmology
Oral Surgery
Plastic Surgery
Anaesthetics
Pain Management
General Medicine
Haematology (Clinical)
Dermatology
Neurology
Paediatrics
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Note:
The specialties were present for the year 2000–01. Specialties recorded for fewer than six in-patient episodes have been omitted.
Yvette Cooper: The information is shown in the table.
| Headcount | |
|---|---|
| Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust | |
| Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff | 1,000 |
| of which: | |
| Qualified | 930 |
| Medical and dental staff | 160 |
| of which: | |
| Consultants | 100 |
| Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust | |
| Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff | 480 |
| of which: | |
| Qualified | 420 |
| Medical and dental staff | 140 |
| of which: | |
| Consultants | 40 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Figures exclude learners and agency staff.
Sources:
1. Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
2. Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census.
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