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Resource Allocation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the components of the weighted capitation formula used to allocate resources to PCTs. [50794]
Mr. Hutton: We currently allocate funding to health authorities, and they allocate funding to primary care trusts (PCTs), on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each health authority and PCTs fair share of available resources, to enable them to commission similar levels of services for populations in equal need.
The formula has the following components: hospital and community health services; HIV/AIDS; general practice infrastructure, i.e. practice staff wages, premises and equipment; general practice prescribing, i.e. drug costs of prescriptions dispensed not dispensing fees; and general medical services non-cash limited.
In future the intention is that allocations will be made direct to primary care trusts. This is subject to the passage of legislation through Parliament. Allocations will continue to be based on the principle of weighted capitation.
Speech Therapists
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech therapists are employed (a) by the
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national health service and (b) by each NHS trust in England and Wales; what the equivalent figures were for the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [51058]
Mr. Hutton: Information relating to Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.
The available information for England has been placed in the Library.
Between 1997 and 2001 the number of speech and language therapists working in the NHS has increased by 810 (11 per cent.) and the number of training places available for students has increased by over a hundred since 1998. There will be further increases in the number of students entering training as a result of the NHS Plan commitment to provide 4,450 more training places each year for therapists and other health professionals by 2004. The increased investment in training, work to make the NHS a better employer and encourage return to practice will result in a continued increase in the number of speech therapists available to work in the NHS.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the recruitment and retention of speech therapists. [51059]
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Mr. Hutton: The Government are implementing a range of measures to improve recruitment and retention of all staff, including speech and language therapists. These include an increase in pay, encouraging the national health service to become a better employer through the 'Improving Working Lives' and 'Positively Diverse' programmes, increasing training commissions, reducing student attrition, running national and local recruitment and return to practice campaigns. Further information on 'Improving Working Lives' is available at www.doh.gov.uk/iwl.
Strategic Health Authority Personnel
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list names of the chairperson and chief executive of each strategic health authority in England. [50022]
Mr. Hutton: The names of the chairperson and chief executive of each of the new health authorities established on 1 April 2002 is shown in the table. Subject to legislation, it is expected that the new health authorities will be designated strategic health authorities from the autumn of 2002.
| Health authority | Chairperson | Chief executive |
|---|---|---|
| Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA | Ms Anthea Millett | Mr. Mark Outhwaite |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA | Mr. Ian White | Ms Jane Herbert |
| Birmingham and the Black Country HA | Mrs. Elisabeth Buggins | Mr. Geoff Scaife |
| Cheshire and Merseyside HA | Mrs. Judith Greensmith DL | Mrs. Christine Hannah |
| County Durham and Tees Valley HA | Mr. Tony Waites | Mr. Ken Jarrold |
| Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire HA | Mr. Charles Goody | Mr. Mike Marchment |
| Cumbria and Lancashire | Mrs. Kath Reade | Mr. James Pearce Butler |
| Dorset and Somerset HA | Mrs. Jane Barrie | Mr. Ian Carruthers |
| Essex HA | Mr. Michael Brookes | Mr. Terry Hanafin |
| Greater Manchester HA | Mr. Philip Smith | Mr. Neil Goodwin |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA | Mr. Peter Bingham | Mr. Gareth Cruddace |
| Kent and Medway HA | Miss Kate Lampard | Mrs. Candy Morris |
| Leicester, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA | Sir Richard Tilt | Mr. David Sissling |
| Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA | Mr. Stewart Francis | Mr. Peter Houghton |
| North Central London HA | Ms Marcia Saunders | Ms Christine Outram |
| North East London HA | Professor Elaine Murphy | Ms Carolyn Regan |
| North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA | Professor David Johns CBE | Mr. David Johnson |
| Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA | Mr. Peter Carr CBE DL | Mr. David Flory |
| North West London HA | Ms Jane Kelly | Professor Ron De Witt |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire HA | Mr. Michael Brereton | Professor Bernard Crump |
| South East London HA | Ms Linda Smith | Mr. Duncan Selbie |
| South West London HA | Mr. James Cochrane | Mrs. Julie Dent |
| South West Peninsula HA | Mrs. Judith Leverton | Ms Thelma Holland |
| South Yorkshire HA | Mrs. Kathryn Riddle | Mr. Mike Farrar |
| Surrey and Sussex HA | Mrs. Terese Hawksworth | Mr. Simon Robbins |
| Thames Valley HA | Mrs. Jane Betts | Mr. Nick Relph |
| Trent HA | Mr. Arthur Sandford | Mr. Alan Burns |
| West Yorkshire HA | Sir Alistair Graham | Mr. Richard Jeavons |
Cancer Plan
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much was spent on hospices and palliative care (a) by the voluntary sector and (b) by Government in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [45779]
- (2) how much has been invested in hospices and palliative care under the Cancer Plan. [45780]
Yvette Cooper: Estimates by the National Council for Hospices and Specialist Palliative Care Services indicate total expenditure (1999–2000) on adult palliative care services to be approximately £300 million, of which £170 million was provided by the voluntary sector and £130 million by the national health service.
The NHS Cancer Plan set out our commitment to increase NHS investment in specialist palliative care (including hospices) by £50 million by 2004. This investment is intended to help tackle inequalities in access to specialist palliative care and enable the NHS to increase their contribution to the cost hospices incur in providing agreed levels of service.
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Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the extra training of existing staff as identified in the Cancer Plan. [45769]
Yvette Cooper: Good progress is being made in extra training of NHS staff to help them extend their skills and offer increased support to people with cancer. A number of new initiatives are underway to develop existing NHS roles and to increase the number of training places available so that we meet the NHS Cancer Plan targets to increase the number of cancer specialists. New ways of working pilot projects have been set up in four breast screening centres and nine radiotherapy centres. These are testing and developing new ways to make the best use of the skills and abilities of staff. We are also developing a nationally accredited educational and training programme for cytology-screening.
£6 million has been made available over the next three years to support over 10,000 nurses in primary care (one in four of all district nurses) to take part in new training and support in the general principles and practice of palliative care. The training programme will help district and community nurses to support people with cancer in remaining at home for as long as possible during their illness. £2.5 million has also been made available to train additional staff in endoscopy procedures. We will also be introducing new joint training across professions in communication skills.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the five-a-day programme under the Cancer Plan. [45771]
Yvette Cooper: Progress has been as follows:
The National School Fruit Scheme—the first pilots were launched in November 2000 covering 33 schools, the spring pilots were subsequently launched in February 2001, and covered 500 schools across the country. £42 million from the New Opportunities Fund will fund the expansion of the scheme from this month, when another 1,899 schools, within the west Midlands region will be included in the scheme, and thereafter on a termly basis further regions will come on board.
Five-a-day community initiatives—following the successful evaluation of the five-a-day pilot sites, a further £10 million has been provided from the New Opportunities Fund, to support more five-a-day community initiatives. The funds have been allocated to 66 areas, based on deprivation and need.
These schemes are being reinforced by the other measures set out in the NHS Plan and Cancer Plan, including involvement of the food industry and other Government Departments, a communications programme, to increase awareness to the health benefits, and a means of monitoring the impact on the targeted population.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in recruiting the extra (a) cancer specialists, (b) nurses and (c) radiographers identified in the Cancer Plan. [45777]
Yvette Cooper: The table shows good progress in increasing the number of doctors and radiographers working in cancer services. This increase means the
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national health service is on track to hit the target set out in the Cancer Plan of nearly 1,000 extra cancer consultants by 2006. Separate figures are not available for cancer nurses, but the Department's Census shows that since the launch of the NHS Plan in September 1999 until September 2001 there was a net increase in nurses working in the NHS of 20,740. This increase will enable the recruitment of additional cancer-site specific nurse specialists, chemotherapy nurses, palliative care nurse specialists and additional nurses on cancer wards.
NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Nursing, Midwifery & Health Visiting staff and Scientific, Therapeutic & Technical staff employed in the specified areas of work in England as at 30 September each year.
| 1999 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|
| Consultants | ||
| All cancer specialities | 3,360 | 3,720 |
| Histopathology | 840 | 920 |
| Clinical Radiology | 1,510 | 1,640 |
| Clinical Oncology | 300 | 330 |
| Medical Oncology | 110 | 150 |
| Haematology | 510 | 560 |
| Palliative Care | 90 | 120 |
| Registrar Group | ||
| All cancer specialities | 1,400 | 1,670 |
| Histopathology | 200 | 270 |
| Clinical Radiology | 600 | 730 |
| Clinical Oncology | 170 | 220 |
| Medical Oncology | 140 | 140 |
| Haematology | 240 | 230 |
| Palliative Care | 50 | 80 |
| Radiography | 13,860 | 14,690 |
| of which: | ||
| Diagnostic | 12,300 | 13,040 |
| Therapeutic | 1,560 | 1,660 |
Notes:
Figures are rounded to the nearest ten
Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts
Figures exclude learners and agency staff
As in the NHS Cancer Plan, the figures for "all cancer specialities" covers the six specialities listed in the table.
Source:
Department of Health non-medical workforce census
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
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