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Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses have been recruited to Worthing
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and Southlands Hospitals Trust; and, of these, how many have been recruited from overseas and from which countries. [53321]
Ms Blears [holding answer 29 April 2002]: Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust has advised that the figures for the last two years are as follows:
| Total nursing staff recruited | Overseas recruitment (percentage) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | (32)202 | (33)25 |
| 2001–02 | (34)221 | (35),(36)67 overseas nurses (30 per cent.) |
(32) Of which 72 were nurse assistants.
(33) Philippines 12 per cent.
(34) Of which 59 were nurse assistants.
(35) 65—Philippines.
(36) 2—South Africa.
Source:
Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust.
Acute Services (East Kent)
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with the review of acute services in East Kent; and when he expects it to make a decision. [52978]
Ms Blears [holding answer 29 April 2002]: The Kent and Medway health authority considered the options for the configuration of acute services in East Kent on 16 April. Their recommendations will be put to Ministers shortly.
Kent Ambulance NHS Trust
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason he has forbidden the Kent Ambulance NHS Trust to recruit substantively to senior management positions. [52980]
Ms Blears [holding answer 29 April 2002]: It is for the new Kent and Medway strategic health authority to determine if senior posts, currently vacant, should be filled during the period of the review of ambulance services.
As the hon. Member is aware, health authorities, together with their primary care trusts, will review the position of their local ambulance services. They will make recommendations to the director of health and social care for the south, by September 2002, about how ambulance services should be organised in the future.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with the review into the Kent Ambulance NHS Trust; and when it is expected to be complete. [52979]
Ms Blears [holding answer 29 April 2002]: As announced on 15 January 2002, health authorities, together with their primary care trusts, will review the position of their local ambulance services. They will make recommendations to the director of health and social care for the south, by September 2002, about how ambulance services should be organised in the future.
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Nursing Care
Mr. McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how the allocation of free nursing care outside hospital is monitored; [53461]
- (2) what avenues exist for individuals and their relatives to appeal when (a) claimants are not adequately assessed for nursing care and (b) when necessary items are excluded and then subjected to charging and means-testing; [53462]
(3) what mechanisms exist within the NHS to ensure that nursing care outside hospital is free. [53460]
Jacqui Smith: Guidance was issued to the national health service and to councils with social service responsibilities on 25 September 2001 under cover of HSC 2001/17: LAC (2001)26. The National Health Service (Nursing Care in Residential Accommodation) (England) Directions 2001 direct the national health service to carry out these functions. Copies of the guidance and the directions are in the Library.
From 1 October 2001, the NHS became responsible for determining the need for care by a registered nurse of all people who pay the full costs of their nursing care themselves and for arranging payments to nursing homes. Budget responsibilities lie with the nursing home co-ordinator and professional responsibilities with a lead nurse. From that date nobody should have to pay for the care that they need from a registered nurse. This corrects the anomaly of people in a nursing home having to pay for the care from a registered nurse that would have been provided free of charge in any other setting.
All new residents entering homes after that date will have had their needs reviewed within three months and 12 months thereafter. It is open to anyone—the resident, their family or the nursing home—to seek a review of any determination made if they feel it does not accurately reflect the person's need for a registered nurse. The lead nurse may arrange for a further determination to be carried out. If anyone remains dissatisfied, the matter can be referred to the health authority's continuing care panel for a decision to be reviewed.
Residents of nursing homes should have access to services from the NHS and local authorities on the same basis as they would if they were in any other setting. Local authorities continue to be able to charge for some of the services that they provide. For residents of care homes providing residential care and those receiving care in their own home, NHS services are provided free of charge directly by the community nursing service. In the case of nursing home residents, nursing homes are paid for the care from a registered nurse that a person needs and which they provide.
BCG Vaccination
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities do not provide the BCG vaccination. [38683]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 28 February 2002]: The Government have recommended continually since 1953 that BCG vaccine should be routinely offered to all school children aged 10 to 14. These recommendations are set out in the book "Immunisation against infectious disease" (1996).
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The national schools BCG programme resumed in March 2001 following a period of suspension from September 1999 due to limited supplies of the vaccine. However, routine BCG vaccine is currently not being offered to school children in Oxford, Avon and York/Selby.
The Department will be working with all health authorities to ensure that they comply with the policy in the coming school year.
NHS Professionals
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that accurate comparisons can be made of the costs of NHS Professionals and commercial nurses' agencies. [41727]
Mr. Hutton: Agency framework agreements are currently being put in place with commercial agencies providing temporary staff to the national health service.
These will clearly set out each agency's charging rates, and allow cost comparisons with NHS professionals, who charge a standard management fee of 7 per cent. to cover operational costs.
Private Finance Initiative
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes he plans to make to the development of private finance initiative schemes. [53229]
Mr. Hutton: The Department issued guidance on 21 March 2002 which sets out a number of initiatives that are designed to speed up private finance initiative (PFI) procurement and ensure that the national health service obtains the best value from the current market.
The guidance entitled "Improving PFI Procurement" can be found on the dedicated Department's PFI website at www.doh.gov.uk/pfi
The operation of the PFI process will continue to be monitored and refined to ensure it makes its contribution to the modernisation of the NHS set out in the NHS plan.
Locums
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress with including locums on health authority supplementary lists. [53226]
Mr. Hutton: Health authorities and primary care trusts have until 31 May 2002 to complete the initial compilation of their supplementary lists.
Provisional information provided by health authorities indicates that sufficient numbers of non-principals had applied to join supplementary lists, at 31 March, to maintain the existing level of support provided by this section of the work force to General Medical Services.
Waiting Times
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for routine endoscopies was in the last 12 months. [53231]
Mr. Hutton: We do not collect waiting times for endoscopy. The NHS cancer plan sets out new goals to reduce waiting times for cancer patients. The target is that
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by 2005 no one should wait longer than two months from urgent general practitioner referral to beginning cancer treatment except for a good clinical reason or through patient choice. This target period includes the time for necessary diagnostic tests including endoscopy. Data collection on the waiting times to treatment targets will be introduced as we roll out the cancer plan waiting times targets.
£2.5 million over three years has been made available within the national cancer plan to train more GPs, nurses, surgeons and gastroenterologists to meet the rising demand for endoscopy. This training will increase the number of diagnostic investigations that will be able to be carried out as an aid to diagnosis for patients with suspected cancer.
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