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Defibrillators
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new automated defibrillators will be installed in public places in the current financial year. [58301]
Yvette Cooper: By 31 March 2002 the "Defibrillators in Public Places Programme" had seen 487 Automated External Defibrillator devices installed at a total of 64 sites across England, including airports, mainline railway stations, bus and coach stations, and large shopping complexes.
The current financial year will see the installation of a further 205 units.
Family Centre Places
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many family centre places are provided by local authorities. [56957]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Richard House Children's Hospice
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much central Government funding is being given to the Richard House Children's Hospice. [56963]
Yvette Cooper: Information on levels of funding for individual hospices is not collected centrally. Funding for hospices is a matter for arrangement between the hospice concerned, primary care trusts and local authorities. Hospices may also apply to the new opportunities fund which has a specific initiative to support and develop palliative care services for children, for which £48 million has been made available.
Waiting Lists
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were waiting over six months on the in-patient waiting list in each month since January 2001. [56961]
Mr. Hutton: The table shows the total number of patients who have been waiting over six months for elective admission.
21 May 2002 : Column 313W
| Month ending | Patients waiting longer than six months |
|---|---|
| 2001 | |
| January | 262 |
| February | 251 |
| March | 243 |
| April | 256 |
| May | 268 |
| June | 264 |
| July | 265 |
| August | 271 |
| September | 274 |
| October | 259 |
| November | 244 |
| December | 256 |
| 2002 | |
| January | 256 |
| February | 243 |
| March(38) | 238 |
(38) On 3 May 2002 the Department of Health issued a press release about malpractice in the management of waiting lists at the Royal United Hospitals Bath (reference 2002–0211). This malpractice is now known to have affected the accuracy of the figures for long waiters reported by the trust for end March 2002.
We have sampled records for patients that could have been long waiters and have been able to confirm 25 over 15 month waiters. Based on this we estimate that there would be 180 such cases in total, but allowing for uncertainty the 95 per cent. confidence interval suggests this could be as high as 280.
Source:
Department of Health form QF01
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether waiting list data is collected centrally, in England and Wales, for the period between diagnosis and treatment for cancer. [57020]
Yvette Cooper: The NHS Cancer Plan sets out new goals to reduce waiting times for cancer patients including a target of a maximum one month wait from diagnosis to treatment for breast cancer by December 2001. Central monitoring of performance against this standard began on 1 January 2002 and figures will be published quarterly, with the first data due in June 2002. The Cancer Plan also sets the target that by 2005 no one should wait longer than one month from diagnosis to first treatment except for a good clinical reason or through patient choice. We are currently putting in place data collection mechanisms to show performance against this target.
Hypothermia
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of hypothermia there were in Tyne and Wear in each year since 1997. [56933]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the table.
Admissions to national health service hospitals in England for hypothermia patients resident in Newcastle and north Tyneside health authority, Gateshead and south Tyneside health authority and Sunderland health authority.
21 May 2002 : Column 314W
| Number of cases | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 10 |
| 1997–98 | 16 |
| 1998–99 | 15 |
| 1999–2000 | 10 |
| 2000–01 | 19 |
Note:
Data in this table are adjusted for both coverage and unknown/invalid clinical data, except for 2000–02 which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.
Intermediate Care Beds
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the additional intermediate care beds are in (a) general and acute hospitals, (b) cottage hospitals, (c) patients' own homes, (d) care homes and (e) bed-and- breakfast accommodation. [56962]
Jacqui Smith: A breakdown of the number of additional intermediate care beds by setting is not available centrally. However, the Department is not aware of any intermediate care service being provided in bed-and-breakfast accommodation. Intermediate care services provided in patients' own homes do not count as "beds".
Vulnerable Adults
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2002, Official Report, column 1179–80W, what complex issues in the health care aspects of the protection of vulnerable adults scheme have caused the delay in implementation. [57090]
Jacqui Smith: The Care Standards Act 2000, which sets out the legal basis for the protection of vulnerable adults scheme, defines 'vulnerable adult' in terms of the 'services' received. These services are to be prescribed in regulations and it has been important to ensure that as many vulnerable adults as possible are protected within the legal framework of the Care Standards Act.
Colposcopy
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) women and (b) women from the Asian community have used the community-based colposcopy service in Luton. [56938]
Yvette Cooper: Figures for uptake of the community- based colposcopy service in Luton are not collected by ethnic group.
Out-of-area Referrals
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many out-of-area referrals were made in the NHS in each of the last five years. [56949]
Mr. Hutton: Information on the number of referrals made under the out-of-area treatment arrangements is not available centrally.
Nurses
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used to decide which NHS nurses in Mid
21 May 2002 : Column 315W
Essex will receive the new living allowances; and whether auxiliary nurses without an NVQ qualification will receive the allowances. [56490]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 15 May 2002]: From 1 April qualified nurses (grades C and above) in Essex are eligible for cost of living supplements of up to £600 per year.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation he has had with nurse managers concerning the return of nurses to the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [56652]
Mr. Hutton: Ministers meet front line staff regularly, including nurse managers to discuss recruitment, retention and return.
In addition, on 5 February 2002 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State held a meeting on recruitment, retention and return attended by a number of nurse managers from the national health service.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified health visitors are available to supervise the return of nurses to the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [56710]
Mr. Hutton: This information is not collected centrally.
Local work force development confederations organise return to practice programmes, in conjunction with higher education institutes and local national health service organisations. This includes the organisation of supervising work placements.
The Department is working closely with the Community Practitioner and Health Visitor Association to look at ways to extend efforts to bring health visitors back into the NHS.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent consultation he has had with health visitors as to the supervision of nurses returning to the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [56654]
Mr. Hutton: Ministers meet front line staff regularly, including health visitors to discuss recruitment, retention and return.
At the Community Practitioner and Health Visitor Association (CPHVA) conference in November 2001, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State emphasised the Government's commitment to bring health visitors back to the national health service. The Department is currently working with the CPHVA to take this work forward.
In addition, on 5 February 2002 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State held a nursing summit on recruitment, retention and return attended by the director of CPHVA.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of those nurses who have indicated they wish to return to the NHS he calculates have home commitments that prevent them from attending the necessary out-of-area training sessions; where such courses are available; how long they are; what the cost of the courses was in the last 12 months and if he will make a statement. [56712]
21 May 2002 : Column 316W
Mr. Hutton: Information about the home commitments of potential returners is not collected centrally.
Work force development confederations organise and fund a range of part-time, full-time and distance learning return to practice courses which may vary in length, according to the needs of the returner and the vacancies available.
Return-to-practice courses are free to the returner, who is entitled to financial support of at least £1,000 while retraining. Further financial assistance is available to cover the costs of books and travel. The returners package also offers child care support where needed.
In 2001–02, the Department distributed a total of £11 million to work force development confederations to fund return-to-practice initiatives and refresher training. 4,385 health care professionals returned, of which 3,763 were nurses, midwives and health visitors. An additional 2,030 health care professionals are on their way back in.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses who wish to return to the NHS have so far been offered places; how long on average they have been out of practice; and if he will make a statement. [56709]
Mr. Hutton: This information is not collected centrally.
Since the first recruitment campaign in 1999, over 10,000 qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors have returned to the national health service.
71 per cent. of nurses who contacted the NHS in 2001–02 about returning practised more than five years ago. No further breakdown is collected.
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