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Carers
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will develop a fund to help local authorities produce tailored care packages to back up the results of carers' assessments under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000. [62541]
Jacqui Smith: The development of carers services is being kept under review as part of the overall development of services for older people.
Fostering
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out for each local authority the average amount paid to a foster family per week for each child fostered in each of the last five years. [61338]
Jacqui Smith: This information is not available centrally.
Cardiac Surgeons
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many cardiac interventionists there were in the UK who are able to perform percutaneous coronary interventions using stints; and how many vacancies exist for (a) one month, (b) one to three months and (c) three months or longer; [61360]
- (2) how many cardiac surgeons there are in the UK who are able to perform open heart surgery; and how many vacancies have existed for (a) one month, (b) one to three months and (c) three months or longer. [61367]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
As at September 2001, the number of cardio-thoracic surgeons in England was 204. We are unable to ascertain how many of these surgeons perform percutaneous coronary interventions using stents or open heart surgery.
The three month vacancy rate for cardio-thoracic surgery is shown in the table.
| England | |
|---|---|
| Three month vacancy rates (%) | 1.6 |
| Three month vacancies (wte) | 0 |
| Staff in post | |
| (wte) | 180 |
| (hc) | 200 |
Notes:
1. Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2001 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
2. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the September 2000 medical and dental work force census (whole time equivalent).
3. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest 10, 0 being between 0–5.
4. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
5. Due to rounding calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
Source:
Department of Health Vacancy Survey 2001
Department of Health medical and dental work force Census 2000
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Music Therapy
Mr. Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support his Department gives for the use of music therapy to assist people with disabilities. [62090]
Jacqui Smith: The Department is happy to fund voluntary organisations who have an interest in the use of music therapy to assist disabled people. For instance, the Musicspace Trust received a two-year section 64 project grant in 1999–2000 to 2000–01.
In addition to this, the national health service and councils with social services responsibilities provide a wide range of services for disabled adults and children, and these can include, for example, music or art activities in day centres, but we do not keep detailed central records about these activities.
National Care Standards Commission
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why the National Care Standards Commission has not dealt with requests made by Ravenscroft Nursing Home, Yelverton for dual registration. [61873]
Jacqui Smith: The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) took over responsibility for the regulation of all care homes in England on 1 April 2002, including care homes not previously required to register.
In the case of Ravenscroft Nursing Home, I understand that the current provider is already registered with the NCSC and that a Mr. and Mrs. O'Carroll are applying for registration with the NCSC in order to take over the care home. I understand that there has been some delay in processing the application due to a number of factors. Partly because the original application was submitted on out-of-date registration forms and had to be resubmitted, and, regrettably, because the NCSC mislaid the revised application in the 11,000 received at that time. However, the documentation has now been received and is satisfactory. Mr. and Mrs. O'Carroll's interview with the NCSC has been arranged for 17 June and, once Criminal Records Bureau checks have been received, a final decision will be made about registration.
Adoptions (Macedonia)
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have been adopted from Macedonia in the last 10 years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [62557]
Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect figures on the total number of children being brought from overseas for adoption each year. Figures are only held for those adoptions involving a home study assessment in the UK.
Department records indicate that only one adoption application for Macedonia has been processed in the last 10 years.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the procedures involved in adopting children from Macedonia. [62558]
17 Jun 2002 : Column 154W
Jacqui Smith: The procedures for adopting a child from Macedonia are broadly the same as for adopting a child from any overseas country. Before any person may adopt a child they must first be assessed by an approved adoption agency as being suitable to adopt. As part of the approval process a home study report is prepared and presented to an adoption panel for approval. Following this, the report is then endorsed by the agency's decision maker and forwarded to the Department where a certificate of eligibility to adopt is prepared in line with the Adoption of Children from Overseas Regulations 2001.
In the case of an application to adopt a Macedonian child, the completed home study and the certificate of eligibility to adopt are sent to the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy in Macedonia. The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy will then seek to identify a suitable child for the applicants. If a match is made, the applicants may then make arrangements to travel overseas and adopt the child. The applicants will then apply for entry clearance, in the normal way, to enable them to bring the child into the UK for the purposes of adoption.
On their return to the UK the applicants must notify their local social services department of their intention to adopt with 14 days. As Macedonia is not included on the list of countries whose adoption orders are recognised in the UK, an application will need to be made to a UK court to re-adopt the child.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total savings to public funds of the Private Finance Initiative contract for the old age psychiatry services for the Stockport NHS Trust by comparison with a non-Private Finance Initiative alternative. [49521]
Mr. Hutton: The Stockport National Health Service Trust business case justifying the individual schemes estimated the annual net savings in present value terms (for example all future costs and benefits discounted to their present values) compared with publicly funding the scheme as follows:
| £000 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Private finance initiative | 3,350 | |
| Public | 3,379 | |
| Annual savings in net present value terms | 29 | |
| Percentage difference—0.9 | ||
Correspondence
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden dated 19 February concerning cancelled operations in Hull and the East Riding. [50609]
Mr. Hutton: A reply was sent on 11 June.
Wanless Report
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to expand medical and nursing
17 Jun 2002 : Column 155W
schools as a result of the Wanless report; what estimate he has made of how many extra doctors and nurses will be registered to be trained as a result of the report; and if he will make a statement. [52441]
Mr. Hutton: The report 'Securing our Future Health: Taking a Long-Term View' (the Wanless report) does not make any recommendations on increasing the number of students entering medical or nurse training. The Government and higher education institutions are midway through the process of delivering the increased numbers of students entering medical and nursing training that were announced in 1998 and the NHS Plan. By 2004 the number of students entering nurse training will be 5,500 a year more than in 1999 and by 2005 the number of students entering medical school will be almost 2,150 a year more than in 1997.
Following the spending review settlement announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget, work force plans will be finalised once the public service agreement targets are agreed in summer 2002.
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