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Occupational Health (NHS Staff)
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of occupational health provision for NHS staff. [63832]
Mr. Lammy: Data collected by the Department in 1999 show that all national health service staff in the hospital sector have access to occupational health services. In 60 per cent. of NHS trusts these services are provided in house, while the other 40 per cent. buy in services from neighbouring NHS organisations. The NHS Plan announced a further £21 million of funding for the extension of occupational health services to general practitioners and their staff.
In order to address this the Department has issued service delivery standards for occupational health as part of the improving working lives standard. The effective management of occupational health and safety services in the NHS was issued in November 2001, and is available in the Library. The Department is currently working with occupational health providers on further standards related to pre-appointment checks.
More than half of NHS occupational health units that also provide services to small and medium sized enterprises through NHS Plus. In these trusts the chief
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executive has signed a declaration that services to staff are already of an adequate standard and will not be affected by implementing NHS Plus. A percentage of income generated through NHS Plus is reinvested in improving occupational health services to NHS staff.
Colchester Primary Care Trust
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects that the Colchester Primary Care Trust will achieve fair weighted capitation; and if he will make a statement. [64222]
Mr. Lammy: We will announce allocations to primary care trusts for the three years 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06 in the autumn. Our aim is to move primary care trusts towards their fair shares determined by the weighted capitation formula as quickly as practicable.
Correspondence
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter of Dr. Seward of Milford on Sea of 12 May. [63830]
Jacqui Smith: The Department has no record of receiving this correspondence. The Department's Ministerial Correspondence Unit is seeking a copy of this correspondence.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells, of 2 May requesting a meeting to discuss the MRI scanner facilities at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS trust. [58610]
Ms Blears [holding answer 25 May 2002]: A reply was sent on 25 June 2002.
Respite Care
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many respite care places were available in each year since 1997 (a) in Wiltshire and (b) in England. [63829]
Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of respite care places is not available centrally.
Delayed Discharges
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there are in the Portsmouth, South constituency that are waiting to leave; and if he will make a statement. [64478]
Ms Blears: Information on delayed discharges is collected at health authority rather than constituency level. All available information has been placed in the Library. Figures for Quarter 4 of 2001–02 show that the former Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire health authority area had 97 delayed discharges.
The Government recognise that delayed discharges are a problem across the south-east. Health and local authorities are working together to take action to improve the situation. In October 2001 the Government announced an extra £300 million in the "Cash for Change" initiative to tackle bed blocking in 2001–02 and 2002–03. Last year Hampshire received over £2 million, this year over £5 million.
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Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there were in (a) North Yorkshire and (b) England in the last three months. [63082]
Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave her on 26 June 2002, Official Report, column 976W.
Non-executive Directors
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are for non-executive directors of PCTs. [64339]
Mr. Lammy: The national health service appointments commission is responsible for non-executive appointments to the boards of primary care trusts (PCTs). PCT boards are themselves now responsible, within certain limits, for determining their complement of non-executive members. As a result, the chief executive of the appointments commission wrote to all PCT chairs on 14 June to establish the planned size of their board for 2002 and the number of new non-executives they would like the commission to recruit to fill the vacancies. Responses have been requested by 30 July.
Parkinson's Disease
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what funding the Government are making available to provide specialist nurses to treat Parkinson's disease in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement; [64448]
- (2) how many specialist nurses to treat Parkinson's disease there are in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement. [64447]
Jacqui Smith: We do not hold information centrally on the skills profile of nurses at either a local or national level. We understand from the Parkinson's Disease Society however, that there are currently 134 of these nurses in post.
Funding is allocated to health authorities so that they can take decisions about the staff and services they need to provide to meet the health needs of their local populations. Funds are not earmarked centrally to support the funding of particular staff groups.
Residential and Nursing Care
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost per person of care for is (a) residential care and (b) nursing care broken down by local authority. [64388]
Jacqui Smith: The table shows the average cost per person per week of residential and nursing care for 2000–01 broken down by local authority in England as reported by councils to the Department. Information on unit costs by client group is available on the key indicators graphical system, a copy of which is available in the Library.
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