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Overseas Treatment

Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases have been referred from the health authorities in Kent for operations abroad in the last 12 months; and of those completed (a) what proportion showed serious post-operative complications and (b) what the cost was in each case. [68859]

Mr. Hutton: Earlier this year East Kent Health Authority referred 96 patients to La Louvière Polyclinique in Lille as part of the pilot scheme to refer national health service patients overseas for routine elective surgery.

Information about post-operative complication rates arising after surgery is not collected centrally from the NHS. NHS organisations may collect and analyse this kind of information, among other indicators of quality, as part of their local clinical governance arrangements designed to assure and continuously improve the quality of care for all NHS patients. The NHS is responsible for ensuring that NHS patients receive high clinical standards of care wherever they are treated.

As is standard practice with contracts between the NHS and independent health care providers, the prices for particular procedures are confidential. The total cost of treatment and travel for the East Kent patients treated during the pilot was approximately £576,000.

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the total cost to date has been of treating NHS patients abroad under contract; [68036]

(2) what assessment he has made of the complication rates arising from (a) treatment carried out abroad under the NHS and (b) NHS treatment in the UK since NHS treatment abroad began. [68035]

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Mr. Hutton: The total cost of treatment and travel for the patients treated between January and April 2002 during the pilot scheme in south east England to refer national health service patients overseas for routine elective surgery was approximately £1.1 million.

Information about "complication rates" arising after surgery is not collected centrally from the NHS. NHS organisations may collect and analyse this kind of information, among other indicators of quality, as part of their local clinical governance arrangements designed to assure and continuously improve the quality of care for all NHS patients. The NHS is responsible for ensuring that NHS patients receive high clinical standards of care wherever they are treated.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Health Ministers of the devolved Administrations on the use of PFI and PPP in the health service. [68073]

Mr. Hutton: No discussions have been held with Health Ministers of the devolved Administrations on the use of private finance initiative and public private partnership in the health service.

Care Homes

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elderly care homes were (a) publicly and (b) privately funded in the last five years, broken down by region. [68526]

Jacqui Smith: Local authority staffed care homes are entirely funded by local authority social services while independent care homes are partially funded by social services through fees towards supported residents. Table 1 shows the number of residential local authority staffed homes and Table 2 the number of independent residential and nursing care homes for older people by national health service region from 1997 to 2001 at 31 March each year.

Table 1: Number of local authority staffed residential care homes for older⁽⁵⁸⁾ people from 1997 to 2001

NHS regions	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Eastern	160	160	140	130	120
London	160	160	140	130	110
North West	220	220	220	200	190
Northern and Yorkshire	250	240	220	220	210
South East	250	210	200	190	180
South West	120	120	120	110	100
Trent	190	170	160	160	150
West Midlands	140	200	160	140	140
Total	1,500	1,470	1,360	1,270	1,190

⁽⁵⁸⁾ Includes local authority staffed care homes for older mentally infirm people.

Notes:

1. Figures at 31 March each year.

2. All figures are rounded numbers.

Source:

Department of Health's annual returns.

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Table 2: Number of independent residential and nursing⁽⁵⁹⁾ care homes for older⁽⁶⁰⁾ people from 1997 to 2001

NHS regions	1997(61)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Eastern	1,510	1,550	1,540	1,490	1,470
London	1,290	1,350	1,340	1,310	1,300
North West	2,720	2,920	2,900	2,840	2,700
Northern and Yorkshire	2,190	2,370	2,340	2,310	2,200
South East	3,630	3,720	3,640	3,430	3,170
South West	3,500	3,120	3,000	2,790	2,680
Trent	1,980	3,030	2,070	2,020	1,950
West Midlands	1,890	1,870	1,820	1,740	1,690
Total	18,700	18,910	18,650	17,910	17,160

⁽⁵⁹⁾ Includes private hospitals and clinics.

⁽⁶⁰⁾ Includes independent residential care homes for older mentally infirm people.

⁽⁶¹⁾ Information on nursing beds relates to registered beds during the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997.

Notes:

1. Figures at 31 March each year.

2. All figures are rounded numbers.

Source:

Department of Health's annual returns.

London Health Authorities

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much was allocated to assist the provision of community mental health services by London health authorities in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002; [69961]

(2) how much was allocated to London health authorities to assist the provision of interpreting and translation services in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001; [69960]

(3) how much was allocated to assist the provision of services for rough sleepers by the London health authorities in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002. [69962]

Mr. Hutton: The national weighted capitation formula, which sets target fair shares for health authorities, includes adjustments for rough sleepers, interpreting and translation services and community mental health services.

However, no specific sums are identified separately in allocations.

Criminal Records Bureau

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) under what circumstances the moment (a) when an employee is confirmed in post, (b) when a provisional offer of a job is given and (c) any offer of employment is given will be the trigger for a registered person to seek a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure; and if he will make a statement. [70313]

(2) how often registered persons will be required to review Criminal Records Bureau disclosures in respect of employees and other affected persons in connection with the Care Home Regulations; and if he will make a statement; [70320]

(3) what investigations his Department made regarding the capacity of the Criminal Records Bureau to process requests for disclosure before he made his regulations for care home standards. [70312]

Jacqui Smith: The Care Homes Regulations require Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks to be satisfactorily completed before a person can be

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permanently employed in a care home. The national care standards commission will need to satisfy itself that appropriate checks have been completed, in order to protect the care home's residents. Subject to this, it is for individual care home owners to decide when to apply for criminal record checks in respect of any person they plan to employ.

There is no statutory requirement to review CRB checks once obtained. However, under the previous regulatory arrangements it was standard practice for further police checks to be undertaken after a three year period in respect of owners, managers and staff in children's homes.

While drafting the Care Homes Regulations 2001, the department kept in contact with the Home Office about the establishment of the CRB. The department was satisfied that the CRB would be able to meet the demands for disclosures. The CRB has experienced early operating difficulties which have lead to delays in responding to applications for Disclosure, measures are being taken to overcome these. We are determined that the CRB will be in a position as soon as possible to meet the high standards of service that it has made clear it will deliver to its customers. The short-term implications for particular service areas using the CRB service are being closely monitored.

Recruitment

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who has responsibility for (a) co-ordinating the international recruitment efforts throughout England's eight regions, (b) ensuring consistent standards and cost-effective best practice in employment, (c) developing agreements between Governments, (d) ensuring international co-operation and the recruitment and exchange of health care professionals and (e) ensuring that developing countries are protected from targeted recruitment. [71505]

Mr. Hutton: The national health service employment branch of the human resources directorate at the department has responsibility for the policies on international recruitment, including issuing guidance to the NHS and establishing government to government agreements.

Workforce development confederations work with the NHS to ensure that recruitment is carried out in line with the Code of Practice for international recruitment and in a cost effective manner.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to his answer of 4 February 2002, Official Report, column 781W, on international recruitment, how many international nurse recruitment agencies (a) have failed to adhere to the code of practice and (b) NHS organisations have been instructed not to deal with; [71573]

(2) when the final list of nursing agencies which comply to the code of practice on ethical nursing recruitment will be posted on his website. [71506]

Mr. Hutton: The Department has written to 45 agencies inviting them to provide references from national health service employers to confirm that they are complying to the principles of the Code of Practice.

The list of agencies who have submitted references will be placed on the website on 1 August.

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Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many international recruitment co-ordinators there are in each NHS region; and what their budget is for (a) 2000–01, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04. [71507]

Mr. Hutton: Work force development confederations employ individuals to lead on international recruitment. Some work force development confederations have pooled resources to appoint co-ordinators across boundaries. The table shows the number of co-ordinators in each directorate of health and social care.

	Number of co-ordinators
South	6
Midlands and Eastern	5
North	5
London	3

The first regional international recruitment co-ordinators took up post late in 2000–01. £6 million was available to them for recruitment, retention and return. In 2002–03, £1 million to date has been devolved to the national health service for international recruitment. Funding for 2003–04 has yet to be agreed.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of the Director for International Recruitment in 2001–02. [71574]

Mr. Hutton: In accordance with the human resources policy of the Department, all staff working for the Department are appraised but the content and outcomes of the appraisal are confidential.

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