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22 Oct 2002 : Column 257W—continued
Acute Services Trusts
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those NHS acute services trusts which operate hospitals more than 50 miles apart, listing the number of beds in service at each such hospital. [76111]
Mr. Hutton: The only National Health Service trust that falls into the over 50-mile category is United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Information on the number of beds in service at each of the relevant hospitals is shown below:
| Hospital | Bed numbers and type |
|---|---|
| Gainsborough | Nil |
| Spalding | 28 healthcare and elderly |
| Skegness (in A&E Minor) | 3 acute recovery |
| Grantham | 190 acute |
| Lincoln | 700 acute |
| Louth County | 140 acute |
National Service Framework for Older People
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many councils have reviewed their eligibility criteria for adult social care to ensure they do not discriminate on the basis of age as part of the milestones set out in the National Service Framework for Older People. [75702]
Jacqui Smith: Following publication of the Fair access to care services guidance in May 2002, councils are in the process of reviewing their eligibility criteria for adult social care. They should have completed their reviews and be ready to operate revised eligibility criteria by April 2003. By implementing the guidance councils will fulfil the first stage requirement of standard one of the national service framework for older people with respect to rooting out age discrimination.
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Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) specialist multi-disciplinary teams and (b) interfaces for care for older people throughout hospitals have been identified as part of the milestones set out in the National Service Framework for Older People; [75704]
- (2) how many strategic and operational plans, including initial action to address identifed age discrimination, he (a) has received and (b) expects to receive as part of the milestones set out in the National Service Framework for Older People; [75706]
(3) how many of the intermediate care joint investment plans have been agreed, as set out in the National Service Framework for Older People milestones; [75700]
(4) which general hospitals have (a) submitted and (b) not submitted plans to introduce a specialised stroke unit by 2004 as part of the milestones set out in the National Service Framework for Older People. [75705]
Jacqui Smith: Information about progress against the April 2002 milestones set within the national service framework (NSF) for older people is currently being collected.
National Health Service organisations have not been asked to submit centrally their plans to tackle any age discrimination identified in their audits of age-related policies, their intermediate care investment plans, or their plans to introduce specialised stroke units. Monitoring against the NSF milestones will provide the information needed centrally about progress in these areas.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation his Department has undertaken with housing and social services to ensure that the Better Care, Higher Standards charter is working, as set out in the milestones of the National Service Framework for Older People; and what areas of the charter have been found to have shortcomings. [75703]
Jacqui Smith: When the national Better Care, Higher Standards charter was published in December 1999, we undertook to carry out a review of its effectiveness after three years. We plan to complete this review by March 2003. This will include consultation with representatives of local councils.
Microbiologists
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many microbiologists were employed by the NHS; and what the vacancy rate for microbiologists was in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) region and (b) trust. [75707]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Emergency Readmissions
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what target he has set to reduce emergency readmissions into hospital. [75712]
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Jacqui Smith: The target set for 2002–3 is for no growth in emergency readmissions from the 2001–2 baseline of 5.4 per cent.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the budget of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services over each of the last three years; and what the budget for CAMHS will be for each of the next three years. [75713]
Jacqui Smith: In the three years to the end of March 2003 we will have invested an additional #105 million in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provided by health and social services. On 16 October my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, announced that CAMHS would receive an additional investment of #140 million over the next three years through increased grants to social services.
In addition we have just set, in the priorities and performance framework, new capacity assumptions for health and social care which require a 10 per cent. per annum increase in CAMHS.
Bioterrorism
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the most recent assessment of the risk of a bioterrorist attack against the UK. [75191]
Mr. Hutton: There is no evidence of a specific threat. The Department has contingency plans to respond to the deliberate release of a biological agent and keeps these plans under constant review.
General Practitioners
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners in the south-east are operating a closed-list policy. [75503]
Ms. Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP surgeries in (a) London and (b) South East England have (i) opened and (ii) closed in each of the last five years. [75524]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Adur, Arun and Worthing PCT
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements for profit-related pay and bonuses have been made for senior executives of the Adur, Arun and Worthing PCT. [75514]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: I am advised by Surrey & Sussex Strategic Health Authority that no performance related pay or bonuses have been paid to senior executives at Adur, Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners left their positions in the Adur, Arun and Worthing PCT area in the last year; and why. [75500]
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Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Numbers | |
|---|---|
| Sept 2000–Sept 2001(35) | |
| England | 1313 |
| of which: | |
| Adur, Arun & Worthing PCT | 7 |
Notes:
(34) UPEs includes GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried.
(35) Leavers are defined as those UPEs reported in the Department of Health's annual GP census in one year but not in the following year.
Leavers will include both career breaks and wastage.
Data based on censuses as at 30 September 2000 & 2001
Source:
Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.
Information on the reasons for leaving is not collected.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners vacancies are open in the Adur, Arun and Worthing PCT area. [75501]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: The information requested is not collected centrally.
NHS Overseas Nurses' Advice Line
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much it cost to establish the NHS Overseas Nurses' Advice Line. [75560]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 21 October 2002]: The cost of setting up and training staff for the National Health Service Overseas Nurses' Advice Line was #7,767.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses and (b) non-medical staff are employed on the NHS Overseas Nurses' Advice Line. [75561]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 21 October 2002]: There is a pool of non-medical call operators who are employed on behalf of a number of clients that handles calls to the NHS Overseas Nurses' Advice Line. In addition, there is a dedicated team of staff with health careers expertise who are able to offer advice on supervised practice and National Health Service careers.
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