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31 Oct 2002 : Column 934W—continued
HEALTH
Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of accident and emergency wards in England; and if he will make a statement. [76255]
Mr. Lammy: Improving patients' experience of emergency care is a Government priority.
The NHS Plan set the target to reduce the maximum wait in accident and emergency (A&E) from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge to four hours or less by 2004. By the time of the first milestone in March 2002, 77
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per cent. of all patients attending A&E in England spent four hours or less in A&E. This slightly exceeded the milestone which was set at 75 per cent.
To help meet the NHS Plan target, the Reforming Emergency Care Strategy was launched in October 2001. This is a long-term programme of reform and investment to provide fast effective treatment in a modern and safe environment.
Community Equipment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the 10 most frequently prescribed items of community equipment are. [78057]
Jacqui Smith: Community equipment is prescribed according to local needs and priorities. We do not keep a central count.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new targets have been introduced to speed up the delivery of community equipment and the time taken to make minor adaptations. [78059]
Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, made a statement to the House on 23 July 2002 concerning services for older people. He announced that by December 2004, all items of community equipment will be delivered within seven working days. This target will also apply to minor adaptations made by community equipment services.
Correspondence
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter to him dated 13 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Anne Franke. [78043]
Mr. Milburn: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 21 October.
Draft Mental Health Bill
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will recommend that the Draft Mental Health Bill be considered a Special Standing Committee. [74876]
Jacqui Smith: The Government would look favourably on the idea of referring the Bill to a Special Standing Committee, as this would be helpful to examine the Bill in detail and enable us to take further evidence from many parties.
Enuresis
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to promote the availability of drinking water and adequate toilet facilities in schools to combat enuresis. [78095]
Mr. Miliband: I have been asked to reply.
The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 specify the toilet facilities required in all schools. They also state that a school shall have a wholesome supply of water for domestic purposes including a supply of drinking water. We are also planning to disseminate good practice advice to schools and local education
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authorities on drinking water provision in the light of the health risks associated with not drinking enough water.
Inpatient Treatment
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting for inpatient treatment in each trust area in England at the latest available date; and of these, how many had been waiting for (a) 0 to 2, (b) 3 to 5, (c) 6 to 8, (d) 9 to 11, (e) 12 to 14 and (f) 15 plus months in each case. [77155]
Mr. Hutton: Information on the number of patients waiting for inpatient elective admission by months waiting, as at 31 August by national health service trust and primary care trust has been placed in the Library.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his assessment is of the forward revenue commitments for each of the next three years for each of the ring-fenced grants paid by his Department to local authorities in 2002–03 . [78312]
Jacqui Smith: It is for individual local authorities to decide what forward commitments to enter into in respect of ring-fenced grant expenditure and this information is not available centrally.
Children in Care (Educational Standards)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many looked-after children have obtained (a) no GCSEs, (b) one A-G GCSE, (c) five A-G GCSEs, (d) one A*-C GCSE and (e) five A*-C GCSEs in each year since 1997; and what target his Department has set for educational standards for looked-after children in each of those years. [78427]
Jacqui Smith . The Government has established the following national public service agreement targets.
Increase to 50 per cent. by 2000–01 the proportion of children leaving care aged 16 and over with a GCSE or GNVQ qualification; and to 75 per cent. by 2002–03.
Increase to 15 per cent. by 2003–04 the proportion of children leaving care aged 16 and over with five GCSEs at grade A*-C.
The number of children who ceased to be looked after in England during the years ending 31 March 2000 and 2001, aged 16 and over, by qualifications achieved is set out in the following table. Information is not available prior to March 2000.
| 2000 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|
| No GCSEs | 4,800 | 4,200 |
| 1 A*-G GCSE | 2,000 | 2,400 |
| 5 A*-G GCSE | 1,300 | 1,600 |
| 1 A*-C GCSE | 890 | 1,100 |
| 5 A*-C GCSE | 270 | 300 |
| Total care leavers | 6,800 | 6,600 |
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Mental Health Advocacy
Dr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent advice he has given to PCTs concerning the funding of mental health advocacy. [77107]
Jacqui Smith : Final decisions on funding for 2003–04 will be made in the autumn as part of the work on primary care trust allocations and central budgets, as such no announcements or advice on this funding have yet been made.
NHS Expenditure
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on NHS magazines, briefings and literature in 2001–02. [75142]
Mr. Lammy: A breakdown of expenditure by National Health Service organisations on NHS magazines, briefings and literature could be supplied only at disproportionate cost as the information is not held centrally.
Nursing Leaders
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many structures identifying nursing leaders with responsibility for older people have been developed as part of the milestones set out in the National Service Framework for Older People, page 172. [78424]
Jacqui Smith: Information about progress against the April 2002 milestones set within the national service framework for older people is currently being collected.
One-stop Primary Care
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding is available from his Department for investment in 100 One-Stop Primary Care centres in (a) all and (b) rural England; and how much was spent in (i) 2000–01, (ii) 2001–02 and (iii) 2002–03 to date in (A) all and (B) rural England. [78407]
Mr. Hutton: The NHS Plan announced that up to #1 billion will be invested in primary care facilities to substantially refurbish or replace 3,000 general practitioner premises and provide 500 one-stop primary care centres, of which 100 are expected to provide services accessible to rural populations, by 2004.
In August 2002 an announcement was made that #22 million of public capital was to be used to accelerate 100 one-stop primary care centre schemes for completion in 2003.
Overseas Surgical Teams
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas surgical teams have been brought to the UK by the NHS; where they have worked; and how many operations they have carried out. [78096]
Mr. Hutton: The national health service has brought six overseas clinical teams to the United Kingdom. The
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team at Central Middlesex hospital has carried out 516 general surgical operations. The team at Hillingdon hospital has carried out 350 orthopaedic operations. The team at South Tyneside NHS trust has carried out 39 orthopaedic operations. The team at east Somerset has carried out 12 general surgical operations. The team at Morecambe Bay hospitals NHS trust has carried out 313 cataract operations. The team at mid-Staffordshire carried out two cataract operations.
Prison Health Care Workers
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prison health care workers have acquired an NVQ in custodial care. [77999]
Jacqui Smith: There are 36 prison health care workers currently enrolled on the custodial care National Vocational Qualification. They will transfer to the new custodial health care NVQ when this NVQ has been accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
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