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2 Dec 2002 : Column 614W—continued

Mental Health (Nottingham)

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist mental health beds for young people are provided by the Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust. [84033]

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Mr. Lammy: There are 12 specialist mental health beds for young people in Nottinghamshire.

NHS Funding

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding for the NHS per head of population was spent on primary care and secondary care in (a) North Staffordshire, (b) the West Midlands and (c) on average in England in 2001–02. [83547]

Mr. Hutton: Information on the expenditure per weighted head of population on primary, secondary and total healthcare in North Staffordshire Health Authority, West Midlands Region and England is shown in the table.

2001–02 expenditure on primary and secondary healthcare per weighted head of population
£ per head

PrimarySecondaryTotal
North Staffordshire HA199.86691.34891.20
West Midlands region212.88616.79829.67
All England207.75603.49811.24

Notes:

1. In many health authorities there are factors which distort the expenditure per head. These include:

the health authority acting in a lead capacity to commission healthcare on behalf of other health bodies;

and asset revaluations in NHS trusts being funded through health authorities.

For these reasons expenditure per head cannot be compared reliably between health authorities.

2. Allocations per weighted head of population provide a much more reliable measure to identify differences between funding of health authorities.

3. Expenditure is taken from audited health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year. The expenditure is the expenditure on primary, secondary and total healthcare by the health authority and by the primary care trusts within each health authority area. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust summarisation forms and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board. An element of pharmaceutical services expenditure is accounted for by the Prescription Pricing Authority and not by health authorities.

4. Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting in 2001–02 where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. This has been removed to provide comparability in the answer as far as possible.

Sources:

1. Health authority audited summarisation forms 2001–02

2. Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2001–02

3. Weighted population estimates 2001–02

4. Regional comparisons are all based on those existing in 2001–02


NHS Plus

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clients NHS Plus has served since November 2001; and what has been its total income. [84092]

Mr. Lammy: NHS Plus providers are a network of 115 occupational health departments in the national health service in England selling services to non-NHS employers. Each occupational health department is

2 Dec 2002 : Column 616W

autonomous and their finances are managed by their individual trust. Detailed information on the number of clients and income is not collected centrally.

NHS Trusts

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made on the implications of the deficits of the (a) South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust and (b) Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust. [83517]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 26 November 2002]: Departmental officials in the Directorate of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Midlands and East of England and West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority (StHA) are working closely with both Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust and South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust (PCT) to minimise the deficit forecast for the end of the financial year 2002–03. The PCT is conducting a review of services to consider more efficient ways of provision in the acute, community and primary care sectors. As part of the normal monitoring process undertaken by the DHSC and StHA, the organisations are producing longer-term financial strategies within their service development plans for 2003–04 to 2005–06, as required by all health economies nationally.

NHS Trusts (Compacts)

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of NHS trusts have signed up to local compacts; [84096]

Mr. Lammy: The Department is determined to see all national health service organisations in England signed up to a geographically relevant local compact by 31 March 2004. Information from the NHS in the list shows the following NHS trusts and primary care trusts have signed up to local compacts, as at 29 November 2002.

NHS trusts and primary care trusts


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Nurses (Recruitment)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with which developing countries the NHS has an agreement to recruit nurses (a) directly and (b) through commercial agencies. [84890]

Mr. Hutton: The Government have agreements to recruit nurses from the Philippines, India and Indonesia. University hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire national health service trust have an agreement to run a pilot to recruit nurses from China.

In addition, NHS employers are able to establish exchange programmes for nurses from developing countries, in line with the guidance on nursing recruitment.

The NHS does not work with commercial agencies to recruit directly from developing countries.

Nurses (Redbridge)

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he intends to improve the recruitment and retention of nurses in Redbridge. [80537]

Mr. Hutton: The National Health Service set targets to increase the workforce in the NHS. Figures released earlier this year show that between September 1999 and September 2001, an extra 20,740 nurses joined the health service.

New targets were set by the Government, in the 2002 budget, to recruit 35,000 nurses and this will become part of the continuing drive to recruit more health professionals for the NHS.

2 Dec 2002 : Column 618W

Both Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust and Redbridge Primary Care Trust are actively pursuing policies to recruit additional nursing staff. There has been an increase of eight extra nurses in primary care and community settings.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust has had an active international programme in place since 2001 and currently 85 nurses from the Philippines are now working in the trust, with plans to welcome a further cohort next month. 75 per cent. of the recently qualified registered nurses across a range of services have successfully been recruited locally, with an expected 40 newly qualified registered nurses commencing employment within the trust in January 2003.

Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and

Metabolism

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work of the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism. [84017]

Mr. Lammy: The Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, which was launched by the then Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras, in January 1999, makes an important contribution to research in diabetes and other endocrine diseases.

Patient Advocacy

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that the Patient Advocacy and Liaison Service provides carers with information about the discharge of patients and the support services available to their carers; and if he will make a statement. [84234]

Mr. Lammy: Patient advice and liaison services are available to provide a range of information to patients, carers and their families, including information on discharge arrangements and support services. Such information is also available from other units in trusts and through general practitioners.


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