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14 Jan 2003 : Column 519W—continued
Cumberland Infirmary
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of elective surgery operations performed at the Cumberland Infirmary related to residents of (a) Scotland and (b) Dumfries and Galloway in the last 12 months. [88596]
Jacqui Smith: During 2001–02, of the 29,130 elective Xfinished consultant episodes" (FCEs) at the North Cumbria Acute Hospitals National Health Service trust, 1.95 per cent., or 570, were residents of Scotland and 1.77 per cent., or 520, were residents of Dumfries and Galloway.
- Note:
- A FCE is defined as a period of patient care under one consultant in one health care provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as one person may have several episodes within the year.
- Figures have not yet been adjusted for shortfalls in data.
- Source:
- Department of Health Hospital Episode Statistics (HES).
NHS Dentistry
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2002, ref 87420, if he will list the dental practices that accept NHS patients in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire. [90134]
Mr. Lammy: The situation as at 10 January is as follows:
One practice in Shrewsbury accepting charge exempt adults and children only:
- David Barker Dental Practice
Other practices in Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin)
- Webb Dental Practice, Dawley
- Albrighton Dental Surgery
Dawley Dental Practice
K. S. Gakhal Dental Practice, Wellington
High Street Dental Practice, Whitchurch
Kearney-Mitchell and Holgate Dental Practice, Whitchurch
- I. S. Clapworthy Dental Practice, Church Stretton
Lyness Dental Practice, Church Stretton
Shifnal Dental Practice
M. J. Davies Dental Practice, Wellington
Source:
- Shropshire County Primary Care Trust
Digital Hearing Aids
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with private companies on digital hearing aids; and whether he has communicated information on his discussions to NHS trusts. [86757]
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Jacqui Smith [holding answer 12 December 2002]: I met with Scrivens, a high street supplier of digital hearing aids, on 19 March 2002.
There have been no discussions between Ministers and private companies who manufacture digital hearing aids. Manufacturers of moderate powered digital hearing aids were invited to tender for the national health service contract let in 2000 in an advertisement placed in the Official Journal of the European Communities (OJEC). At present the NHS purchasing and supplies agency are tendering for high powered and paediatric digital hearing aids and as part of this process have been in discussions with suppliers who expressed an interest in that OJEC advert placed earlier this year. All interested suppliers were invited to a pre-offer briefing meeting where the requirements of the tender were outlined including the specifications.
Audiology departments are informed of the products available under the NHS contract.
Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much trusts in England and Wales allocated to digital hearing aids in the last year for which figures are available. [90226]
Jacqui Smith: The Department of Health has allocated #30.75 million to its modernising hearing aid services project over the financial years 2000–01 to 2002–03 to national health service trusts in England. This modernised service includes the provision of digital hearing aids. Twenty sites joined the project in the first wave, with a further 30 second-wave sites joining in 2002–03.
For second wave sites the Department pays the cost of upgrading information technology and other systems, 75 per cent. of additional staff costs and 75 per cent. of the difference between the cost of providing digital and analogue aids. Local primary care trusts pay the remaining 25 per cent. of revenue costs.
A further 17 sites will be receiving training and equipment, this financial year, to allow them to dispense digital hearing aids.
Drug Rehabilitation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average period of (a) residential and (b) non-residential drug rehabilitation was in the last year for which figures are available. [85713]
Ms Blears [holding answer 9 December 2002]: This information is not collected centrally.
The periods will vary according to the different drug treatment modalities and depend on the clinical and social needs of each individual drug user. The variations in the length of treatment times, in individual cases, are such that comparisons could be very misleading.
Electronic Services
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have online secure access to their electronic records. [88758]
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Mr. Lammy: Trials involving a very small number of patients are currently taking place. The My HealthSpace project, which is the personal electronic record under development by NHS Direct Online, is conducting a pilot trial to give patients access to their records.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he expects electronic prescribing to be available through the NHS; [88739]
- (2) what development work has been done for the introduction of electronic prescribing. [88738]
Mr. Lammy: Three pilots are currently transferring prescription data electronically from general practitioners to community pharmacies and the Prescription Pricing Authority. These are being run by three private sector consortiums on behalf of the Department.
The pilots are being fully and independently evaluated, and will inform the business case and how best to establish and rollout the electronic transmission of prescriptions in the national health service in line with XPharmacy in the Future—Implementing the NHS Plan".
Emergency Readmissions
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the rate of growth in emergency readmissions of people over 75 per thousand emergency admissions in each of the last five years in (a) each region and (b) England. [88785]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 7 January 2003]: The emergency readmission rates collected by the Department use number of discharges from hospital as the denominator, rather than number of emergency admissions. The information requested, therefore, is not available.
Fair Trade
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what fair trade criteria he sets when deciding upon what suppliers to use. [89914]
Mr. Lammy: No set criteria are used but tenders are evaluated against a range of criteria to select the one giving best value for money. These include company policies in relation to environmental and similar considerations.
Foundation Hospitals (Scotland)
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance will be given to foundation hospitals on recruitment from existing Scottish NHS hospitals. [90403]
Mr. Hutton: National health service foundation trusts will be under a duty of partnership with NHS bodies (see paragraphs 3.21 and 6.1 of XA guide to NHS Foundation Trusts"). This duty of partnership will
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apply to NHS and social care providers and commissioners in the local health economy, including where appropriate in Scotland.
Social Care Register
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what order the General Social Care Council will register each category of care worker. [89790]
Jacqui Smith: The General Social Care Council will open a register of social care workers in April 2003. Professionally qualified social workers and students of social work will be the first to be registered. Heads of homes are the next priority group.
Other parts of the register will be opened at a time determined by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the General Social Care Council has made of the number of people it will be able to register each year. [89791]
Jacqui Smith: Once in full operation, the General Social Care Council expects to process an average of 60,000 applications each year.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on registrations by the General Social Care Council of the requirement to undertake Criminal Record Bureau checks. [89792]
Jacqui Smith: There is no requirement on the General Social Care Council to undertake criminal checks to register an applicant. In December 2002 the GSCC provided the Department of Health with an assessment of the potential demand on the Criminal Records Bureau if the GSCC decided to make such checks. The result of this assessment was that theGSCC estimated their output, once fully operational, would be in the region of 5,000 applications per month.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the General Social Care Council will have access to the sex offenders' register when processing applications. [89793]
Jacqui Smith: If the General Social Care Council sets rules for registration that require such checks to be completed, then the Council will be granted the same access as any other registration body.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the planned dates were for each of the milestones in the procurement of an IT system for the General Social Care Council; and when each milestone was achieved. [89794]
Jacqui Smith: The delivery date for the provision of a social care register, supported by an information technology (IT) system, is 1 April 2003.
The planned milestones and completion dates for the procurement of an IT system for the General Social Care Council social care register are as follows:
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| Milestone | Planned date | Actual date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Issue of Statement of Requirement | 27 March 2002 | 27 March 2002 |
| 2. | Selection of preferred bespoke system supplier | 24 May 2002 | 24 May 2002 |
| 3. | Completion of requirements scoping study | 9 August 2002 | 23 August 2002 |
| 4. | Complete availability of COTS packages | 26 September 2002 | 26 September 2002 |
| 5. | Shortlist COTS package suppliers | 11 October 2002 | 11 October 2002 |
| 6. | Receive COTS package supplier bids | 28 November 2002 | 28 November 2002 |
| 7. | Select preferred COTS package supplier | 10 December 2002 | 10 December 2002 |
| 8. | Initial customer/supplier engagement complete | 20 December 2002 | 20 December 2002 |
| 9. | Demonstration system available | 16 January 2003 | — |
| 10. | Initial package configuration complete | 7 February 2003 | — |
| 11. | User acceptance testing complete | 28 February 2003 | — |
| 12. | Initial user training complete | 31 March 2003 | — |
| 13. | Electronic social care register opened | 1 April 2003 | — |
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made to enable the General Social Care Council to check applications against the registers of the GMC, NMC and other relevant bodies. [89795]
Jacqui Smith: The General Social Care Council will be working with other relevant regulatory bodies on agreed protocols for the exchange of such information.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to the General Social Care Council concerning its priorities and method of working. [89796]
Jacqui Smith: Any guidance from the Department to the General Social Care Council concerning its priorities and method of working is contained in
14 Jan 2003 : Column 524W
the Council's management statement and financial memorandum, which was agreed with the Department in September 2002. Copies were laid in the Library. Such guidance is reflected further in the Council's business plan.
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