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28 Jan 2003 : Column 805W—continued
Doctor: Patient Ratios
John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to improve doctor-patient ratios within Havering Primary Care Trust; and if he will make a statement. [85078]
Mr. Hutton: We are committed to expanding the primary care workforce both through national and local initiatives. The London Workforce Development Confederation has introduced a number of specific programmes to expand the general practitioner workforce in London by 225 GPs. These include:
- The London Deanery's successful expansion of the number of training places in GP practices for GP registrars. This year there are an additional 51 training places for GPs in London. Primary care trusts will be able to build on this success by setting up new and more flexible contracts for newly qualified GPs.
More flexible career opportunities, particularly those designed to retain GPs close to retirement age, are also being put into place by London PCTs including a Flexible Career Scheme which will commence shortly, designed to attract GPs back into practice for part-time working.
Free Eye Tests (Shropshire)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many free eye tests to pensioners there were in each year since 1997 in (a) Shropshire and (b) Shrewsbury and Atcham. [93020]
Mr. Lammy: The table shows the number of national health service sight tests paid for in Shropshire health authority (HA) for 1997–98 to 2001–02. Figures for the number of sight tests by constituency and age are not collected centrally, the nearest eligibility category for pensioners is those aged 60 and over.
Eligibility to NHS sight tests was extended to those aged 60 and over from 1 April 1999. There was an increase of 24,660 sight tests between 1998–99 and 1999–2000. It is fair to assume that the vast majority of this increase was due to newly eligible people aged 60 or over obtaining NHS sight tests.
28 Jan 2003 : Column 806W
| Year | Total number of sight tests | Total number of sight tests for aged 60 and over |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 61,460 | — |
| 1998–99 | 64,350 | — |
| 1999–2000 | 89,010 | 33,460 |
| 2000–01 | 91,160 | 38,230 |
| 2001–02 | 94,880 | 24,210 |
Frictional Discharge
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer of 5 December 2002, Official Report, column 965W, on frictional discharge, what percentage and how many people classify as minimal numbers of delayed transfers in England. [92165]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 21 January 2003]: As Government investment and the Community Care (Delayed Discharges, etc) Bill takes full effect, nobody should need to remain in hospital unnecessarily when they are fit to be discharged.
GP Recruitment
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the recruitment of general practitioners has changed in (a) Shropshire and (b) the UK, in the last five years. [84493]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 2 December 2002]: Information relating to general practitioner recruitment in the Shropshire health authority area over the last five years is shown in the table. We do not collect this information on a UK basis.
| Year | Numbers (headcount) |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 239 |
| 1997 | 239 |
| 1998 | 241 |
| 1999 | 250 |
| 2000 | 243 |
| 2001 | 243 |
| 2002 | 245 |
(36) UPEs include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs.
| Of which: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Joiners | New joiners | Re-joiners | |
| October 1996-October 1997 | 14 | 10 | 4 |
| October 1997-October 1998 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| October 1998-October 1999 | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| October 1999-October 2000 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| September 2000-September 2001 | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| September 2001-March 2002(37) | 8 | 7 | 1 |
(37) This relates to a six month comparison and may not show seasonal variations.
Notes:
Numbers of UPEs as at 1 October 1996 to 1999, 30 September 2000–01 and 31 March 2002.
Other rows relate to changes between successive censuses.
Source:
Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics
28 Jan 2003 : Column 807W
Mr. Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trainee GPs failed to complete their training in each year since 1977. [84494]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 2 December 2002]: Summative assessment of general practice registrars was introduced throughout the United Kingdom in 1996. A review of the five year period to 30 September 2001 shows that 7,643 candidates undertook the test with 7,370 being successful and 273, 3.6 per cent, unsuccessful: A breakdown of this is set out in the following table. However, this does not include those doctors undertaking GP training who may have dropped out prior to being summatively assessed for which no figures are held.
| Total GPRs | Failed to complete | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 1996-August 1997 | 1,218 | 36 | 3.00 |
| September 1997-August 1998 | 1,469 | 53 | 3.60 |
| September 1998- August 1999 | 1,607 | 64 | 4.00 |
| September 1999-August 2000 | 1,688 | 67 | 4.00 |
| September 2000-August 2001 | 1,661 | 53 | 3.20 |
| 7,643 | 273 | 3.6 |
A recent investigation showed that out of the 273 unsuccessful GP registrars
183 have now successfully completed the summative assessment process 67 per cent. after a further period of training.
eight are still in training 3 per cent.
82 did not complete their training, however these doctors may return to GP registrar training at a later date 30 per cent.
There are no centrally held figures in respect of doctors completing or not completing GP training prior to 1996.
Health Protection Agency
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has held with representatives from the Public Health Laboratory Service in relation to the creation of a Health Protection Agency. [84250]
Ms Blears: The Public Health Laboratory Service board and management have been closely involved at each stage of the process and are represented on the steering group, the project group and all of the working groups associated with creating the Health Protection Agency and transferring to the national health service those laboratories that are to be transferred in preparation for its creation.
In addition, the staff representative organisations have been involved in regular trade union liaison group meetings which were established at the outset to oversee the implementation of the HPA. I met with staff side representatives on 13 January 2003 to review progress.
Health Workers
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the freedom to work provisions in the Treaty of Rome apply to all health workers. [93634]
Mr. Hutton: The Treaty confers the right of freedom of movement for workers, without specifying the kind of work done.
28 Jan 2003 : Column 808W
Healthcare Acquired Infection
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work Strategic Health Authorities are undertaking to assess healthcare acquired infection data from local trusts; and if he will make a statement. [91466]
Ms Blears: The Commission for Health Improvement has recently announced two performance indicators for acute and specialist trusts for 2003, which relate to healthcare associated infections.
One performance indicator concerns infection control procedures and the other is an improvement score for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia. Both indicators are based on healthcare associated infection data provided by acute national health service hospital trusts. Strategic health authorities will be using these indicators to manage the performance of their trusts in the future.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring his Department has undertaken on the availability of sufficient hand basins for effective infection control procedures in NHS hospitals. [91126]
Ms Blears: The design of new facilities is monitored by NHS Estates via the business case approvals process to ensure that proposals conform to design guidance issued by NHS Estates. This includes recommendations on the number of wash-hand basins for specific situations.
Trust chief executives are responsible for ensuring that there are effective arrangements in place for infection control. Monitoring of facilities for infection control, including provision of wash-hand basins within existing buildings, is undertaken by their infection control team.
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