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3 Feb 2003 : Column 101W—continued
Genito-urinary Services
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the requirement for more professional staff in genito-urinary services with special reference to drop-in centres; what measures are being taken to employ more such staff; and if he will make a statement. [92531]
Ms Blears: We are taking a number of measures to improve staffing in genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics, including services where no appointment is necessary. First, we anticipate that by 2004 there will be an increase of around 35 trained specialists in GUM. This takes account of expected numbers of additional recruits and numbers leaving due to retirement.
In addition the sexual health and HIV strategy implementation plan includes a number of actions for GUM. We have invested over £5 million this year to improve access and to develop the role and increase the numbers of health advisers within GUM. We are also undertaking a review of skill mix, working practices and workforce planning assumptions and working with professional bodies on modernising services, setting standards and increasing capacity.
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Health Protection Agency
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the long-term director posts in the Health Protection Agency will be openly advertised. [93638]
Ms Blears: The change management protocol governing the proposed establishment of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) provides that director level positions will initially be ring-fenced for staff transferring to the HPA. However, no individual will be slotted in without being subject to an appropriate assessment process, which will include as a minimum, a selection interview. The recognised trade unions will be consulted on those director level posts covered by this arrangement. Following these procedures, any remaining vacancies will be subject to open competition.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for health how many staff will be transferred to the HPA after 1 April; and how many staff employed by the component organisations of the HPA will not be transferring to it on 1 April. [90054]
Ms Blears: It is envisaged that approximately 2,500 staff will transfer to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on 1 April 2003.
Consultation continues between the staff concerned and their current employers to identify any issues relating to the transfer of undertakings from 1 April 2003. Until these consultations are completed, it will not be possible to say precisely how many staff will or will not transfer to the HPA.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for health what contingency funds he is making available to cover unforeseen costs during the establishment of the HPA. [90058]
Ms Blears: All costs associated with the establishment of the Health Protection Agency will be met from existing allocations.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the responsibilities will be of the HPA in Wales; and what the relationship will be between the HPA and the Wales Centre for Health. [90061]
Ms Blears: Our plans for establishing the Health Protection Agency (HPA), set out in my reply to the hon. Member on 7 January, Official Report, col. 190–191W, were developed with input from the National Assembly for Wales. Proposals for the role the HPA should discharge in relation to the National Assembly were set out at paragraphs 4.18–21 of Health Protection: A consultation document on creating a health protection agency (June 2002).
The Wales centre for health (WCH) will have a different role as an independent training, advisory and research body. The WCH will not assume the functions of existing front-line providers, but it will work closely with bodies like the HPA and the National Public Health Service for Wales, in particular to support professional training and development.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes there have been to resignation rates from the component organisations of the HPA during each of the past 12 months. [90067]
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Ms Blears: Records of staff turnover are not held centrally. However, information from each of the component organisations indicate that there have been no dramatic increases in the overall number of staff resignations.
The Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) has indicated that there are above average resignations in a small number of management posts, potentially directly affected by the proposed changes. The Department will be working with the PHLS Board to address any business continuity issues that may arise as a consequence.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what proportion of his time Sir William Stewart is working for the Health Protection Agency; when he will decide on the constitution of the supervisory board of the Health Protection Agency; and when he will recruit members of the supervisory board of the Health Protection Agency. [90091]
Ms Blears: Subject to legislation, we aim to establish the Health Protection Agency (HPA) from 1 April 2003. The chair and non-executive members of the board will be appointed by Ministers. Advertisements for non-executive board posts appeared in the national and regional press from 5 January, with a closing date for applications of 31 January. It will be for the board itself to decide on the appointment of its executive members.
Sir William Stewart has been appointed consultant to the HPA implementation project, acting as shadow chairman, in the period leading up to the establishment of the Agency. This requires him to work for a minimum of three days a week.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional resources have been provided to the HPA Steering Group in response to the Report to the Steering Group. [90064]
Ms Blears: All costs associated with the establishment of the Health Protection Agency will be met from existing allocations up to 31 March 2003.
Funding from 1 April 2003 has yet to be finalised.
Health Provision (Budgets)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budgets of the (a) Public Health Laboratory Service, (b) National Radiological Protection Board and (c) Microbiological Research Authority were for (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04; and what the budget will be of the Health Protection Agency for the first year it will be in operation, in current prices. [94954]
Ms Blears: The allocations for 2002–03 are shown in the table.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| Public Health Laboratory Service | 64,807 |
| National Radiological Protection Board | 6,547 |
| Microbiological Research Authority | 16,936 |
Decisions have not yet been made on the Department's central budget programme for 2003–04.
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Hospital Nutrition Policy
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work of the Hospital Nutrition Policy. [89355]
Ms Blears: In the NHS Plan, the Government made a commitment to reduce under-nutrition by developing a hospital nutrition policy to improve the outcome of care of patients by 2004. A number of measures and strategies are in place to manage, monitor and screen patients for under-nutrition in hospitals.
In February 2001, the Government released the essence of care toolkit, which includes best practice standards for the provision and delivery of food that meets the specific nutritional needs of patients. Standards, identified by patients and professionals, include the screening and assessment of nutritional needs, creating a suitable environment in which to eat, providing assistance required to eat and noting and evaluating what is eaten.
Nutritional screening is also recommended for the care of specific groups, such as those outlined in the national service framework for older people.
The Better Hospital Food programme is improving the ways in which meals are prepared and served through a programme developed by patients, chefs and national health service staff. This also sets nutritional standards for hospital foods. A 24-hour catering service with a new NHS menu was introduced in 2001. The menu covers continental breakfast, cold drinks, mid-morning and afternoon snacks, light lunchtime meals and an improved two-course evening dinner.
Half of all hospitals will have ward housekeepers by 2004 to ensure that meals meet patient needs and that patients, particularly elderly people, are helped to eat the meals on offer and that the service patients receive is round the clock.
Hospital-acquired Infections
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many wards in hospital trusts were subject to restrictions on visiting due to hospital-acquired infections affecting patients during December 2002. [89925]
Ms Blears: These figures are not held centrally.
Industrial Action/Illness
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working days have been lost in his Department due to (a) industrial action and (b) illness in each year since 1997. [93466]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 28 January 2003]: There have been no days lost owing to industrial action by staff in the Department of Health since 1997. Information requested on illness is shown in the table.
3 Feb 2003 : Column 105W
| Average(12) days lost per employee through sickness (per staff year) | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 7.8 |
| 1998 | (13)9.2 |
| 1999 | 6.6 |
| 2000 | 5.5 |
| 2001 | 6.5 |
| 2002 | Not published |
(12) Working days absences exclude weekends and Bank holidays for staff working a "Monday to Friday" week.
(13) Based on pre-audit data and methodology. In 1998 civil service departments and agencies undertook an audit of their monitoring systems following the 'Working Well Together' report. The re-worked figures were not submitted in time for publication of the 1998 report and unadjusted figures were published in this year.
Source:
Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service BMI Health Services report (1997 Table I, 1998 Table K), Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service BIOSS report Table H (1999), Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service BIOSS report table H (2000), Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service AON report table E (2001)
The statistics on days lost due to sickness absence within the Department of Health during the year 2002 will be available in due course.
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