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5 Feb 2003 : Column 315W—continued
Morning After Pill (Safeway Supermarket)
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which branches of Safeway supermarket are involved in the trial distribution of the morning after pill to girls under the age of 16. [95114]
Ms Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally. Arrangements for national health service provision of emergency contraception through community or supermarket pharmacies are a matter for local decision by primary care trusts.
NHS Bodies
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the allocated budgets are for (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 for (i) each executive non-departmental public body, (ii) special health authority and (iii) tribunal non-departmental public body (A) in cash terms and (B) on a full resource budgeting basis. [95772]
Mr. Lammy: Allocations for these bodies have not yet been decided.
NHS Finance
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his statements of 11 December 2002, Official Report, column 269, and of 8 January, Official Report, column 190, what percentage of the total Department of Health Budget, in cash terms, is represented by the resource and capital allocations to primary care trusts, NHS trusts and strategic health authorities. [94775]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Percentage of total NHSexpenditure | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | |
| Primary care trust revenue allocations(14) | 73.5 | 73.1 | 72.5 |
| Capital Allocations(15) to: | |||
| Primary care trusts | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| NHS Trusts | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Strategic health authorities(16) | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
(14) As announced in the 11 December 2002 HSC
(15) As announced in the 8 January 2003 HSC
(16) For allocation later to PCTs and NHS trusts to fund larger capital projects which required business case approval.
It is not appropriate to show total revenue and capital allocations as a percentage of the national health service budget. This is because NHS trust capital allocations are financed through primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations. Adding the two allocations together would mean double counting this element of expenditure.
In addition to PCT revenue allocations, a number of revenue budgets currently held centrally will be issued to PCTs later, such as those for personal medical service pilot schemes. These will mean that PCTs will control more than 75 per cent. of the NHS budget from 2003–04 onwards.
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NHS Treatment Abroad
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is to his Department of setting up, researching and administering the pilot scheme to treat 234 NHS patients in France and Germany. [92557]
Mr. Hutton: Set up costs to the Department for the overseas treatment pilot in France and Germany is broken down as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Set up and project administration | 150,730 |
| Legal fees | 278,000 |
| Evaluation and research | 40,000 |
| Total | 468,730 |
The learning from this project, including legal advice, has shaped the development of our policy on overseas treatment and current arrangements for commissioning this. It has therefore been of value beyond the scope of the initial project.
Nurses
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data his Department has collated on the pay of (a) practice nurses and (b) NHS nurses; and if he will make a statement. [94141]
Mr. Hutton: The Department's 2000 national health service earnings survey collected detailed earnings data for about 500,000 staff, including nurses directly employed by around 190 NHS trusts and 50 health authorities in England.
Staff employed by independent contractors, such as general medical practitioners, including most practice nurses, are not included in these surveys and data relating to their earnings is not available centrally.
Data for the 2002 NHS earnings survey have been collected and are currently being processed and analysed. We plan to publish the results later in the year.
Copies of the 2000 NHS earnings survey results are available in Library.
Nursing and midwifery staff who are directly employed in the NHS have their pay determined by an independent pay review body. The Government have accepted in full and implemented the recommendations of the independent pay review body for nursing staff for the last four years without staging pay awards. From April 2002, all nursing staff directly employed in the NHS will have received an above inflation increase of at least 3.6 per cent.
Occupational Stress
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the (a) prevalence and (b) causes of occupational stress among health service employees. [93671]
Mr. Hutton: Research carried out in 1998 by the University of Sheffield and the psychological therapies research centre, University of Leeds, suggests that the incidence of work related stress in national health service employees is in the region of 26 per cent. The
5 Feb 2003 : Column 317W
causes most strongly associated with stress were, work demands; ability to influence work; lack of feedback and role conflict.
The Department of Health, through its Health at Work in the NHS Campaign, has issued a number of publications to NHS managers to assist them in identifying the causes of workplace stress and work with all staff to minimise their effect.
Overseas Nurse Advice Line
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 17 December 2002, Official Report, column 794W, on the overseas nurse advice line, what budget he has allocated for 2002–03 for (a) the overseas nurse advice line, and (b) the ethical nurse recruitment code of conduct. [95078]
Mr. Hutton: The indicative budget for the national health service overseas nurses advice line is £25,000.
Maintenance of the code of practice is baseline departmental activity which is paid from running costs.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 17 December 2002, Official Report, column 794W, on the overseas nurse advice line, when decisions on future funding will be made; and what assessment he has made of the success of the line. [95079]
Mr. Hutton: We intend to continue to fund the national health service overseas nurses advice line.
Latest figures of calls received by the overseas nurse advice line indicates an increase of 118 per cent. since December 2002. This suggests that the target audience is being reached and that the advice line is fulfilling its objectives.
Paediatric Pathologists
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many paediatric pathologists were employed in each health authority in each year since 1997; and how many established posts there were in the same period. [92518]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not collected by the Department. The work force census collects data at specialty level only, it does not collect data at sub-specialty level. Paediatric pathology is a sub-specialty of pathology.
Palliative Care
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have completed training as a consultant in palliative care in each of the last three years. [93267]
Mr. Hutton: Figures from the Department's work force census suggest that the number of consultants in palliative care has increased by around 90 per cent. since 1997.
The Department does not collect data on the number of specialist registrars completing training. The table shows the number of consultants in palliative care over the last three years.
| As at 30 September(17) | Number |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 150 |
| 2001 | 120 |
| 2000 | 110 |
| 1999 | 90 |
(17) Data as at 30 September, except for 2002, which is at 31 March.
Source:
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
5 Feb 2003 : Column 318W
Postgraduate Medical Education andTraining Board
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board will require overseas doctors applying to work in general practice in the UK to undergo familiarisation training as at present. [94403]
Mr. Hutton: There is at present no legal requirement for overseas doctors to undergo familiarisation training. However the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice normally makes this requirement of overseas doctors who apply to it for a certificate entitling them to practise in the United Kingdom.
The draft Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board legislation similarly puts no legal obligations on the Board to require familiarisation training. Once the board is constituted, it will decide how to maintain high standards.
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government will take to ensure that the interests of general practice are properly represented on the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board and its subcommittees. [94402]
Mr. Hutton: We agree that general practice should be properly represented on the board and its sub-committees. Appointments to the board will be made in an open and fair manner. There is a wide range of bodies with an interest in the board's work, such as the Medical Royal Colleges, including the Royal College of General Practitioners and other bodies concerned with medical education and training, management of the national health service, patient and carer groups, universities, educationalists, and other health professionals.
The body must carry out all the duties assigned to it in legislation, particularly the supervision of postgraduate general practice education and training and setting of standards. It will therefore need general practitioner representation in order to do so properly.
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