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15 May 2003 : Column 408W—continued
Benzodiazepine
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Committee on the Safety of Medicines 1988 Guidelines that benzodiazepines should not be prescribed for longer than four weeks; [113170]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the scale of benzodiazepine addiction; [113172]
(3) what plans he has to improve the provision of treatment for benzodiazepine addicts. [113173]
Jacqui Smith: The Department is concerned to prevent benzodiazepine dependence as well as to ensure treatment is available for those who have developed
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such dependence in both primary and secondary mental health care settings as well as within specialist drug misuse services.
A range of talking therapies, such as anxiety management, which often includes reduction or cessation of tranquillisers, are available in the national health service, provided by clinical psychology departments, via day hospitals or community mental health teams.
Improvements to the provision of such services are being carried out as part of the wide-ranging mental health modernisation programme. Supported by additional investment of over £300 million by 2004, national service framework for mental health (1999) provides in detail targets and milestones for the improvement of mental health services in primary and secondary care.
There has been a steady decline in prescriptions for benzodiazepines from 23.9 million in 1980 to 13.0 million in 2001. This is in line with the Committee on the Safety of Medicines' 1988 advice which has been reiterated in the "Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Benzodiazepine Dependence" (Mental Health Foundation, 1994), "Drug Misuse and Dependence—Guidelines on Clinical Management" (Department of Health, 1 999) and the "British National Formulary" (biannual, British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain), all of which has been distributed to every doctor in England free of charge.
Information on the scale of the benzodiazepine addiction is not collected centrally.
Care Homes
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the transition of nursing care costs in care homes from local councils to the NHS in St. Helens. [110005]
Jacqui Smith: We have taken measures to deliver all nursing care through the national health service, because this will be free at the point of use, and to remove the previous overlap whereby both the NHS and councils could provide nursing care. To effect this change, it has been necessary to extract from councils the funds spent on nursing care by local government, and to pass them to the NHS for re-allocation to primary care trusts.
A survey of PCTs was carried out in December 2002 to establish the number of self-funders and the number of residents in care homes providing nursing care. Included within the survey was a request for information on the number of local authority supported residents for whom a Registered Nursing Care Contribution determination had been completed. This information has informed the allocation of funding to PCTs for 2003–04.
St. Helens PCT declared 587 care home beds in its survey return, and has been allocated £2,632 million for NHS funded nursing care in 2003–04.
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Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 7 April 2003, Official Report, column 96W, on care homes, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the package announced on 11 March in ensuring care home providers passed on the free nursing care contribution. [110251]
Jacqui Smith: The way that care homes take account of national health service funding when setting fees is a matter for them. The announcement on 11 March last year was about strengthening and safeguarding the rights of residents of care homes providing nursing care and ensuring that they have accurate information about the costs of providing that care. Following consultation on draft regulations earlier this year, we will shortly be bringing forward an amendment to the Care Homes Regulations that will ensure that residents get access to such information.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a person placed in a care home found on a first assessment not to be eligible for continuing care will be reassessed periodically. [112355]
Jacqui Smith: Guidance issued under cover of Local Authority Circular LAC(2002)13, that took effect from 7 April 2003, requires councils to review and re-assess the needs and circumstances of all care home residents admitted under section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948 on a routine basis. The guidance suggests that first reviews should be completed within three months of admission and thereafter reviews should be conducted at least annually. If a review indicated the possible need for substantial health services, then a comprehensive assessment, informed by the single assessment process, should be completed.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of care homes are (a) privately owned and run, (b) publicly owned and privately run and (c) publicly owned and run. [112696]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not centrally available. At 31 March 2001 the latest date for which information is available, 93 per cent. of care homes were registered as being in the independent sector, the remaining 7 per cent. were local authority establishments.
Care of Elderly (Hemsworth)
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on funding for care of the elderly in the Hemsworth constituency in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [109867]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 28 April 2003]: Wakefield has benefited from the increases in social services funding in recent years. In 2002–03—the authority's total social services resources increased, on a like for like basis, by 5.9 per cent. which followed on from a 6.9 per cent. increase in 2001–02. In 2003–04, Wakefield has received a 3.9 per cent. increase in their personal social services formula spending share. In addition, they received substantial additional resources from grants paid by the Department of Health. Most resources are allocated on an unhypothecated basis and it is for Wakefield to decide how much to use on services for older people.
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The allocations to the Eastern Wakefield and West Wakefield Primary Care Trusts are shown in the table.
| Eastern Wakefield PCT | Wakefield West PCT | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | ||
| Allocation (£000) | 171,930 | 131,156 |
| Percentage | 9.24 | 8.59 |
| 2004–05 | ||
| Allocation (£000) | 189,117 | 143,375 |
| Percentage | 10.0 | 9.32 |
| 2005–06 | ||
| Allocation (£000) | 208,492 | 156,303 |
| Percentage | 10.24 | 9.02 |
| Total | ||
| Increase (£000) | 51,104 | 35,519 |
| Percentage | 32.47 | 29.41 |
Cheshire and Merseyside SHA
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people from each parliamentary constituency in the area (a) applied and (b) were interviewed for the post of chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority. [112300]
Jacqui Smith: Applications were received from people living in the following parliamentary constituencies:
| Number of applications | |
|---|---|
| City of Chester | 1 |
| Congleton | 1 |
| Crewe and Nantwich | 1 |
| Delyn | 1 |
| Ellesmere Port and Neston | 2 |
| Macclesfield | 1 |
| Southport | 2 |
| St. Helens South | 1 |
| Wallasey | 1 |
| Warrington North | 2 |
| Warrington South | 1 |
| Wirral West | 1 |
Following sifting of these applications, interviews were held with people living in the following constituencies:
| Number of interviews | |
|---|---|
| Delyn | 1 |
| Southport | 1 |
| St. Helens South | 1 |
| Warrington South | 1 |
| Wirral West | 1 |
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments were made to the chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority in the last year for which figures are available. [112301]
Jacqui Smith: The chair received £20,420 annual remuneration, plus £3,257.77 or expenses incurred while undertaking her duties on behalf of the strategic health authority.
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Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the names and job titles of those who served on the interviewing panel when the current chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority was appointed. [112303]
Jacqui Smith: The interview panel was made up of the following people:
- Mr. Michael Taylor—National Health Service Appointments Commission regional commissioner for the north west.
Mrs. Jane Isaacs—NHS Appointments Commission regional commissioner for the west midlands.
Mrs. Dorothy Greenhalgh—independent assessor.
Jacqui Smith: According to records held by the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority, four requests have been received by the chief executive from hon. Members between 1 April 2002 and 12 May 2003, two of which were from my hon. Friend for Warrington, North (Helen Jones).
However, since her appointment on 1 April, the chief executive has been actively seeking to meet with each of the 27 hon. Members whose constituencies fall within the Cheshire and Merseyside boundary. She has met collectively with 17 hon. Members on 29 October 2002 and with 14 hon. Members on an individual basis. Six further one-to-one meetings have been arranged.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual salary is of the Chief Executive of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority; and how much was claimed in expenses by the Chief Executive of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority in the last financial year. [112311]
Jacqui Smith: The annual salary of the chief executive of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is £118,104 1 and the total amount reimbursed to her in respect of expenses incurred while undertaking duties on behalf of the SHA from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 was £1,317.79.
- 1 This is within the range specified in the national advertisement for the post, uplifted by 3.5 per cent. (inflationary increase) on 1 April 2003.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time taken by the Chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority to reply to letters from hon. Members has been in the last 12 months; and what the average time between the receipt of a letter from an hon. Member requesting a meeting with the Chief Executive of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority and such a meeting taking place was in the last 12 months. [112312]
Jacqui Smith: The average time taken by the chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (CMSHA) to reply to the six letters she has received from hon. Members in the last 12 months is four days. The average time between receipt of a letter from an hon. Member requesting a meeting with the Chief Executive of the CMSHA and the meeting taking place was 26 days.
15 May 2003 : Column 413W
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority spent on recruitment consultants during 2002–03; how much is budgeted for 2003–04; and if he will list consultants used. [112385]
Jacqui Smith: There was no spending on recruitment consultation by Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority in 2002–03, and there is no expenditure planned on such services for 2003–04.
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff members of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority have cars provided as part of their package of remuneration; and at what cost. [112386]
Jacqui Smith: Some staff who were transferred into Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) have cars provided as part of their package of remuneration under preserved terms and conditions of employment.
For new staff, the SHA operates a lease car scheme, which is subject to a value for money test. Under this scheme, 17 staff have lease cars at a total annual cost of £54,167. The average cost is £3,186.
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Cheshire and Merseyside Health Authority spent on (a) contracted architectural services and (b) controlled chartered surveyors in 2002–03; and if he will list the firms used. [112387]
Jacqui Smith: No costs were incurred by Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority on architectural or chartered surveyor services in 2002–03.
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many visits to EU countries have been made by officials on behalf of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority during 2002–03; what the cost was of such visits; how many non-executive directors were involved in each case; what the average cost was per visit; and what the purpose was of the visit in each case. [112388]
Jacqui Smith: Officials from the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) made two visits to European Union countries in 2002–03. The total cost of these visits was £834.20, at an average cost of £417.10. No non-executive directors of the SHA were involved in these visits.
The visits were to Rotterdam to attend a course for SHA medical and national health service human resource directors sponsored by the NHS Leadership Centre and to Copenhagen to present at a conference on health inequalities.
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many visits to non-EU countries have been made by officials on behalf of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority during 2002–03; and what was the (a) destination, (b) cost and (c) purpose in each case. [112389]
Jacqui Smith: There have been no visits to non-European Union countries during 2002–03 by officials of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority.
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Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employment tribunals are in progress for (a) staff and (b) former staff of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority. [112413]
Jacqui Smith: There are no employment tribunals in progress involving staff currently employed by the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) or involving staff who were employed by the SHA during 2002–03.
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff directly employed by the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority are in receipt of performance-related pay; what the total cost of performance-related pay for staff is in 2003; and what the average value of such payments is. [112414]
Jacqui Smith: 20 staff employed by the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority transferred from the Department of Health on protected terms and conditions of employment, including performance-related payments. £30,000 was paid to these staff in 2002–03, an average value of £1,500.
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority spent on entertaining during 2002–03. [112415]
Jacqui Smith: There was no spending on entertaining by Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority in 2002–03. There was some spending on refreshments and food at meetings.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings the chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority has had with (a) hon. Members, (b) regional public bodies and (c) individual trust chairs since her appointment. [112302]
Jacqui Smith: Since the establishment of the Cheshire and Mersey Strategic Health Authority on 1 April 2002, the chair has met collectively with hon. Members on one occasion, on 29 October at the House and individually with hon. Members on six occasions, with ministerial colleagues on four occasions, with representatives of the north west Government Office and/or the North West Development Agency on three occasions and with individual trust chairs on 97 occasions.
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