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19 Jun 2003 : Column 441W—continued
Prescriptions
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much a pharmacist received for processing a prescription in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [119270]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Remuneration paid to community pharmacies is intended to cover the generality of the national health service pharmaceutical services they provide. The scope of these services is not restricted just to dispensing prescriptions and has changed over time.
The dispensing fees paid to community pharmacy contractors vary according to the item prescribed. The large majority of prescriptions attract a basic dispensing fee, the current rate of which is 94.6 pence per item. However, if the total remuneration paid to community pharmacies in each year is divided by the number of dispensing fees paid, the result is as shown in the table.
| Number of dispensing fees paid (prescription items dispensed)in millions | Total paid (£ million) | Dispensing fee paid per prescription item dispensed (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 487.9 | 693.6 | 1.42 |
| 1997–98 | 505.8 | 712.2 | 1.41 |
| 1998–99 | 518.3 | 724.7 | 1.40 |
| 1999–2000 | 535.7 | 760.8 | 1.42 |
| 2000–01 | 561.8 | 784.9 | 1.40 |
| 2001–02 | 595.5 | 798.6 | 1.34 |
| 2002–03 | 633.7 | 834.7 | 1.32 |
Renal National Service Framework
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress has been made on the renal National Service Framework; and if he will make a statement; [119332]
- (2) what estimate he has made of the costs arising from the renal National Service Framework; and if he will make a statement. [119333]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answers 13 June 2003]: The renal national service framework will be published in due course. It will set national standards and provide a national direction for renal services that will need to be achieved over 10 years. The renal standards will sit alongside a programme for reform and sustained investment in the national health service.
19 Jun 2003 : Column 442W
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many PhD students, involved in rheumatoid arthritis research, are funded by (a) public and (b) charitable funds. [118450]
Dr. Ladyman: There are no PhD students involved in rheumatoid arthritis research from the national primary care awards, national public health awards, national clinician scientist awards, complementary and alternative medicine awards or nursing and allied health professions awards.
The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments of disease is the Medical Research Council, which receives its funding from the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology. It does not hold information on the projects being undertaken by PhD students funded by itself.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the primary care trusts that do not fund anti-TNF therapy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis where that treatment is clinically indicated; [118451]
- (2) what (a) national and (b) local departmental targets relate to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. [118452]
Dr. Ladyman: The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended the use of anti-TNF therapy in March 2002. We have issued directions obliging strategic health authorities and primary care trusts to provide appropriate funding for treatments recommended by NICE. This is in line with our manifesto commitment to ensure that patients receive drugs and treatments recommended by NICE on the national health service if considered appropriate by their clinicians. The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) and NICE have agreed a methodology for CHI to incorporate the monitoring of NICE guidance in its clinical governance reviews. Specifically CHI now looks to see if NHS trusts have mechanisms in place to implement and comply with NICE guidance. CHI will also support and facilitate clinicians to discuss when NICE guidance is and is not followed on an individual patient basis.
There are no specific national targets relating to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, maximum waiting times have already been reduced to 21 weeks for a first out-patient appointment from general practitioner referral, and national targets have been set for further reductions. Rheumatoid arthritis patients waiting for first out-patient appointments stand to benefit from these improvements.
Information about local targets relating to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is not collected centrally.
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) NHS and (b) non-NHS staff are employed by the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Trust, broken down by department. [119384]
19 Jun 2003 : Column 443W
Ms Rosie Winterton: The latest figure available for national health service staff employed by the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust is for 2001, when there were 2,605 NHS staff employed by the trust.
Information on the number of non-NHS staff employed by the trust is not held centrally.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost per week to each department of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Trust is of employing non-NHS staff. [119385]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is not held centrally in the format requested.
Non-national health service staff expenditure is collected by staff classification and not by hospital department.
The total salary and wage cost of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust employing non-NHS staff, for the whole of the financial year 2001–02, is shown in the table.
| Non-NHS staff(33) | |
|---|---|
| (by NHS staff classification) | Expenditure (£) |
| Medical | 456,690 |
| Dental | 0 |
| Nursing, midwifery and health visiting | 750,846 |
| Scientific, therapeutic and technical staff | 0 |
| Administrative and clerical | 15,506 |
| Healthcare assistants and other support staff | 45,805 |
| Maintenance and works staff | 0 |
| Ambulance staff | 0 |
| Other employees | 22,275 |
| Total non-NHS staff salaries and wages | 1,291,122 |
(33) Non-NHS staff expenditure figures include all agency staff and any other staff not directly employed by individual NHS trusts, primary care trusts and health authorities.
Source:
Annual financial returns of the Royal Shrewsbury NHS Trust 2001–02.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to change services available in each of the four hospitals comprising Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust. [119221]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 16 June 2003]: There are plans to redevelop the services provided by Sherwood Forest Hospitals National Health Service Trust through the modernisation of acute services (MAS) project.
The MAS project incorporates a complete re-modelling of the way in which acute healthcare services are provided across central Nottinghamshire, with the population of central Nottinghamshire benefiting from a truly modern and dependable acute healthcare service.
19 Jun 2003 : Column 444W
The plans for redevelopment of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust are currently at outline business case stage (OBC), following the approval of the first document—the strategic outline case (SOC), by the Secretary of State for Health in February 2001.
The SOC was approved on the basis that the MAS scheme is procured through the Government's Private Finance Initiative (PFI).
Details of the MAS outline business case for Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust can be accessed from the board meetings section on Trent Strategic Health Authority's website at www.trent-sha.nhs.uk/board meetings/16 4 03/
Waiting Lists/Times
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area were waiting for in-patient treatment in the most recent month for which he has statistics. [118905]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 12 June]: There were 8,634 patients waiting for in-patient treatment at Mid-Essex Hospital Services National Health Service Trust at the end of April 2003.
- Source:
- Department of Health Monthly Monitoring Figures
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) North East Lincolnshire PCT and (b) North Lincolnshire PCT waited over 12 months for an operation in each quarter from 31 March 2002. [119111]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Primary Care Trust (PCT) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quarter ended | North East Lincolnshire PCT | North Lincolnshire PCT |
| June 2002 | 5 | 4 |
| September 2002 | 1 | 1 |
| December 2002 | 1 | 1 |
| March 2003 | 0 | 0 |
Source:
Department of Health Form Q FOI (Commissioner based hospital waiting list statistics)
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the most recent quarter's statistics on accident and emergency waiting times will be available. [116878]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The release date for accident and emergency activity for the period January to March 2003, is 20 June. Release dates for quarterly information on accident and emergency services are announced in national statistics updates—the release dates diary for national statistics—available at: http://www.nationalstatistics.org.uk/pdfdir/updates.pdf