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23 Jun 2003 : Column 578W—continued
Hip and Knee Replacement
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the parts needed for hip and knee replacements in a private hospital are stored. [117201]
Mr. Hutton: The regulation of the independent health care sector by the National Care Standards Commission requires private hospitals to have procedures in place to provide safe care. It is for individual private hospitals to decide where to store their hip or knee implants. In the national health service they are stored in the theatre storerooms for ease of access.
In-patients (Children)
Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital in-patient spells there were in England in (a) 1996–97 and (b) 2001–02 of children aged (i) under one year and (ii) aged one to five years with diagnoses of congenital anomalies; how many had diagnoses of (A) central nervous system anomalies, (B) cleft lip and/or palate, (C) anomalies of the heart and circulatory system, (D) anomalies of the alimentary system, (E) anomalies of the genital organ, (F) anomalies of the urinary system, (G) anomalies of the musculoskeletal system including limb reductions, (H) Down syndrome and (I) other chromosomal anomalies; and if he will make a statement on trends over the past five years. [120165]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of hospital in-patient spells in England for children aged under one year with a primary diagnosis of congenital malformations, deformations or chromosomal abnormalities have fallen from 31,222 in 1996–97 to 30,750 in 2001–02. There has also been a fall in in-patient hospital spells for children aged one to five years from 22,533 in 1996–97 to 22,346 in 2001–02. Detailed information for 1996–97 and 2001–02 has been placed in the Library.
London Ambulance Service
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding was given to the London ambulance service in the last 12 months. [118924]
Mr. Hutton: The total income for the London Ambulance Services (LAS) in 2001–02, the latest year for which figures are available, is £135,775,000. The LAS received most of its income from the provision of services to health authorities, primary care groups and National Health Service trusts.
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NHS Pay Beds
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the benefits of pay beds in NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement. [120056]
Mr. Hutton: The first priority of national health service hospitals is to treat NHS patients. However, as long as it does not interfere with their NHS duties, providing accommodation and services to private patients can be a useful way for NHS hospitals to raise additional income to use for their NHS services.
NHS Staff (Work-related Injuries)
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) medical staff, (b) nursing and midwifery staff and (c) health care assistants have reported back injuries related to their work in the NHS in each of the last six years; [119687]
- (2) what representations he has received on the contribution of staffing levels to the risk of staff or patient injury relating to manual handling of patients in the NHS; [119688]
(3) if he will place a copy of the NHS Manual Handling Regulations in the Library. [119689]
Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect this information centrally. However, we do know that one third of all reported injuries that result in three or more days off work are caused by manual handling accidents and that manual handling accidents and back pain account for approximately 40 per cent. of all national health service sickness absence.
Evidence suggests that the introduction of lifting equipment for patients, following suitable risk assessment, has a greater impact on the number of manual handling accidents to both staff and patients than simply increasing staff numbers. We believe that the current strategy of providing increased levels of mechanical aids is responsible for the reduction in manual handing accidents reported by 33 per cent. of trusts in the National Audit Office's recent report "A Safer Place to Work—Improving the Management of Health and Safety Risks to Staff in NHS Trusts".
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 are not specific to the NHS. However, the Health and Safety Executive has issued non-statutory guidance, "Manual Handling in the Health Services", a copy of which will be placed in the Library.
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on compliance within the NHS with the NHS Manual Handling Regulations. [119690]
Mr. Hutton: The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) apply to all work activities and are the responsibility of the Department of Work and Pensions.
The National audit Office report, "A Safer Place to Work—Improving the Management of Health and Safety Risks to Staff in NHS Trusts", showed a reduction of 33 per cent. in manual handling accidents over the last three years. The Department is reviewing approaches taken by national health service trusts in
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evaluating compliance with the current guidance and will be considering the need for a more consistent approach to evaluation.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces the above regulations in NHS trusts and other healthcare premises and assesses compliance with the regulations as a key part of most trust inspections. I am informed that the HSE has not prosecuted any NHS trusts for breaches of the regulations, but it has served a number of individual trusts with statutory notices requiring them to improve compliance with various requirements of the regulations.
Information on the number of statutory notices served in English NSH trusts since 1998–99 is shown in the following table:
| Number of notices | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 6 |
| 1999–2000 | 10 |
| 2000–01 | 6 |
| 2001–02 | 13 |
| 2002–03 | (25)19 |
(25) Provisional figure
NHS Travel Expense Fraud
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the scale of travel expense fraud in the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [118642]
Mr. Hutton: No assessment has yet been made of the scale of travel expense fraud in the national health service. However, the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service has an on-going programme of statistically accurate risk measurement exercises, designed to reveal levels of fraud losses. Through repeated exercises, following implementation of fraud prevention regimes, this may demonstrate that a reduction in such losses has taken place.
These risk measurement exercises are conducted to an accuracy of plus or minus one per cent., and are more accurate than any other similar exercises in the United Kingdom.
Phase one of these exercises concentrated on pharmaceutical, dental and optical fraud by patients. Phase two has been focusing on fraud by contractors, (pharmacists, dentists, opticians and general practitioners). Phase three will look at wider NHS fraud. Depending on how phase three work is prioritised, it may include travel expense fraud.
NHS Trust Budget Deficits
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected budget deficit is for (a) the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust, (b) the Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust and (c) the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital NHS Trust for the end of the financial year. [120097]
Dr. Ladyman: The audited information in respect of the 2002–03 financial position of all national health service trusts will be published in their individual annual accounts and will be available centrally in autumn 2003.
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At the Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority Board meeting on 15 May it was reported that the forecast deficit for 2002–03 for the trusts was as follows.
| Forecast deficit for 2002–03 | |
|---|---|
| Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust | 1.9 million |
| Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust | 1.2 million |
| Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital NHS Trust | 800,000 |
These figures are subject to audit of the annual accounts.
Ophthalmic Surgeons
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many ophthalmic surgeons were practising in the UK in each of the last 11 years; and if he will make a statement; [119708]
- (2) what measures he is taking to increase the number of ophthalmic surgeons within the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [119709]
Mr. Hutton: The table shows how many ophthalmic surgical medical staff including consultant surgeons were practising in England in each of the last 11 years. Information on Scotland and Wales are matters for devolved Administration. Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office, while the institutions there are dissolved.
Consultants in ophthalmology have increased by 18 per cent. between September 1997 and March 2002. We expect to see further increases in the number of trained specialists available to take up consultant posts. Latest projections suggest that there will be around 820 consultants in ophthalmology by September 2004. This is part of the substantial planned expansion of the consultant workforce.
As part of our radical approach to free up the training system in 2003–04, trusts will have the opportunity to fund up to 40 additional training posts in ophthalmology. This will support further increases in consultant numbers.
| Ophthalmology | Of which: Consultants | |
|---|---|---|
| 1991(27) | 1,641 | 466 |
| 1992 | 1,536 | 468 |
| 1993 | 1,686 | 507 |
| 1994 | 1,659 | 489 |
| 1995 | 1,739 | 530 |
| 1996 | 1,862 | 564 |
| 1997 | 1,915 | 580 |
| 1998 | 1,966 | 598 |
| 1999 | 2,021 | 628 |
| 2000 (March) | 2,053 | 651 |
| 2001 | 2,070 | 683 |
| 2002 | n/a | 687 |
n/a = Data not available
(26) Data as at 31 September each year except 2002 as at 31 March
(27) Figures rounded to nearest whole number (correction factor has been applied)
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Department of Health Medical and Dental workforce census
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