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30 Jun 2003 : Column 175W—continued
Rainbows Children's Hospice
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about funding for the Rainbows Children's Hospice; and if he will make a statement. [121449]
Dr. Ladyman: I have received a large number of representations about funding for Rainbows Children's Hospice as part of a campaign being run by the Leicester Mercury newspaper. We recognise the valuable work undertaken by children's hospices, such as Rainbows, where they provide a key element in the care of children with life threatening illnesses and support for their families.
Government funding for children's hospices is available from primary care trusts (PCTs), which are responsible for deciding which health services the local population requires, and ensuring the provision of these services. It is for individual PCTs to decide the level of funding they allocate to children's palliative care services, including services provided by children's hospices.
I appreciate there may be a need for some pump priming funding to demonstrate the range and quality of care that children's hospices can provide. I am therefore pleased that the New Opportunities Fund has provided £48 million in support of palliative care projects for children in England—from which I understand Rainbows has received £650,000.
Recruitment Targets
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the targets set by the Government since 1997 to increase the number of (a) nurses,
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(b) consultants and (c) general practitioners in the NHS; what the baseline was for each target; when each was set; and whether the target referred to (i) headcount and (ii) whole time equivalent figures; [120443]
- (2) what recruitment targets have been set since 1997 for the professions allied to medicine; what the baselines for these targets are; when the deadlines are due; and if he will publish the information in the technical notes relating to the targets. [120959]
Mr. Hutton: Targets set by the government since 1997 to increase the number of nurses, consultants, general practitioners and therapists and other health professionals in the national health service have been placed in the Library.
All these targets are measured in head count not whole time equivalents and are based on the workforce census figures unless otherwise indicated.
In addition the NHS Plan set training targets for specialist registrars, GP registrars, nurses and therapists and other health care professionals. All have a baseline year of 1999 and a target date of 2004.
There was also a Comprehensive Spending Review target of 7,500 additional doctors including consultants and general practitioner by 2002. This target was over a 1997 baseline and has been achieved.
Increases announced as a result of the third report of the Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee and the NHS Plan provide for an additional 2,150 medical school places by 2005 over 1997. Almost 1,550 places had been created and filled by autumn 2002.
Reservist Medical Personnel
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the impact has been on the NHS to date of the compulsory mobilisation of reserve forces medical personnel for service in the Gulf. [121336]
Mr. Hutton: Due to good contingency planning at both national and local level, the impact on the national health service to date of the compulsory mobilisation of reserve forces personnel for service in the Gulf has been minimal.
Self-Diagnosis Kits
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to make available self-diagnosis kits on the high street for selected conditions that are easy to test for; and what assessment has been made of whether self-diagnostics will save the NHS money. [119568]
Mr. Hutton: The diagnostics industry markets a range of self-diagnosis kits, which are regulated by the Medical Devices Regulations (SI 20002 No.618). Use of these kits looks set to rise. However, it is not yet clear whether the overall effect will be to increase or reduce pressure on the National Health Service.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 14 May 2003, Official Report, column 321W, on severe acute respiratory syndrome, whether the World Health Organisation
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has advised against screening international travellers arriving in the UK from areas where local transmission of SARS is occurring by (a) a declaration and (b) a temperature check. [115521]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The World Health Organisation's advice remains that international travellers departing from areas with local transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), should be screened for possible SARS at the point of departure. Such screening involves answering questions related to their current health and may include a temperature check.
Sharp Injuries
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many needlestick and sharp injuries there were (a) in hospitals in the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency and (b) in NHS trusts in England in the last year for which figures are available. [120626]
Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect this data centrally but has advised all national health service trusts that it should be collected locally to enable them to assess risks to staff and patients. Figures for needlestick incidents should be available from the trusts concerned in the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency. The National Audit Office report, "A Safer Place to Work—Improving the Management of Health and Safety risks to staff in NHS Trusts", reported that needlestick injuries in the NHS in England amounted to approximately 23,000 each year.
Smoking
Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the effectiveness of recent anti-smoking initiatives. [120162]
Miss Melanie Johnson: From 1 January to 24 June 2003, the Department received 248 letters and 75 parliamentary questions on tobacco control. Recent initiatives covered have included the introduction of new warnings on tobacco packs, the comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and the Department's education and media campaigns.
St. George's Hospital Trust
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the persons appointed to St. George's Hospital Trust who live within the London borough of Wandsworth. [117159]
Mr. Hutton: None of the current non-executive board members live in the London borough of Wandsworth. The chair lives in Anerley and the four non-executives respectively live in Coulsdon, Kingston upon Thames, Streatham Common and Wimbledon, all of which are in the catchment area served by the trust.
Staffing
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) planned and (b) actual staffing levels were in each NHS trust in the last year, in terms of (i) whole-time equivalent budgeted hours and (ii) budgeted expenditure. [119773]
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Mr. Hutton: Figures for planned numbers of staff and budgeted hours in each National Health Service trust are not collected centrally. Staffing numbers by NHS trust for the last available year (September 2001) have been placed in the Library.
The actual staffing expenditure for NHS trusts in 2002–03 will be available from their individual audited annual accounts, locally in September and centrally in autumn.
Trust Chief Executives (Salaries)
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many chief executives of NHS trusts have refused to reveal their salaries; and if he will make a statement. [105345]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 27 March 2003]: Sir Nigel Crisp has written to all national health service employers encouraging senior staff to voluntarily disclose their remuneration in annual accounts. In 2001–02, however, some 50 chief executives of NHS organisations, including NHS trusts, chose to exercise a right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to refuse consent to publication of their remuneration details in the annual accounts.
Tuberculosis
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nosocomial cases of tuberculosis there were in England in each year since 1997; and which cases were resistant to antibiotics. [120079]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Health Protection Agency is responsible for collecting data on tuberculosis notifications. Data currently available are not broken down by cases of nosocomial TB.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) tuberculosis and (b) drug resistant tuberculosis there have been in each region in each year since 1997; and how many deaths resulted. [120081]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Information on the number of cases of tuberculosis (TB) and drug resistant TB is collected by the Health Protection Agency. The numbers of cases of TB and drug resistant TB for each region since 1997 are shown in table 2.
It is not possible to differentiate between deaths from TB and/or drug resistant TB.
The numbers of deaths in each year for England and Wales are shown in table 1.
| Year | Number of deaths |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 385 |
| 1998 | 392 |
| 1999 | 383 |
| 2000 | 370 |
| 2001 | 375 |
| 2002 | Data not yet available |
30 Jun 2003 : Column 179W
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002(35) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern & Yorkshire | 617 | 642 | 611 | 593 | 646 | 600 |
| Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.2 | (37) | (37) |
| MDR ( per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.9 | (37) | (37) |
| Trent | 484 | 498 | 497 | 545 | 564 | 563 |
| Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 6 | 6.1 | 4.3 | (37) | (37) |
| MDR (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 1.7 | 0.7 | 2 | (37) | (37) |
| Eastern | 232 | 268 | 228 | 254 | 326 | 343 |
| Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 5.9 | 2.9 | 4.5 | (37) | (37) |
| MDR (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 0 | 0.6 | 0 | (37) | (37) |
| London | 2,411 | 2,444 | 2,493 | 2,834 | 2,886 | 2,850 |
| Isoniazid resistant (per cent.reported isolates) | (36) | 7.6 | 7.6 | 8.2 | (37) | (37) |
| MDR (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.1 | (37) | (37) |
| South East | 483 | 503 | 495 | 553 | 598 | 700 |
| Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 6.1 | 7.3 | 6.7 | (37) | (37) |
| MDR (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 1.3 | 0.5 | 1.3 | (37) | (37) |
| South West | 212 | 213 | 209 | 226 | 198 | 248 |
| Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 6.8 | 4.3 | 3.8 | (37) | (37) |
| MDR (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 1.5 | 0 | 0.8 | (37) | (37) |
| West Midlands | 610 | 673 | 712 | 723 | 692 | 806 |
| Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 7.6 | 5.9 | 6.5 | (37) | (37) |
| MDR (per cent.reported isolates) | (36) | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.8 | (37) | (37) |
| North West | 615 | 674 | 693 | 651 | 661 | 650 |
| Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 3.1 | 4.2 | 5.7 | (37) | (37) |
| MDR (per cent. reported isolates) | (36) | 1.4 | 0.5 | 1.6 | (37) | (37) |
(35) Data for 2002 provisional
(36) Information on drug resistant TB is not available for 1997.
(37) Resistance data now matched to Enhanced tuberculosis surveillance and expressed in rates—Available August 2003)
Boundary changes 1997
All forms of Tuberculosis. Corrected notifications.
Data excludes chemoprophylaxis.
Data excludes Port Health Authorities.
RHO boundaries as at April 1999.
Source:Statutory Notifications to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre
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