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6 Oct 2003 : Column 1333W—continued
Nightingale Wards
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS trusts which have yet fully to eliminate Nightingale wards. [130324]
Mr. Hutton: The elimination of Nightingale wards for older people has been included in the planning and priorities framework 2003–06 as one of the Department's key investment priorities. A target has been set for the elimination of Nightingale wards for older people by April 2004. A report will be made at that time.
Notifiable Diseases
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 629W, on notifiable diseases, what the timetable is for the review of the infectious disease law. [128525]
Miss Melanie Johnson: No specific timetable has yet been set for the review, but we intend that it should take account of the new emergency powers which it is planned to provide through the Civil Contingencies Bill.
Nursing
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the training arrangements in NHS trusts to ensure that nursing staff are trained to use existing and new medical equipment. [130874]
Mr. Hutton: "Working Together—Learning Together", the framework for lifelong learning, published in November 2001, specifies national health service trust responsibilities for staff education and development and for ensuring that they have clear local procedures to make sure that all staff are trained to operate new and existing medical equipment in a safe and effective way. It states that, "all NHS employer organisations, supported by Workforce Development Confederations will have in place a clear organisational strategy and annual plan for education, training and development which links explicitly with local modernisation priorities and the delivery of clinical governance".
The proposed introduction of the knowledge and skills framework through pay modernisation will strengthen the identification of the skills and competencies of nurses to undertake certain work. Similarly, the introduction of the NHS University will also strengthen the availability of learning opportunities.
We are investing over £30 million a year in improving continuing professional development infrastructure through workforce development confederations so that health professionals can maintain and improve the standards of care they provide. This will include learning to use new equipment and new techniques as they are introduced.
In addition, our care group workforce teams are reviewing the skills and competencies required to implement our priorities to improve the NHS through the national service frameworks. This work will identify the key skills needed in the NHS.
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Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurse vacancies there are at Southend General Hospital. [130373]
Mr. Hutton: The total number of nurse vacancies at Southend General Hospital is not recorded centrally. However, the number of three-month vacancies for qualified nurses at Southend Hospital National Health Service Trust at 31 March 2003 was 19.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people there are in each of the registered nursing care contribution bands. [130907]
Dr. Ladyman: This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the availability of (a) defibrillators, (b) ECG machines, (c) portable oxygen and (d) infusion pumps to nursing staff within the NHS. [130876]
Miss Melanie Johnson: No national assessment has been made. All national health service trusts and health authorities in England have access to a national contract for portable oxygen cylinders.
Infusion pumps, electro-cardiogram machines and defibrillators are bought at local level by individual trusts.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which single use medical equipment is re-used within the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [130877]
Mr. Hutton: The Department is funding a research project to establish whether single use instruments are being re-used and, if so, the scale of reuse. This project will guide the Department, the National Patient Safety Agency and the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on whether future guidance is required. Previous research has highlighted the issue of re-using medical devices designated for single use only.
Older People
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Service Framework for older people milestones on (a) strategic and operational plans to promote healthy ageing and disease prevention in older people, (b) local health systems demonstrating improvements and moving towards benchmarked intervention rates, (c) skills profile of staff who care for older people in hospital, (d) analysis of levels and patterns of key intervention rates to establish best practice benchmarks and (e) one-stop dispensing/dispensing for discharge scheme were achieved. [130937]
Dr. Ladyman: Information on such milestones has not been collected centrally. A monitoring exercise conducted at the end of 2002 suggested that 54 per cent., of hospitals have a 'one-stop' dispensing/dispensing for discharge scheme and, where appropriate, self administration schemes for medicines for older people .
Responsibility for monitoring progress with these milestones and ensuring that any shortcomings are addressed rests with strategic health authorities.
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Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to measure the National Service Framework for older people milestones on (a) additional people receiving intermediate care services promoting rehabilitations compared with the 1999–2000 baseline and (b) jointly appointed co-ordinators for intermediate care. [131005]
Dr. Ladyman: The specific information requested is not collected centrally. Responsibility for monitoring progress and delivering these services rests with strategic health authorities, who must ensure that milestones are met and, where appropriate, joint working arrangements are developed to ensure delivery.
During a stocktake exercise conducted by the Department in January 2002, 87 per cent. of national service framework local implementation teams reported that an intermediate care co-ordinator was in place.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to monitor achievement of the National Service Framework for older people milestones that information provided to older people is reviewed and action plans developed to correct shortcomings. [131006]
Dr. Ladyman: Joint responsibility for ensuring that reviews of information take place and shortcomings are addressed rests with strategic health authorities and local authorities, who must ensure that milestones are met and joint working arrangements are developed to ensure delivery.
Councils reported brief progress information to the social services inspectorate (SSI) as part of the in-year monitoring programme for 2002–03. This information is available at www.doh.gov.uk/ssi/ciann-12.htm. More recent and detailed information about progress in 2003–04 is being gathered by SSI from the councils during the autumn and the results will be available in January 2004.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in meeting the National Service Framework for Older People target of having an additional 5,000 intermediate care beds and 1,700 non-residential intermediate care places in place by March 2004 compared with the 1999–2000 baseline. [131046]
Mr. Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people received intermediate care preventing hospital admission in each region under the National Service Framework for Older People; [124922]
- (2) how many people received intermediate care services promoting rehabilitation in each region under the National Service Framework for Older People; [124923]
(3) how many intermediate care beds in each region have been set up under the National Service Framework for Older people. [124925]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 18 September 2003]: By the end of June 2003, there were approximately 3,600 additional intermediate care beds and approximately 12,800 additional non-residential places compared with the 1999–2000 baseline. During the year 2002–03 approximately 143,200 additional people received
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intermediate care services, compared with the 1999–2000 baseline. It is not possible to break this down into the categories requested.
It is not possible to make comparisons by region due to restructuring within the National Health Service.
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