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16 Oct 2003 : Column 346W—continued
NHS Trust Deficits
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts are in deficit; what his strategy is for resolving the situation; and if he will make a statement. [132352]
Mr. Hutton: We have no plans to publish un-audited in-year financial information. All national health service trusts have been asked to plan for and achieve financial balance in 2003–04. Audited information for all NHS trusts will be published in their individual annual accounts and will be available centrally in autumn 2004.
Strategic health authorities and the NHS Modernisation Agency will be working closely with NHS organisations to ensure that they are able to deliver their financial and service delivery plans.
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Ophthalmology(Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire)
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the planned location is of the proposed diagnostic and treatment centre for ophthalmology for Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. [131399]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 14 October 2003]: The ophthalmic treatment centre for Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire will be provided through a mobile unit.
The unit will provide services for patients in North Oxford, Wycombe and south west Oxfordshire and as it is mobile it can be used elsewhere as the need arises. The final locations will depend on discussions between local primary care trusts and will relate to demand from national health service patients, and will be convenient for patient access.
Paediatric Dentistry
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each primary care trust the average wait for a child between an initial dental consultation and being operated on under general anaesthetic. [132298]
Mr. Hutton: Information is not collected on the waiting time from initial dental consultation to being operated on under general anaesthetic for a child.
Information is collected on how long a patient is waiting for elective in-patient admission from clinical decision to admit. Information for the specialty paediatric dentistry showing the total patients waiting and the average waiting time for this specialty by primary care trust has been placed in the Library.
Patient Records
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the Government Departments and agencies which will have (a) trusted access, (b) non-trusted access and (c) any other forms of access to patients' NHS records via the NHS net. [131958]
Mr. Hutton: It is not intended that any Government Department or agency that is not involved in providing care to patients will have access to patient records via the NHSnet.
Private Health Care Providers
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign-owned private healthcare providers have pilot programmes with NHS trusts. [131344]
Mr. Hutton: The number of foreign owned private health care providers who are or have undertaken pilot programmes within national health service trusts is not held centrally.
There are, however, a number of primary care trusts (PCTs) who are engaged in programmes with private organisations. These organisations are providing administrative support services to help PCTs design and deliver improved health care. Some of these—such as the work with United Healthcare Group to implement the Evercare model of care for at-risk elderly—are part
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of the Transformational Change Programme, managed by the National Primary and Care Trust Development Programme (NatPaCT), which aims to help primary care trusts redesign services. However, we do not hold centrally details of all PCTs who have entered into arrangements with private organisations.
Renal Dialysis
Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what renal dialysis services are planned for (a) Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton and (b) the Kingston area. [131943]
Mr. Hutton: This is a local matter for South West London Strategic Health Authority. There is provision for renal dialysis services within the Queen Mary's Roehampton rebuilding programme, which is due to be completed in 2005. In the meantime, options for developing services in the Kingston and North Wandsworth area are being considered by the local national health service.
Office of the Independent Regulator
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the (a) staff levels and (b) running costs of the Foundation Trust Regulator. [131907]
Mr. Hutton: Subject to legislation, the Office of the Independent Regulator will be established as a non-Ministerial Department, which will be accountable to Parliament but not subject to direction from the Secretary of State for Health. The Independent Regulator is responsible for structure and staffing of the Office of the Regulator. However, he or she must consult the Minister for the Civil Service on the number of staff and their terms and conditions.
The extent of these costs and the number of additional staff required will depend on the number of national health service foundation trusts. In the Explanatory Notes to the Bill, published in March 2003, the Department estimated that, in the first full financial year, 2004–05, the running costs would be £2.3 million. This estimate was based on legal and financial costs, accommodation, expenditure on information technology and the running costs for 12 staff. Final arrangements for the structure and staffing of the Office are for the Regulator to determine and, once appointed, the Regulator will develop detailed proposals and estimates.
Surgical Procedures (Comparable Costs)
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the comparable costs of surgical procedures carried out in national health service hospitals, diagnostic and treatment centres and under contracts with (a) the United Kingdom private sector and (b) overseas health facilities. [131493]
Mr. Hutton: The Department carries out an annual reference cost collection exercise. This year, for the first time, we have collected information on the cost of activity carried out for the national health service by non-NHS providers. This does not include overseas treatment or independent sector treatment centres, although this may be included in future years.
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Waiting Rooms (Piped Music)
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of (a) patients' reactions to piped music in NHS waiting rooms and (b) whether this has any therapeutic effect; and if he will make a statement. [132420]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 15 October 2003]: The use or otherwise of piped music in hospitals is a matter for local decision making, which should reflect the views of staff and patients. We are not aware of any specific research on the effect of piped music in national health service waiting rooms.
Waiting Times
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the breakdown by clinical area of waiting times is for the number of people waiting for a referral to a specialist from their general practitioner. [132395]
Mr. Hutton: Information on patients waiting for their first consultant out-patient attendance following general practitioner written referral is collected at the consultants main specialty function, and only for those patients waiting over 13 weeks.
The table shows the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks by specialty.
Source:
Department of Health form QM08
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