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17 Nov 2003 : Column 586W—continued

Guidance Updates (NICE)

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was in each of the last three years of sending guidance updates from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to (a) all hon. Member and (b) Members of the National Assembly for Wales. [136601]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The average cost per mailing for both right hon. and hon. Members and Welsh Assembly Members is £500.

GP Waiting Times

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for an appointment with a general practitioner was in the London borough of Havering in 2002–03. [137325]

Mr. Hutton: Information on the time each patient waits to see a general practitioner is not collected. However, data on the availability of appointments show that in March 2003, 90 per cent. of the population of Havering Primary Care Trust were able to be offered an appointment with a general practitioner within two working days.

GPs

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were registered with GP practices in Taunton in each year since 1997. [137230]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of patients registered with general practitioner practices in Taunton since 1997 is shown in the tables.

Patients of unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs)⁽⁸⁷⁾ in Somerset HA; 1997–2001Numbers (headcount)

	Somerset HA
1997	491,210
1998	491,104
1999	493,256
2000	502,039
2001	462,530

Notes:

UPEs include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs.

Data as at 1 October 1997–99 and 30 September 2000–01

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

17 Nov 2003 : Column 587W

Patients of unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs)⁽⁸⁷⁾ in Taunton HA; 1999–2002Numbers (headcount)

	Taunton and Area PCG	Taunton Deane PCT
	4XM98	5K2
1999	140,852	—
2000	144,049	—
2001	137,774	—
2002	—	105,406

Notes:

UPEs include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs.

Data as at 1 October 1999 and 30 September 2000–02

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Patients of unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs)⁽⁸⁷⁾ in Taunton; 1999–2002Numbers (headcount)

	Taunton and Area PCG	Taunton Deane PCT
	4XM98	5K2
1999	140,852	—
2000	144,049	—
2001	137,774	—
2002	—	105,406

Notes:

UPEs include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs.

Data as at 1 October 1997–99 and 30 September 2000–01

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses, (b) non-medical, non-nursing care workers and (c) administrative staff were employed in general practitioner practices in Taunton in each year since 1997. [137380]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the tables.

Practice staff⁽⁸⁷⁾ by type 1997 to 2001 for Somerset health authorityWhole-time equivalent

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Practice Staff(87)	604	616	583	601	629
Of which:
Practice Nurse	102	105	106	113	114
Direct Patient Care	21	24	8	8	14
Admin and Clerical	481	487	468	481	487
Other	—	1	—	—	15

⁽⁸⁷⁾ Practice Staff includes Practice Nurses, Direct Patient Care, Admin and Clerical and Other

Note:

Data as at 1 October 1992–99 and 30 September 2000–01

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

17 Nov 2003 : Column 588W

Practice staff⁽⁸⁸⁾ by type 1992 to 2001 for Somerset health authorityNumber (headcount)

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Practice Staff(88)	923	914	907	907	1,058
Of which:
Practice Nurse(89)	183	191	194	176	206

⁽⁸⁸⁾ Practice Staff includes Practice Nurses, Direct Patient Care, Admin and Clerical and Other

⁽⁸⁹⁾ Headcount practice nurse figures are estimated for these years. Headcount figures for other types of practice staff are not available separately.

Note:

Data as at 1 October 1997–99 and 30 September 2000–01

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Practice staff⁽⁹⁰⁾ for Taunton by typeWhole-time equivalent

	1999	2000	2001	2002
Taunton and Area
Practice Staff	160	173	n/a	n/a
Of which:
Practice Nurse	30	32	n/a	n/a
Direct Patient Care	4	6	n/a	n/a
Admin and Clerical	126	134	n/a	n/a
Other	—	—	n/a	n/a
Taunton Deane PCT
Practice Staff	n/a	n/a	175	261
Of which:
Practice Nurse	n/a	n/a	30	47
Direct Patient Care	n/a	n/a	7	10
Admin and Clerical	n/a	n/a	129	199
Other	n/a	n/a	9	4

n/a = Not available

Note:

⁽⁹⁰⁾ Practice Staff includes Practice Nurses, Direct Patient Care, Admin and Clerical and Other

Practice staff⁽⁹¹⁾ for Taunton by typeNumber (headcount)

	1999	2000	2001	2002
	Taunton and Area PCG
Practice Staff	276	252	n/a	n/a
Of which:
Practice Nurse	54	48	n/a	n/a
Taunton Deane PCT
Practice Staff	n/a	n/a	284	400
Of which:
Practice Nurse	n/a	n/a	55	56

n/a = Not available

⁽⁹¹⁾ Practice Staff includes Practice Nurses, Direct Patient Care, Admin and Clerical and Other. Headcount figures for other types of practice staff are not available separately.

Notes:

1. Data as at 1 October 1999 and 30 September 2000–02.

2. Practice Nurse figure estimated in 1999.

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Group B Streptococcus

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what cost analysis he has carried out of introducing a

17 Nov 2003 : Column 589W

pilot screening programme for pregnant women to test for Group B Streptococcus; and what he estimates the costs involved would be. [136418]

Dr. Ladyman: The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) has commissioned an assessment of the existing evidence on screening for Group B Streptococcus in pregnancy against criteria used to assess potential screening programmes to ensure they do more good than harm. This assessment will include consideration of the costs that would be involved in introducing a screening programme. The NSC is expected to consider policy options at its meeting in December 2003.

Health Care (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average waiting time for an initial appointment to see a cancer specialist and (b) average time between initial referral and appropriate specialist treatment for cancer at York District Hospital was in each year since 1996–97. [135960]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information is not available in the format requested. The table shows the number of cancer patients treated within certain timeframes at York Hospitals National Health Service Trust.

Patients treated within 31 days of being urgently referred by their G(D)P with suspected cancer and subsequently diagnosed with cancer: York Hospitals NHS Trust

	Quarter	Cancer site	Total patients treated	Percentage treated within 31 days
2001–02	4	Children's cancers	0	n/a
		Testicular cancer	0	n/a
		Acute Leukaemia	0	n/a
2002–03	1	Children's cancers	0	n/a
		Testicular cancer	3	100.00
		Acute Leukaemia	0	n/a
2002–03	2	Children's cancers	0	n/a
		Testicular cancer	1	100.00
		Acute Leukaemia	0	n/a
2002–03	3	Children's cancers	0	n/a
		Testicular cancer	3	100.00
		Acute Leukaemia	0	n/a
2002–03	4	Children's cancers	0	n/a
		Testicular cancer	1	100.00
		Acute Leukaemia	0	n/a
2003–04	1	Children's cancers	0	n/a
		Testicular cancer	1	100.00
		Acute Leukaemia	1	100.00

Patients treated within 31 days of being diagnosed with breast cancer: York Hospitals NHS Trust

	Quarter	Total patients treated	Percentage treated within 31 days
2001–02	4	64	100.00
2002–03	1	70	100.00
2002–03	2	56	100.00
2002–03	3	48	100.00
2002–03	4	67	100.00
2003–04	1	62	100.00

17 Nov 2003 : Column 590W

Patients treated within 62 days of being urgently referred by their G(D)P with suspected cancer and subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer: York Hospitals NHS Trust

	Quarter	Total patients treated	Percentage treated within 62 days
2003–04	1	25	100.00

Note:

Data were not collected prior to the dates in the tables.

Source:

Department of Health form QMCW.

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