1. CURRENT
ISSUES
1.1 NHS medical workforce
1.1.1 Could the Department please update
the information provided in response to last year's questionnaire
(a) on numbers of GP trainers, (b) on current numbers of GP trainees,
and (c) on numbers completing training this year? [1.1.1]
1.1.2 Could the Department please update
the information provided in response to last year's questionnaire
on the age breakdown of hospital consultants and of unrestricted
GP principals? [1.1.2]
1.1.3 Could the Department please supply
information on the total costs to the NHS of salaries paid to
suspended doctors?
1.2 NHS nursing workforce
1.2.1 Could the Department provide information
on the number of agency nurses employed and expenditure on agency
nurses for each NHS Trust, and totals for the NHS in England?
1.3 Concordat activity
1.3.1 Could the Department please update
the information provided in response to last year's questionnaire
on NHS expenditure on health care purchased from independent UK
providers, with figures broken down between acute and non-acute
care and by specialty? [1.3.1]
1.3.2 How do the most recent prices paid
by the NHS for independently provided inpatient and day case treatment
compare with NHS reference costs for the same treatments and procedures?
[1.3.2]
1.3.3 Could the Department provide us
with a global figure for the cost of elective surgery provided
to NHS patients in the private sector to tackle waiting lists,
alongside a global figure for the cost of the same number of procedures
on the NHS. Could the total private sector cost be broken down
by Trust and PCT?
1.3.4 In response to a question in last
year's questionnaire concerning a survey carried out by the Department
about the volume, cost and nature of elective treatment provided
to the NHS by the independent sector, we were told that the results
of this survey were unreliable, but that a further survey to obtain
information on activity and prices was underway.[1]
Could the Department please give a detailed account of the findings
of this survey? [1.3.4]
1.4 Buying from non-UK providers
1.4.1 Could the Department please update
the information provided in response to last year's questionnaire
concerning NHS spending on health care provided outside the UK?
[1.4.1]
1.5 Spending on patient and public involvement
in healthcare
1.5.1 In Committee on 15 May 2003, David
Lammy MP stated that £69 million was being spent this year
on patient and public involvement in the NHS. Could the Department
provide a detailed breakdown of this figure, and estimates for
next year's costs, specifying:
Amount allocated for establishing and running
Overview and Scrutiny Committees
Amount allocated for establishing and running
Patient Advice and Liaison Services
Amount allocated for establishing and running
Independent Complaints Advocacy Services
Amount allocated for establishing and running
Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health
Amount allocated to CPPIH for establishing
and running Patient and Public Involvement Forums
1.5.2 What was the total amount last
year paid to CHCs, to include redundancy costs?
1.5.3 What is the estimated annual cost
for one:
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Patient Advice and Liaison Service
Local Independent Complaints Advocacy Service
Trust Patient and Public Involvement Forum
Primary Care Trust Patient and Public Involvement
Forum
1.5.4 What is the estimated cost per
Trust of establishing and running new governance systems for Foundation
Trusts, including consultation, election and running of Boards
of Governors?
1.5.5 What is the estimated cost of establishing
and running the independent regulatory system for Foundation Trusts?
1.6 NHS Direct and NHS Professionals
1.6.1 Could the Department provide us
with the results of any research carried out into the cost effectiveness
of NHS Direct and NHS Professionals?
1.7 Patient Surveys
1.7.1 Could the Department please supply
the Committee, under separate cover, with the full results of
all patient experience surveys carried out in the NHS in the past
three years?
1.8 Waiting list surgery
1.8.1 Could the Department please supply
figures on the costs of elective surgery carried out in NHS hospitals
outside of routine hours (i.e. waiting list initiative sessions
held at weekends). These should include a global figure and trust
by trust figures.
1.8.2 Could the department please state
the rates of pay for surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, ODAs and
ancillary workers who work extra sessions to carry out elective
surgery carried in NHS hospitals outside of routine hours
1.9 Continuing care
1.9.1 Could the Department please supply
the Committee with an estimate, by SHA, of the likely number of
claimants for payments of continuing care arising from the Ombudsman's
recent report? What financial provision have PCTs/ SHAs made against
future claims?
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