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13 Jan 2004 : Column 709W—continued

Drug Prices

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what figure has been used by his Department in calculating drug price inflation in each of the last six years. [144144]

Mr. Hutton: The figures that reflect drug price inflation in each of the last six years are shown in the table.

	Percentage growth due to price
1997–98	4.60
1998–99	3.87
1999–2000	7.94
2000–01	1.74
2001–02	2.17
2002–03	6.26

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total NHS drugs bill was in each of the last six years. [144149]

Mr. Hutton: The total National Health Service drug spend for the last six years is shown in the tables.

13 Jan 2004 : Column 710W

£ million

Cash	Primary Care		HCHS	Total Drug Spend
Year	Gross outturn	Net outturn	outturn	Gross Outturn	Net Outturn
1997–98	4,107	4,085	1,088	5,195	5,173
1998–99	4,356	4,339	1,211	5,567	5,550
1999–2000	4,851	4,833	1,369	6,220	6,202
2000–01	5,168	5,161	1,530	6,698	6,691
2001–02	5,559	5,552	1,740	7,298	7,292
2002–03	6,217	6,209	2,013	8,230	8,222

Note:

Cash Figures:

1. Primary care figures include amounts paid to pharmacy and appliance contractors by the PPA and amounts authorised for dispensing doctors and personal administration in England, for financial years April to March. The data do not cover costs for drugs dispensed in hospital, drugs prescribed in hospitals but dispensed in the community or private prescriptions. Note, Primary Care actual drug cost = Net ingredient cost + VAT + container costs—discount allowance.

2. Primary Care NET figures include Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) receipt savings.

3. Hospital and Community Health Services expenditure on drugs includes medical gases.

Source:

NB. Resource figures have been available only for the last three years.

£ million

Resource	Primary Care DrugSpend		HCHS	Total Drug Spend
Year	Gross outturn	Net outturn	outturn	Gross Outturn	Net Outturn
2000–01	5,160	5,158	1,530	6,690	6,688
2001–02	5,714	5,707	1,740	7,454	7,447
2002–03	6,349	6,344	2,013	8,362	8,357

Note:

Resource Figures:

1. The total actual cost of drugs and appliances prescribed by GP/Nurses within England plus any central budget expenditure or locally authorised payments.

2. Primary Care NET figures include Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) receipt savings.

3. Hospital and Community Health Services expenditure on drugs includes medical gases.

4. 2002–03 figures are provisional and are still to be confirmed with accounts.

Source:

PPA England

NB. Resource figures have been available only for the last three years.

Emergency Readmissions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of discharged patients aged 75 years and over were readmitted within one month as emergencies in each quarter since 1997. [147308]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department collects information on emergency re-admissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge. Between 1997 and 2002, this information was collected for those patients aged 75 and over.

Monitoring information is now collected on an all ages basis to avoid perverse incentives that could lead to older people being denied care in hospital when this is necessary.

The information requested is shown in the tables.

13 Jan 2004 : Column 711W

Financialyear	Quarter	Number of people aged 75 and over discharged from hospital	Number of people aged 75 and over readmitted as an emergency within 28 days of discharge	Rate of 28 day emergency readmission for people aged over 75 (%)
2003–04	Q2
2003–04	Q1
2002–03	Q4
2002–03	Q3
2002–03	Q2
2002–03	Q1
2001–02	Q4	437,034	31,493	7.2
2001–02	Q3	429,124	31,427	7.3
2001–02	Q2	422,143	30,083	7.1
2001–02	Q1	408,817	29,878	7.3
2000–01	Q4	409,335	31,538	7.7
2000–01	Q3	411,137	29,896	7.3
2000–01	Q2	406,761	28,820	7.1
2000–01	01	390,010	28,735	7.4
1999–2000	Q4	377,277	28,611	7.6
1999–2000	Q3	368,244	26,523	7.2
1999–2000	Q2	368,329	26,758	7.3
1999–2000	Q1	346,079	26,702	7.7
1998–99	Q4	365,801	29,933	8.2
1998–99	Q3	361,266	29,110	8.1
1998–99	Q2	357,275	28,839	8.1
1998–99	Q1	342,787	29,213	8.5
1997–98	Q4	343,170	24,435	7.1
1997–98	Q3	335,188	23,771	7.1
1997–98	Q2	333,781	22,385	6.7
1997–98	Q1	326,996	23,557	7.2
1996–97	Q4	339,389	23,625	7.0

Financialyear	Quarter	Number of people of all ages discharged from hospital	Number of people of all ages readmitted as an emergency within 28 days of discharge	Rate of 28 day emergency readmission for people of all ages (%)
2003–04	Q2	2,405,479	131,981	5.5
2003–04	Q1	2,402,573	135,153	5.6
2002–03	Q4	2,501,481	138,742	5.5
2002–03	Q3	2,429,606	131,704	5.4
2002–03	Q2	2,334,696	124,176	5.3
2002–03	Q1	2,313,818	125,085	5.4

Gas Price Increases

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on the NHS of planned increases in gas prices; and what assumptions were made in the comprehensive spending review about the cost of gas and electricity supplies to the NHS. [146354]

Mr. Hutton: National health service gas is bought on a variety of contract options, contract start dates and differing indices. This limits exposure to severe increases across the portfolio, although individual sites may have experiences significantly above or below average, largely due to timing.

The total actual increases in gas costs for the NHS in 2003–04 will be approximately £7 million over and above the 2002–03 figure. If all gas had been bought at the highest peak prices so far in 2003–04, the increase would have been approximately £15.1 million.

As far as I am aware there are no further planned increases in gas prices beyond usual market forces.

13 Jan 2004 : Column 712W

In the comprehensive spending review, in 1998 and subsequent spending reviews in 2000 and 2002, there has been no special provision for inflation in gas and electricity prices. These have been covered by the general prices inflation.

General Practitioners

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) general practitioner partnerships and (b) single-handed practices have closed in (i) England and (ii) each strategic health authority in each of the last six years. [144319]

Mr. Hutton: This information is not collected. Successive annual censuses, published as "Statistics for General Medical practitioners in England", which is available at www.doh.gov.uk/public/stats1.htm, shows a steady trend towards larger partnerships with more general practitioners working in the national health service than ever before.

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the need for general practitioner pay adjustments in areas not covered by the new General Medical Services contract. [144447]

Mr. Hutton: The benefits of the new general medical services (GMS) contract are potentially available to all general practitioners. However, over 40 per cent. of GPs have opted, over a period of time, for locally agreed personal medical services (PMS) contracts. In order that these GPs can also benefit from the key provisions of the new QMS contract, it has already been agreed, and communicated to the profession, that similar benefits will also be available to PMS practices. The benefits for which they will be eligible are:

Comparable new investment to that proposed for QMS


Comparable investment for delivering quality outcomes


Improved seniority pay


Improved pension benefits


Increased investment in and modification to information management and technology systems


More flexible premises arrangements


The same ability to opt out of out of hour responsibilities

Therefore, comparable arrangements will be available to all GPs under either the new QMS or PMS contracts.

Mr. Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of general practitioners who will retire in the next five years. [144604]

Mr. Hutton: Information on the estimated number of general practitioners who will retire in the next five years is not available.

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