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20 Jan 2004 : Column 1106W—continued
Foundation Hospitals
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 602W, on foundation hospitals, if he will list those applications for foundation hospital status which have been submitted to the Independent Regulator. [148409]
Mr. Hutton: I refer my hon. Friend to my written ministerial statement of 19 January 2004, Official Report, column 49WS.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of the preparatory materials submitted by the national health service trusts seeking the Secretary of State's support for an application for NHS foundation trust status. [147933]
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Mr. Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave on Monday 5 January 2004, Official Report, column. 189W. I will arrange for copies of the applications submitted to the independent regulator to be placed in the Library. I will also arrange for the Department's summary of each applicant to be placed in the Library in due course.
Geriatricians
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) consultant geriatricians and (b) geriatricians below the level of consultant were employed by the NHS in each year since 1997. [148827]
Mr. Hutton: The table shows the number of consultants in geriatric medicine and geriatricians below the level of consultant who were employed by the national health service in each year since 1997.
| All staff of which: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Consultants | Non-consultants(3) | ||
| June 2003 | (2)— | 894 | (2)— |
| 2002 | 2,707 | 861 | 1,846 |
| 2001 | 2,558 | 781 | 1,777 |
| 2000 | 2,572 | 767 | 1,805 |
| 1999 | 2,505 | 719 | 1,786 |
| 1998 | 2,560 | 712 | 1,848 |
| 1997 | 2,527 | 677 | 1,850 |
(1) Data as at 30 September except 2003, where data as at 30 June.
(2) Data not available. This is due to 2003 data being taken from the mini census, which collected consultants only.
(3) Grades below the level of consultant include staff grade, associate specialist, registrar group, senior house officer, house officer, hospital practitioner, clinical assistant and other staff.
Source:
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.
The number of consultants employed by the NHS in geriatric medicine has increased by 32 per cent. between September 1997 and June 2003.
Health and Social Services (Lincolnshire)
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been provided (a) in absolute terms and (b) per head of population served by the Trust for the United Lincolnshire NHS Trust in each year since 1995. [148474]
Dr. Ladyman: Funding is not allocated to national health service trusts. NHS trusts as providers of services receive the bulk of their revenue funding from commissioning by primary care trusts. Since 2003–04 funding has been allocated to PCTs, and before then to health authorities.
The table shows cash allocations and allocations per head of population for Lincolnshire health authority, East Lincolnshire PCT and Lincolnshire South West Teaching PCT. Prior to 1996–97 allocations were made to regional health authorities, no information is available for Lincolnshire.
20 Jan 2004 : Column 1108W
| Period | Total allocation (£000) | Allocation per weighted head of population (£) | Allocation per unweighted head of population (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincolnshire HA | |||
| 1996–97 | 256,520 | 431 | 416 |
| 1997–98 | 266,305 | 448 | 428 |
| 1998–99 | 278,608 | 463 | 445 |
| 1999–2000 | 394,990 | 632 | 615 |
| 2000–01 | 429,691 | 681 | 664 |
| 2001–02 | 469,403 | 736 | 717 |
| 2002–03 | 519,957 | 811 | 785 |
| East Lincolnshire PCT | |||
| 2003–04 | 241,038 | 884 | 904 |
| 2004–05 | 264,418 | 970 | 991 |
| 2005–06 | 288,857 | 1,060 | 1,083 |
| Lincolnshire South West Teaching PCT | |||
| 2003–04 | 143,841 | 934 | 785 |
| 2004–05 | 156,714 | 1,018 | 855 |
| 2005–06 | 170,113 | 1,105 | 928 |
| West Lincolnshire PCT | |||
| 2003–04 | 180,080 | 887 | 855 |
| 2004–05 | 197,501 | 973 | 938 |
| 2005–06 | 215,736 | 1,063 | 1,025 |
Note:
1999–2000 is the first year of unified allocations covering HCHS, prescribing and GMS cash limited. These figures are not comparable with those for previous years which cover HCHS only.
Source:
1996–97 to 1999–2000 Health Authority Cash limits Exposition Book
2001–02 Health Authority Revenue Resource Limits Exposition Book
2003–04 to 2006 PCT Revenue Resource Limits Exposition Book
Independent Diagnostic and Treatment Centres
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to require independent diagnostic and treatment centres to have patients' forums. [148680]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to require independent treatment centres to have patients' forums. The patients forums set up for primary care trusts (PCTs) that commission services from independent treatment centres can monitor and review services that the treatment centre provides, as well as carry out their other functions in relation to them. Directions issued to PCTs on 27 November 2003 require PCTs to ensure that contracts they place with all independent sector providers includes provisions that:
- require those providers to allow entry to patients' forums to enter and inspect premises where those services are provided; and
require those providers to give information in relation to those services to patients' forums when requested.
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 19 January 2004]: In relation to the operation of independent treatment centres, overview and scrutiny committees (OSCs) do not have rights of access to people, papers or premises of independent treatment centres. OSCs that
20 Jan 2004 : Column 1109W
want to scrutinise independent services should do so via the primary care trust (PCT) that commissioned the services.
Patients' forums have a right to enter and inspect independent premises and the right to information only if the contract between the PCT and the provider is compliant with directions issued to PCTs last November. These directions require PCTs to ensure that contracts they place with all independent sector providers include provisions that require those providers to allow entry to patients' forums to enter and inspect premises where those services are provided and require those providers to give information in relation to those services to patients' forums when requested.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how public-patient involvement will be delivered for independent diagnostic and treatment centres. [148682]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 19 January 2004]: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for ensuring that section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001—the duty to involve and consult patients and the public—is complied with when making arrangements for another organisation, person or people to provide services. This includes independent treatment centres (ITCs).
PCT patients' forums have powers to monitor and review the services provided by ITCs. Contracts between PCTs and ITCs will include a requirement to allow PCT patients' forums to enter the premises of ITCs.
Local authority overview and scrutiny committees with the power to review the planning, provision and operation of services will be able to use those powers in relation to ITCs, through the scrutiny of those PCTs which contract with ITCs.
Long-term Care
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the additional cost of implementing in full the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Long-term Care. [143376]
Dr. Ladyman: The cost of introducing free personal care for everyone in England has been estimated at £1.5 billion. The cost would increase to £1.8 billion with equivalent payments to the devolved Administrations. None of this extra expenditure, were it to be made in this way, would increase choice or services available to older people.
Mid-Essex Hospital Trust
Mr. Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting for in-patient treatment in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area at the latest date for which figures are available; and how many people have been waiting over 12 months for in-patient treatment. [147989]
20 Jan 2004 : Column 1110W
Dr. Ladyman [pursuant to his answer, 15 January 2004, Official Report, column 858W]: I regret my previous answer was incomplete. The response should read as follows.
As of 30 November 2003, 7,972 patients were waiting for elective inpatient admission, and no patients were waiting over 12 months. The source of this data is the Department of Health monthly monitoring.
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