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9 Feb 2004 : Column 1199W—continued
Public Holidays
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make 21 October 2005 a National Public Holiday. [153828]
The Prime Minister: Although such requests for public holidays are kept under constant review, at present there are no current plans to change the pattern of public holidays.
Remembrance Wreaths
Mr. Gray: To ask the Prime Minister which departmental budget pays for the wreath which he lays at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. [153352]
The Prime Minister: This is the responsibility of the Prime Minister's Office which comes under the departmental budget of the Cabinet Office.
United States
Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister when he last spoke with the United States (a) President and (b) Secretary of State. [154081]
The Prime Minister: I regularly have discussions with President Bush and others on a wide range of international issues. As with previous Administrations, it is not the practice of this Government to make public details of all discussions with foreign governments.
Water Pricing
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Prime Minister what (a) discussions and (b) correspondence he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the periodic review of water pricing, with particular reference to the cost of environmental measures. [152971]
The Prime Minister: I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects and will continue to do so. As with previous Administrations, it is not my practice to provide details of confidential discussions, under exemption 2 of the code of practice on access to Government information.
HEALTH
Alzheimer's
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, following the Ombudsman's ruling in the case against Cambridgeshire Health Authority on the funding of Alzheimers sufferers, he will give guidance that primary care trusts should take into account the psychological needs of people suffering from dementia and residing in residential homes in making NHS assessments. [153101]
Dr. Ladyman: There are no current plans to issue further guidance on continuing care.
The current guidance (HSC: 2001/015: LAC (2001)18) makes clear at Annex C that one of the issues to consider when establishing criteria for continuing
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care is whether the individual has 'a medical, physical or mental health condition' which may require National Health Service care.
Angiography
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of waiting times for angiography were in each of the last six years. [147269]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The average length of waiting times for angiography for the last six years are shown in the table.
| Mean waiting time for angiography (days) | Angiograms (finished consultant episodes) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 96.6 | 82,408 |
| 1998–99 | 98,7 | 94,631 |
| 1999–2000 | 90.7 | 99,170 |
| 2000–01 | 98.4 | 108,739 |
| 2001–02 | 97.8 | 113,847 |
| 2002–03 | 104.1 | 124,353 |
The Government set explicit targets for reductions in angiography waiting times for the first time ever last year and no one will wait more than nine months by March 2004.
£65 million from the New Opportunities Fund and £60 million from the Department of Health is being invested to enable the rapid expansion of facilities for angiography, to fund more than 89 new or replacement catheterisation laboratories. This will help meet the target of a six-month maximum wait by the end of 2005.
Anti-depressants and Ritalin
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS of prescribing (a) anti-depressant drugs and (b) Ritalin was for each year since 1985–86; what his estimate is of the cost for 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [153017]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of prescription items and the net ingredient cost of all anti-depressant drugs, and all Ritalin drugs dispensed in the community in England, from 1985 to 2003–04 (April to September only) has been placed in the Library.
The Department of Health does not estimate prescription figures. However, data for both antidepressant drugs and for Methylphenidate Hydrochloride appear to be a rising trend, and the data for the first half of 2003–04 suggest that the total 2003–04 figure will be higher than the 2002–03 figure.
Barking, Havering andRedbridge Hospitals NHS Trust
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the board members of Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust in each of the last four years. [152153]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The people who have served on the board of the trust since its establishment in June 2000 are:
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- Mr. Vijay Vasu (Chair—from establishment to April 2003)
- Mr. Terry Williams (non-executive—from establishment in 2000 to July 2003);
- Mrs. Hilda Aitken (non-executive—from establishment to November 2003)
- Mrs. Yvonne Cornell (non-executive—from establishment in 2000 to November 2003)
- Dr. Mary Springham (non-executive—from establishment in 2000 to 31 January 2004)
- Mr. Ian Kirkpatrick (Chair—from 1 August 2003)
- Dr. Faiz Alam Noor (non-executive—from January 2001)
- Mr. John Griffin (non-executive—from January 2004)
- Mr. Mark Hicks (non-executive—from January 2004)
- Ms Alison Ward (non-executive—from January 2004)
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints have been made to Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust in each of the last four years; and how many have been upheld. [152159]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals National Health Service Trust was formed as a result of a merger of the Redbridge Health Care NHS Trust and the Havering Hospitals NHS Trust on 1 April 2001. Figures for complaints made to each organisation are shown in the table. Information on complaints upheld is not collected centrally.
| Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust | Havering Hospitals NHS Trust | Redbridge Health Care NHS Trust | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | — | 547 | 566 |
| 2000–01 | — | 540 | 628 |
| 2001–02 | (11)— | — | — |
| 2002–03 | 975 | — | — |
(11) Not available.
Care Direct Scheme
Mr. Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons his Department did not roll out the Care Direct scheme. [154147]
Dr. Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given him on 3 June 2003, Official Report, column 64W.
Children's Nurses
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many different types of children's specialist nurse there are. [145692]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department of Health does not hold this information centrally.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council only records the following post-registration specialist qualifications relevant to children: school nursing and community children's nursing. There are a wide range of children's specialist nurses working in the National Health Service
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in posts developed in response to local needs, for example: specialists in intensive care; neonatology; dermatology; child protection and diabetes.
Correspondence
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter of the hon. Member for Northavon of 8 September 2003 (his reference PQ 1035979), on behalf of Mrs. Ruth Davis. [152117]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 30 January 2004]: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 29 January 2004.
Delayed Hospital Discharge
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of setting up operational, financial and computer systems to manage the fining system for bed blocking; [152761]
- (2) how many extra care management staff have been employed to manage the fining system for bed blocking, broken down by (a) strategic health authority and (b) local authority; [152762]
(3) how much local authorities have been charged in fines for delayed discharge in January, broken down by local authority; [152763]
(4) how many beds are classified as fineable and could potentially attract charges for delayed discharge. [152807]
Dr. Ladyman: The cost of fulfilling the requirements of the Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) Act 2003 was estimated at £5.5 million in the regulatory impact assessment for the Bill. Most of this cost is around improving the communication between the national health service and social services so that each patient's discharge is planned as effectively as possible. Financial systems for charging will be a small part, and minimal in areas where performance is good.
Care management staff do not manage the system of charging; they assess and arrange the care that people need. There is no central record of the number of additional care managers who have been recruited to improve the quality and timeliness of the care packages which patients receive.
I refer the hon. Member to my response to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1064W on the payment of charges in January.
Charges for delayed discharge are based on the patient, not the bed which they are occupying, so numbers will vary depending on the patients in hospital. Currently, charges are potentially payable for a patient who has been receiving acute hospital care and needs community care services from social services in order to be safely discharged. There is only a liability for a charge when that patient is delayed solely because of a lack of social services.
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