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10 Feb 2004 : Column 1412W—continued
Missed Hospital Appointments
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce fines for patients who miss hospital appointments; and if he will make a statement. [153630]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 9 February 2004]: We have currently no plans to introduce fines for people who do not attend (DNA).
The Government established a national booking programme as part of their modernisation agenda. Giving patients the opportunity to choose the location, time and date of their hospital appointment will reduce the number of DNAs.
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NHS Staff
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole time equivalent (a) managers, (b) senior managers and (c) clerical and administrative staff were working in the NHS in England on 1 December, using the definitions in Table 6A of the Department's report, NHS hospital and community health services non-medical staff in England: 1991–2001. [145728]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 5 January 2004]: The information requested as at 30 September 2002, the latest available data, is shown in the table.
| Whole-time equivalent | |
|---|---|
| Total Administration and Estates staff | 201,777 |
| Senior manager | 11,420 |
| Manager | 19,494 |
| Clerical and administrative | 158,978 |
| Maintenance and works | 11,831 |
| Unclassified | 54 |
Notes:
Figures are rounded to the nearest whole-number
Source:
Department of Health Non-medical Workforce Census
The definitions of administrative staff were changed for the 2002 non-medical workforce census to more accurately reflect their roles in the National Health Service. Until the September 2002 bulletin, table 6a showed a breakdown of the whole administrative and estates group, including staff working in direct support to clinical staff. It now shows those staff working in central functions and hotel, property and estates as well as managers, clerical and administrative staff working in central functions. Staff such as medical secretaries have been more appropriately classified as working in direct support to clinical staff. The more appropriate table 6a for September 2002 is shown in the following table. Hotel, property and estates staff includes laundry, catering and domestic services staff; essential for the day-to-day running of hospitals.
| Whole-time equivalents | |
|---|---|
| NHS infrastructure support | 158,026 |
| Central functions—administrative and clerical staff | 72,730 |
| Hotel, property and estates | 54,382 |
| Manager | 19,494 |
| Senior Manager | 11,420 |
Notes:
Figures are rounded to the nearest whole-number
Source:
Department of Health Non-medical Workforce Census
Patient Power Project
Mr. Portillo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds have installed services for telephone, television and radio under the Patient Power Project, broken down by the licence holder providing the service. [152033]
10 Feb 2004 : Column 1414W
Mr. Hutton: 52,000 beds have installed patient power services, including 46,000 in the major hospitals targeted in the NHS Plan. The number of operational beds provided by patient power licence holders is shown in the table.
| Licence Holder | Number of operational beds |
|---|---|
| Patientline | 44,400 |
| Wandsworth Electrical | 3,713 |
| Hospital Telephone Services | 2,841 |
| Kerfone | 1,375 |
| Premier Managed Payphones | 100 |
Mr. Portillo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of the beds deemed suitable to receive telephone, television and radio services under the Patient Power Project have those services; [152034]
- (2) how many and what proportion of NHS trusts have signed concession agreements with licence holders under the Patient Power project; [152035]
(3) how many installations under the Patient Power project will be completed by the end of 2004. [152036]
Mr. Hutton: Strong progress is being made with the patient power project. These facilities for patients are delivered at no cost to the National Health Service. As a result, the National Health Service has benefited from over £100 million of private sector investment.
The NHS Plan target states that patient power services will be available in every major hospital by the end of 2004, which means some 85,000 beds in 155 major hospitals in 125 trusts will have a system. Within major hospitals, over 46,000 beds of that target of 85,000 already have an operational system with almost a year to go before the NHS Plan deadline for installation. 122 of the 125 targeted trusts have signed a contract with a supplier and the remaining three are expected to sign shortly. In addition, NHS Estates has worked with suppliers to enable smaller hospitals to install a service. In total, 52,000 beds in 112 hospitals currently have the service. So far, a total of 149 trusts have signed a contract with a patient power licence holder.
Mr. Portillo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many licences have been awarded to firms to provide telephone, television and radio services to hospital patients' bedsides under the patient power project. [152037]
Mr. Hutton: Eight patient power suppliers have licences, five of which are full licences and three are provisional.
Prison Suicide
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the interim report of the three-year study being undertaken by Manchester university on behalf of his Department into prison suicide has been completed; if he will place a copy of the interim report in the Library; and if he will make a statement on the conclusions and recommendations. [151410]
Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
10 Feb 2004 : Column 1415W
Manchester University, on behalf of the Prison Service and the Department of Health, were asked to evaluate existing and new tools that help staff care for prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm. The evaluation of the existing tool (the F2052SH) was undertaken in 2002 and a report completed. The evaluation of the proposed new tool (the ACCT, that is being piloted in five prisons: Wandsworth, Feltham, Low Newton, Holme House and Woodhill) is not due for completion until later this year. A copy of the report on the F2052SH has been placed in the House Library.
Project Funding
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding is to be allocated for (a) implementation of the European Working Time Directive, (b) the Agenda for Change programme, (c) implementation of the new consultant contract and (d) implementation of the new general practitioner contract. [152625]
Mr. Hutton: Primary care trust (PCT) allocations for 2003–04 to 2005–06 were announced on 11 December 2002.
Although none of the growth money has been identified for specific purposes, the allocations do include funding to support the roll-out of Agenda for Change and for the implementation of the consultant contract.
Additional funding, worth 0.8 per cent. of main allocations, has been allocated to PCTs in 2004–05 and a further 0.8 per cent. in 2005–06 to cover the costs of implementing Agenda for Change in acute and specialist hospital trusts, mental health trusts, ambulance trusts and PCTs themselves.
Additional funding, worth 0.3 per cent. of main allocations, has been allocated to PCTs in 2003–04, a further 0.1 per cent. in 2004–05 and a further 0.1 per cent. in 2005–06 for the implementation of the new consultant contract.
School Nurses
Mrs. Shephard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed in England as school nurses. [153900]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 9 February 2004]: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Working Time Directive
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications of the Working Time Directive on the work of general practitioners. [151699]
Mr. Hutton: The Working Time Directive (WTD) is an integral part of modernising and improving services at all levels. Strategic health authorities are responsible for planning for implementation by trusts of the WTD for doctors in training from August 2004, as part of their overall national health service planning.
10 Feb 2004 : Column 1416W
There are a range of solutions to WTD compliance which involve changing the working practices of both medical and non-medical staff. In some cases this may mean changes to the balance and pattern of primary care provision.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish an update from the European Working Time Directive pilot sites. [152622]
Mr. Hutton: Reports from the Working Time Directive (WTD) pilots are posted on the Department's web-site at www.doh.gov.uk/workingtime/pilots.htm and on the Modernisation Agency web-site at www.modern.nhs.uk. While the pilots are underway, lessons from their experience, examples of good practice and other changes put in place by the pilots that may contribute to achieving WTD compliance are being shared with the National Health Service through the monthly bulletin, "Calling time".
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