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11 Feb 2004 : Column 1543W—continued
Child/Adolescent Mental Health Services
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provision in England. [154632]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department conducts annual surveys of the range of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) available in England. The first of these took place in autumn 2002 and represents the latest data available. I have arranged for a copy of the document that summarises the results of this survey to be placed in the Library.
The survey did reveal some geographical disparities in CAMHS provision which reinforce the need to press ahead with the Department's objectives of attaining year-on-year increases in CAMHS provision of a minimum of 10 per cent. leading to a comprehensive CAMHS in all areas by 2006. Investment of £250 million over three years is being made to help achieve this.
Group B Streptococcus
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what figures his Department has collated on the number of cases of Group B Streptococcus in each of the last five years. [153422]
Dr. Ladyman: Figures on the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) of Group B Streptococcus in each of the last five years is shown in the table.
| FCEs | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 3,208 |
| 1999–2000 | 4,057 |
| 2000–01 | 5,513 |
| 2001–02 | 5,822 |
| 2002–03 | 7,137 |
Notes:
1. An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
2. All Diagnosis count of Episodes—these figures represent a count of all FCEs where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in an HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if a diagnosis is mentioned in more than one diagnosis field of the record.
3. Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data. Except for 2001–02 and 2002–03, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
4. Data Quality—Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Department of Health liaise closely with these organisations to ensure that data quality is enhanced wherever possible. Inevitably, some shortcomings remain, but our goal is to minimise inaccuracies and bring about improvement over time.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.
11 Feb 2004 : Column 1544W
Information Technology
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the scope of the NHS National IT programme is in relation to (a) social services departments and (b) pharmacists; and if he will make a statement. [152812]
Mr. Hutton: The key objective of the National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) in the national health service in England is to support, over time, the delivery of integrated health and social care by enabling appropriate access to records and improved storage, sharing and management of core data.
NPfIT is responsible for introducing the NHS Care Record Service (NHS CRS), which will firstly lead to the NHS having an integrated electronic record management service. The NHS CRS will provide each patient with a single comprehensive set of electronic medical and care notes.
Local practices and hospitals will continue to hold detailed local records, but additionally a summary health record will be created containing essential data such as allergies, current treatments or medication.
From the outset some elements of social care information will be included and, provided that the necessary security and networking requirements are met, some social care professionals will have access to the NHS CRS. Full implementation of a unified health record that includes all appropriate social care information is planned for completion during phase 3 of the NPfIT in 2008–10.
We have redefined the scope of the electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) programme in order to support the wider pharmacy agenda. This potentially offers greater benefit. For example, in terms of patient safety, there will be better information at the points of prescribing and dispensing. It will enable us to make better use of pharmacists' skills and use them to provide patient centred healthcare services that are integral to the NHS.
The ETP programme will enable the commitments made in "Delivering 21st Century IT" be taken forward and will provide support for the broader pharmacy agenda outlined in "Pharmacy in the Future" and "A Vision for Pharmacy in the New NHS".
The programme will also help to build capacity at the Prescription Pricing Authority, thereby enabling the projected increase in prescription volumes to be addressed. It will also potentially reduce the unit cost of administering prescriptions.
11 Feb 2004 : Column 1545W
Key elements of the electronic transmission of prescriptions system have been procured as part of the recently concluded NHS CRS procurements. Work is now focusing on how community pharmacies can be connected to the system, and how their pharmacy computer systems can be upgraded to comply with the requisite technical specification. It is intended that deployment of the live system will commence from January 2005.
Joint Replacements
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) hip and (b) knee replacements paid for out of NHS funds were performed in (i) the public sector and (ii) the private sector in each year since 1999, broken down by hospital trust; and if he will make a statement. [152764]
Mr. Hutton: The Department of Health records activity in national health service hospitals only and does not collect data for NHS activity in private hospitals.
Information on the number of hip and knee replacement operations carried out broken down by individual NHS hospitals in each year since 1999–2000, has been placed in the Library.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost per operation was for (a) hip and (b) knee replacements in each hospital trust in financial year 1999–2000; and if he will make a statement. [152765]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested has been placed in Library. The table contains the average unit costs (per operation) for each national health service trust in England for primary hip replacements and primary knee replacements where the operation is undertaken as an elective (planned) admission.
The data source is the Reference Costs 2000 Publication, relating to the financial year 1999–2000.
Calculation of the costs provided are based on all activity and costs associated with each procedure, regardless of the specialty in which the activity is recorded.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the data will be made available for the financial year 2002–03 for the cost per operation of (a) hip and (b) knee replacements in each hospital trust; and if he will make a statement. [152766]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested has been placed in Library. The table contains the average unit costs (per operation) for each national health service trust in England for primary hip replacements and primary knee replacements where the operation is undertaken as an elective (planned) admission.
The data source is the Reference Costs 2003 Collection, relating to the financial year 2002–03, published on 5 February.
Calculation of the costs provided is based on all activity and costs associated with each procedure, regardless of the specialty in which the activity is recorded. The costs relate solely to services provided to NHS patient by NHS providers.
11 Feb 2004 : Column 1546W
Junior Doctors
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances junior doctors, changing hospitals as part of their normal rotation, can receive substantial pay cuts; and if he will list the London hospitals where this takes place.[R] [153427]
Mr. Hutton: Junior doctors do not receive pay cuts as part of their normal rotation (and therefore, as this does not take place in any London hospital, no data are available).
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will visit Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital to discuss (a) the management and (b) salary payments of junior doctors on rotation there;[R] [153426]
- (2) if he will investigate junior doctors' hours monitoring at Great Ormond Street Hospital in the department of neurosurgery. [R] [153416]
Mr. Hutton: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to visit Great Ormond Street in the near future.
National health service trusts are responsible for ensuring that appropriate rotation and salary arrangements are in place for junior doctors in line with national guidance.
Under those arrangements, there is regular monitoring to ensure that rotas are satisfactory, that junior doctors' hours are within agreed limits and that safe services are provided.
Great Ormond Street has these arrangements in place, and policies and procedures under which any concerns can be raised and addressed.
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