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10 Mar 2004 : Column 1601W—continued
Free Health Care (Students)
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend free (a) prescriptions and (b) dental care to students undertaking an apprenticeship. [159461]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Free national health service prescriptions are available to everyone under 16. Free NHS dental treatment is available to everyone under 18. Free NHS prescriptions and free NHS dental treatment are available to everyone up to their nineteenth birthday if they are in full-time education. People who have children, or who are disabled and have low earnings may receive tax credits and a tax credit exemption certificate entitling them to free NHS prescriptions and free NHS dental treatment automatically. Otherwise, anyone can apply for help with their health costs
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through the NHS low income scheme. The extent of any help is based on a comparison between the claimant's weekly income and requirements at the date the claim is received. We have no plans to change the current arrangements.
Patients who need frequent prescriptions may benefit from purchasing a prescription prepayment certificate.
GPs
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) principals and (b) non-principals were in general practice in each year since 1990 in terms of (i) whole time equivalents and (ii) total employed. [158759]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners were appointed in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in the last 12 months; how many vacancies there were in that period; and how many general practitioners are in practice in (i) Greater London and (ii) each London borough. [158439]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 3 March 2004]: Information on general practitioner vacancies and appointments is not collected at London borough level. Information for the five London strategic health authorities has been placed in the Library.
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set up an inquiry into Great Ormond Street Hospital's (a) treatment of junior doctors' pay obligations while on rotation and (b) handling of junior doctors' working hours.[R] [158545]
Mr. Hutton: It is for local national health service trusts to implement national policy by ensuring they have appropriate arrangements in place for dealing with grievances/complaints, in line with national guidance, as part of good employment practice.
Under those arrangements, there is regular monitoring to ensure that rotas are satisfactory and that safe services are provided.
Great Ormond Street, working with staff representative organisations, has these arrangements in place and policies and procedures under which any concerns can be raised and addressed.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors' rotas at Great Ormond Street Hospital are non-compliant with (a) the New Deal and (b) the EU Working Time Directive; and if he will make a statement.[R] [158547]
Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect this information. However, I am informed by North Central London Strategic Health Authority that:
- Great Ormond Street Trust has 44 separate rotas. 40 are currently New Deal compliant.Great Ormond Street Trust is scoring 87 per cent, overall compliance with the New Deal—above the national average—and continues to make good
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- progress. 24 rotas are European Union Working Time Directive compliant and plans are in place to convert the others by September 2004, which is the deadline for compliance.
Health Resource Groups
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the robustness of the health resource group for specialist services, in advance of the implementation of these groups as a basis for the financial flows reforms. [158502]
Mr. Hutton: The Department is carrying out a review of specialised services so as to ensure that providers of these services are fairly reimbursed under the financial flows reforms. We recognise that, for some of these services, case mix adjustment based on current health care resource group classifications (HRGs) may not, by itself, provide sufficient reimbursement to specialised providers. Work is under way to refine HRGs to overcome this problem. We are also looking at other options such as adjustments to tariff for patients who have an exceptionally long stay in hospital. We shall be consulting widely with providers and commissioners of these services to make sure that we find the best way forward for each service.
Hip Replacements
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting time for hip replacements is at the Royal London Hospital. [159132]
Mr. Hutton: The Department of Health does not collect this information by specific procedure.
Data on patients waiting for trauma and orthopaedic elective admission at Barts and the London National Health Service Trust, of which the Royal London Hospital is a part, as at 31 December 2003 (the latest data available), is shown in the table.
| Patients waiting for admission by months waiting | |
|---|---|
| Less than 3 months | 582 |
| 3 to 5 months | 402 |
| 6 to 8 months | 237 |
| 9 to 11 months | 76 |
| Total | 1,297 |
Medical Negligence
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS in respect of (a) medical negligence cases and (b) other legal claims was in each year since 1992; and what estimate he has made of the potential costs arising from outstanding cases. [159817]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer on 8 March 2004]: Payments made for medical negligence and other legal claims in each year since 1996 are shown in the table. Information for the period 1992 to 1995 cannot be separately identified.
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| Medical negligence in year payments | Other legal claims in year payments/receipts | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 235 | 22 |
| 1997–98 | 144 | 23 |
| 1998–99 | 221 | 38 |
| 1999–2000 | 373 | 19 |
| 2000–2001 | 415 | 10 |
| 2001–02 | 446 | 4 |
Note:
Changes to accounting policies imposed by the HM Treasury over the years mean that these amounts are not directly comparable.
Estimates of potential costs of outstanding cases:
(i) The estimated cost of settling all actual clinical negligence claims and incidents that have occurred but may not necessarily result in claims is £5.25 billion as at 31 March 2002.
(ii) The estimated cost of settling all other legal claims is £113 million as at 31 March 2002.
Sources:
Medical negligence
NHS (England) Summarised Accounts 1996–97 to 2001–02 (the latest year published, the report for 2002–2003 is yet to be published)
Other legal claims
Health authority audited accounts 1996–97 to 1998–99
Health authority audited summarisation forms 1999–2000 to 2001–02
Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01 to 2001–02
NHS trust audited summarisation schedules 1996–97 to 2001–02
Medicines and Healthcare ProductsRegulatory Agency
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to use public funds to finance the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. [158524]
Mr. Hutton: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) uses public funds to finance the net costs of its work on medical devices. The MHRA's work on medicines is funded by fees from users, principally pharmaceutical companies, as has been the case for more than ten years.
Men's Health
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to develop the evidence base required for health practitioners to improve the health of men most at risk of (a) heart disease, (b) cancer and (c) obesity following the cancellation of the Health Development Agency's men's health work programme. [159328]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The evidence base on coronary heart disease (CHD), cancer and obesity has been and continues to be extensively developed by the Health Development Agency (HDA) for both men and women. In particular, in 2002–04 the HDA published evidence briefings on obesity, physical activity, smoking cessation and alcohol. Furthermore, the HDA produced guidance on CHD and cancer in response to and support of the national service frameworks.
In 2004–05, the HDA will be commissioning a consortium of the University of Oxford, the University of Loughborough and the South East Public Health Observatory, as an evidence and guidance collaborating
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centre, on physical activity. The HDA is currently involved in producing guidance on the treatment and prevention of obesity in conjunction with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
Specifically in relation to men's health, the HDA will be taking men's health forward as a cross-cutting issue. As a result of the work it has undertaken, the HDA will be producing a database of intervention and prevention strategies related to men's health. There are two pieces of commissioned work on the research priorities and a mapping exercise of published and on-going research in the field of men's health.
The HDA is focusing on the complete range of social diversity in the population, including, gender, as well as age, geography, socio-economic grouping and ethnicity. This is consistent with the Wanless II Report, published in February. The range of social diversity is reflected in all aspects of programme development and implementation across the HDA.
A number of publications have been made available from work in this area, as follows:
- Health Development Agency (2000). Coronary Heart Disease. Guidance for implementing the preventive aspects of the national service framework. Available at http://www.hda-online.org.uk/documents/chdframework.pdf.
- Health Development Agency (2002). Cancer Prevention. A resource to support local action in delivering The NHS Cancer Plan. Available at http://www.hda-online.org.uk/documents/cancer prevention.pdf.
- Hillsdown M, Foster C, Naidoo B and Crombie H (2004—forthcoming). The effectiveness of public health interventions for increasing physical activity among adults: a review of reviews. Available at http://www.hda.nhs.uk/evidence/EBBD. html_pub.
- Mclean C, (2002). UK Men's Health Review. Available at http://www.hda-online.org.uk/documents/mens health mapping 10–02.doc.
- Mulvihill C, Quigley R (2003). The management of obesity and overweight: An analysis of reviews of diet, physical activity and behavioural approaches. Available at http://www.hda.nhs.uk/evidence/EBBD.html_pub.
- Naidoo B. Edited by Quigley R, Taylor L and Warm D (2004—forthcoming). The effectiveness of public health interventions to reduce smoking initiation and increase smoking cessation: a review of reviews. Available at http://www.hda.nhs.uk/evidence/EBBD.html_pub.
- Waller S, Naidoo B, Thorn B (2002). Prevention and reduction of alcohol misuse: Evidence briefing. Available at http://www.hda.nhs.uk/evidence/EBBD.html_pub. Watson J (2004—forthcoming). Men and health: Report of a Delphi study to scope themes for evidence-based reviews.
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