You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Commons Debates by date > Commons Debates - previous sessions > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

10 Mar 2004 : Column 1609W—continued

Nursing

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses have come to the UK from abroad in each of the last five years to work in the NHS; and from which countries. [158975]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council holds information on the number of nurses registering to practise in the United Kingdom each year from overseas. This information can be found at www.nmc-uk.org.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what marketing his Department is undertaking to attract nurses from abroad to work in the NHS. [158976]

Mr. Hutton: The Department has agreements with the Governments of the Philippines, Spain, Indonesia and India to recruit nurses into the national nealth service. Our embassies market nursing campaigns through websites, conferences and advertising.

In addition, project leads based in the United Kingdom co-ordinate advertising and marketing.

The Department has developed a website, www. nursinguk.nhs.uk, aimed at supporting nurses from abroad who wish to come and work in the NHS.

Information on how to apply independently to the NHS, together with information about registration is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HumanResourcesAndTraining/MoreStaff/fs/en.

Obesity

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of obesity-related illness and death. [156085]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government are concerned at the impact of obesity on health and are committed to addressing the current trend in both children and adults. Prevention and management of obesity is already at the heart of the Government's priority areas, including coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

The Government launched their major consultation on public health this month. The Public Health White Paper will provide the overarching framework for all Government efforts to improve public health. The consultation will enable a wide range of stakeholders to contribute to the debate on overweight and obesity. The consultation will also take account of the recommendations from Derek Wanless recent report "Securing Good Health for the Whole Population". The Government will draw up their White Paper in the light of the consultation . This will present real opportunities to progress work on the prevention and management of overweight and obesity. A planned obesity summit will form an important part of the consultation process. Work has already started through the food and health action plan and the activity co-ordination team, which will be of direct relevance to the prevention and management of obesity.

10 Mar 2004 : Column 1610W

Locally, primary care trusts as local providers and commissioners of services will determine the most appropriate methods to deliver health care to their populations, based on clinical need and effectiveness, as well as local circumstance, drawing on the available evidence. Under the new general medical services contract from April 2004 practices will be required to offer consultation for chronic disease and related health problems (such as obesity), offer relevant health promotion advice to patients and refer patients to other treatment that may be necessary.

There are 10 specialised obesity clinics for adults and seven for children in England. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence's guidance on drugs and surgery is already available. NICE, collaborating with the Health Development Agency, have been tasked by the Department of Health to develop guidance on the identification, prevention and management of obesity and maintenance of weight reduction, due in 2006.

Patients Choice Scheme

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the qualifying criteria are for patients who wish to take advantage of the patient choice scheme; [159133]

Mr. Hutton: The London patient choice project and the cardiac choice project offer choice of treatment in an alternative hospital to clinically appropriate patients waiting longer than six months for surgery in the specialties of ophthalmology, orthopaedics, general surgery, ear, nose and throat, urology and cardiac surgery.

In both schemes, eligible patients are contacted by a patient care adviser and offered choice of hospital and appointment.

The cardiac choice scheme is a national scheme which started in July 2002. Since then, 6,089 patients have been offered choice and 3,034, or 51 per cent., have opted for treatment elsewhere.

The London patient choice project is a pan-London scheme which started in October 2002. Since then, 17,133 patients have been offered choice and 10,850, or 63 per cent., have chosen to have treatment at another hospital.

There are seven other choice pilots in England but these are not routinely monitored.

Hospitals in the South East (defined here as London, the South East and East Anglia) which can take patients under the cardiac choice scheme are:






10 Mar 2004 : Column 1611W

















There are a number of hospitals outside of the South East which can also take patients under the cardiac choice scheme.

Hospitals in London which can take patients under the London patient choice scheme are:



















Pest Infestations

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pest infestations he estimates there were in NHS hospitals in each year since 1996 in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority. [158542]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for individual national health service hospitals to make their own arrangements to deal with, or otherwise ensure the prevention of, pest infestations.

The NHS has recently been reminded of the need to ensure that proper control procedures are in place. Action Area Three (Reducing Reservoirs of Infection) of "Winning Ways", the Chief Medical Officer's Report on measures to tackle healthcare associated infections, requires that


10 Mar 2004 : Column 1612W

Physiotherapists

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there were for physiotherapists in each NHS region in each year since 1999. [158519]

Mr. Hutton: Information on the number of physiotherapy vacancies lasting three months or more is shown in the table. As at March 2003, there were 671 such vacancies in England, which equates to a rate of 4.7 per cent., a fall from 5.2 per cent. the year before.

NHS hospital and community health services: Three month vacancies for qualified physiotherapy staff in Government Office Regions and England as at 31 March each specified year
Three month vacancy numbers

19992000200120022003
England425512655715671
North East1227315625
North West6378786445
Yorkshire and the Humber3340628170
East Midlands2731406138
West Midlands6966849371
East Of England5375574398
London98101164180175
South East487410777107
South West2119326242

Notes:

Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2003.

Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).

Source:

Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2003.

Next Section Index Home Page