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23 Mar 2004 : Column 724W—continued
Franchise Managers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role the Department has played in appointing franchise managers to zero star acute hospital trusts, with
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particular reference to (a) their terms of employment, (b) their remuneration packages and (c) approving their plans for improving the performance of the trust. [154835]
Mr. Hutton: The chief executives appointed to the seven national health service trusts that have been franchised were appointed and employed by the NHS trust chairs and non-executives on behalf of the trusts. The terms of their employment and remuneration are matters for the appointments and remuneration committees of the respective trust boards, as is the case for all NHS trust chief executive appointments.
The Department was represented on each candidate's interview panel.
Franchise plans are documents that set out future operational proposals for the trust, and formed the basis of the franchise application. The Department representatives saw the franchise plans as they were part of the recruitment process.
Hip Replacements
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the latest estimated cost is of a hip replacement operation on the NHS. [162790]
Mr. Hutton: According to the National Schedule of Reference Costs 2003, the national average cost of a primary hip replacement undertaken by a National Health Service trust as a planned elective inpatient admission is £4,660.
Hospital Car Park Charges
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals (a) charge and (b) do not charge (i) staff, (ii) visitors and (iii) patients to park. [157908]
Mr. Hutton: It is a matter for individual National Health Service trusts to decide whether to charge for car parking in the light of local circumstances. Information on this activity is, therefore, not collected centrally.
Medical Contracts
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the achievability of his target of placing all general practitioners on (a) personal medical service and (b) general medical services contracts by 31st March. [158503]
Mr. Hutton: We expect the majority of general practitioners to have entered into valid contracts by 1 April 2004.
NHS Professionals
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the funding for NHS Professionals for the 2002–03 financial year and each of the previous years since inception was spent on (a) staff salaries, (b) infrastructure and premises costs and (c) marketing and advertising; and if he will make a statement. [160497]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 11 March 2004]: This information is not held centrally. The newly established NHS Professionals special health authority will identify expenditure on these areas separately in future.
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Nursing
Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has collated on how many black and ethnic minority nurses in the NHS are paid less than their white counterparts. [158108]
Mr. Hutton: This information is not collected centrally.
The proposed new pay system for the non-medical workforce, "Agenda for Change", developed in partnership with the trades unions, is designed to ensure there is equal pay for work of equal value for all non-medical staff regardless of their ethnic origin.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the question reference 156621 tabled by the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland on 25 February 2004, on the promotion of organ donation. [163267]
Ms Rosie Winterton: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on Monday 22 March.
Patient Power
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to implement the Government's commitment to give patients more power over the treatment they receive. [156827]
Mr. Hutton: Building on the Best: Choice, Responsiveness and Equity in the NHS, published on 9 December 2003, sets out what steps we are taking to increase patient choice in the national health service. The document includes six priorities for immediate action including extending choice in treatment and care. One of the six priorities emphasises the importance of information so that patients have the power and confidence to work in partnership with clinical staff and share decisions about their care and treatment.
Primary Care Trusts
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department is taking in response to Commission for Health Improvement concerns on the capacity of primary care trusts to use commissioning as a lever for improvement. [160918]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 16 March 2004]: Primary care trusts (PCTs) currently control 75 per cent. of the total National Health Service budget and from April 2004 that will increase to 81 per cent. This places PCTs in the forefront of the modernisation agenda, with the resources at their disposal to deliver improvements for their local populations. Through the Modernisation Agency, PCTs will continue to have access to high quality support programmes (such as the national primary and care trust development programme) that provide opportunities for the sharing of good practice and expert advice.
In addition, work is currently under way to identify opportunities for primary care clinicians to become more actively involved in the commissioning process. This will facilitate further clinician to clinician commissioning using accepted clinical care pathways.
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Private Health Providers
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sums the NHS has paid to private health providers in each year since 2003; and how much has been paid this year. [158082]
Mr. Hutton: The Department does not hold centrally information on the amount the National Health Service has paid to private health providers in each year since 2003. The exception is the independent sector treatment centre programme. The centre at Daventry opened in October 2003 and we estimate that, by the end of March 2004, the amount paid to the provider will be £1.1 million. The national mobile cataract treatment centre opened in February 2004 and we estimate that, by the end of March 2004, the amount paid will be £2 million.
Recruitment
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996–97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. [158176]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not keep a record of the cost of recruitment of civil servants broken down by delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures.
The recruitment of staff into the Department is delegated to managers with the help of their corporate development teams. The information on the cost of recruitment procedures carried out by the Department can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Temporary Staff
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. [158244]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The table shows the contract/employment agency staff costs for years 2001–02 to 2003–04, and the percentage of contract/employment agency costs as a percentage of total staff costs. Employment agency costs are not kept separately.
| Year | Amount (£) | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 7,589,927 | 5 |
| 2002–03 | 10,245,940 | 7 |
| 2003–04(5) | 10,190,618 | 8 |
(5) Expenditure in 2003–04 is April 2003 to January 2004.
The number of temporary staff employed through employment agencies and the percentage this is of the total staff employed can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Temporary staff employed
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through employment agencies are recruited by managers according to business needs. The Department does not keep a central record of the number of temporary staff employed through employment agencies.
Trusts (Franchise Appointments)
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the original franchise appointments made by trusts with no stars and the current status of those appointments. [155785]
Mr. Hutton: When Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals National Health Service Trust was franchised in April 2002, Andrew Morris was appointed as chief executive for one year while he mentored Glen Douglas in the role. As planned, Glen Douglas took over as chief executive when Andrew Morris left in April 2003. Mr. Douglas remains in post.
When Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust was franchised in May 2002, Sue Jennings was appointed as chief executive while continuing her post as chief executive of Basildon and Thurrock NHS Trust. Ms Jennings remains in post at Dartford and Gravesham. A new chief executive has since been recruited at Basildon and Thurrock.
When East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust was franchised in November 2002, Nick Carver was appointed as chief executive. Mr. Carver remains in post.
When University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust was franchised in May 2002, David Roberts became the chief executive at the trust. Mr. Roberts remains in post.
When Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust was franchised in February 2002, Paul O'Connor was appointed as chief executive. Mr. O'Connor resigned in January 2004.
When Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust was franchised in April 2002, Alan Bedford was appointed as chief executive. Mr. Bedford resigned in February 2004.
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