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24 Mar 2004 : Column 917W—continued
Delayed Discharges
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients' hospital discharge was delayed while awaiting community care packages in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each of the last six years. [162384]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 18 March 2004]: Data on delayed discharges are not collected on the basis of awaiting community care services. All available information on delayed transfers of care since 1997 are available in the Library, including the latest figures for 2003–04, Quarter 3 (December 2003).
Dentistry
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer of the Minister of State on 24 February 2004, Official Report, column 133, on dentistry, when the hon. Member for Doncaster, Central (Ms Winterton) will write to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam. [159809]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I wrote to the hon. Member on Tuesday 16 March 2004. A copy has been placed in the Library.
Drinking Water
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on the provision of drinking water in NHS hospitals for (a) staff and (b) patients; and if he will make a statement. [161355]
Mr. Hutton: Departmental policy is to provide staff and patients in the national health service with wholesome potable water as required by the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989. Most of the water supplied in the NHS is from mains supply. It is the responsibility of the relevant water company to deliver water of drinkable quality to the NHS site. NHS trusts are responsible for maintaining water quality within their buildings.
Care Eligibility Criteria
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring and assessment his Department will carry out of the current review that strategic health authorities are undertaking of their eligibility criteria and of individual cases by March, as referred to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Lord Warner on 10 March. [162187]
Dr. Ladyman: There are no plans to evaluate the fully funded national health service continuing care eligibility criteria of each strategic health authority. It is the responsibility of each SHA to be satisfied that their criteria reflect existing guidance and the Coughlan judgment. The number of investigations completed and the number of cases granted recompense will be reviewed after the end of March deadline.
24 Mar 2004 : Column 918W
Energy Consumption
Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made to date by NHS estates towards meeting his target of reducing energy consumption by 15 per cent. during this decade. [161200]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The national health service continues to make progress to meet this challenging target. Since the 1980s there has been a continuing downward trend in energy usage, carbon emissions are reducing and 68 per cent. of the existing NHS estate has already achieved the energy efficiency target.
NHS Estates is also working closely with Action Energy, NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency (NHS PASA), and the Carbon Trust to support the NHS and provide best practice advice and guidance to improve energy efficiency.
Free Prescriptions
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the categories of patients eligible for free prescriptions in England. [162231]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 18 March 2004]: Representations received since 1 January 2004 have been identified in respect of the following groups: Medical Conditions:
- Alopecia
- Alzheimer's disease
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Autoimmune condition
- Cancer
- Chronic illness (unidentified)
- Coeliac disease
- Crohn's disease
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Downs Syndrome
- Haemophilia
- Heart condition
- Hormone replacement treatment (male and female)
- Hyperpituitarism
- Hypertension
- Incontinence
- Kidney dialysis
- Leg Ulcers, dressings
- Lupus
- M.E. (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)
- Mental Health (various)
- Multiple sclerosis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Parkinson's Disease
- Pleurisy
- Spleen removed
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Apprentices
- Day Case Patients
- Private Patients
24 Mar 2004 : Column 919W
- Recipients of:
- Carer's Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance
- Incapacity Benefit
- Students
General Medical Council
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether proficiency in the use of the English language is a requirement for applicant doctors from the European Union seeking to register with the General Medical Council in order to work in the NHS. [162092]
Mr. Hutton: Doctors who are European Economic Area nationals do not have to undertake English language competency tests in order to register with the General Medical Council. The law does not currently permit this. It is the responsibility of national health service employers to ensure that all doctors they employ have the necessary English language competence to carry out their duties safely. They may require a doctor to undertake a language assessment as part of the recruitment process, regardless of which country they come from.
General Practitioners
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance to general practitioners on implementing the advanced access system; and if he will make a statement. [159781]
Mr. Hutton: A copy of "Improving access in primary care with Advanced Access" has been placed in the Library. This is produced by the primary care collaborative. A key role for the collaborative is to explain, promote and disseminate "Advanced Access". Participating general practices have delivered impressive results—delivering a 72 per cent, reduction in waits for a general practitioner and a 50 per cent, reduction in waits to see a nurse. In large part as a result of this work, most patients in most areas are now able to be offered fast access to a GP or other primary care professional, in line with the NHS Plan target.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reimbursement is made available to GP practices meeting the (a) 48 and (b) 24 hour access targets. [159782]
Mr. Hutton: Under the new primary medical services contracts, a practice will, from 2005–06, be able to receive on average up to £11,000 annually for achieving and sustaining delivery of patient access to services in line with the NHS Plan target. Most patients in most areas are now offered this level of access and we are confident that these financial incentives will ensure that this level of access continues and improves further.
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners there are per head of population in each of the primary care trusts within the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority. [163032]
24 Mar 2004 : Column 920W
Dr. Ladyman: The number of general practitioners per head of population for each primary care trust within the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge Strategic Health Authority area is shown in the table.
| UPEs | UPE patients | UPEs per 100,000 patients | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire | 1,341 | 2,211,268 | 61 |
| of which: | |||
| Broadland | 73 | 119,170 | 61 |
| Cambridge City | 87 | 137,350 | 63 |
| Central Suffolk | 63 | 95,586 | 66 |
| East Cambridgeshire and Fenland | 81 | 148,405 | 55 |
| Great Yarmouth | 47 | 89,627 | 52 |
| Huntingdonshire | 94 | 148,749 | 63 |
| Ipswich | 88 | 147,514 | 60 |
| North Norfolk | 60 | 100,541 | 60 |
| North Peterborough | 58 | 114,528 | 51 |
| Norwich | 91 | 129,677 | 70 |
| South Cambridgeshire | 64 | 104,440 | 61 |
| South Peterborough | 56 | 94,850 | 59 |
| Southern Norfolk | 114 | 198,741 | 57 |
| Suffolk Coastal | 63 | 97,544 | 65 |
| Suffolk West | 137 | 222,666 | 62 |
| Waveney | 76 | 124,716 | 61 |
| West Norfolk | 89 | 137,164 | 65 |
(21) UPEs include QMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs
Source:
Department of Health General and Personal
Medical Services Statistics
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were received in the last two years, by Great Ormond Street Hospital regarding pay for junior doctors on rotation; how many junior doctors were involved in those complaints; how many of those complaints have been settled; what procedures are in place to enable junior doctors to force such complaints to be addressed; and what time limit is placed on the hospital in settling such complaints or appeals.[R] [158546]
Mr. Hutton: I am advised by North Central London Strategic Health Authority that:
- Great Ormond Street Hospital National Health Service Trust has received three formal grievances/complaints regarding junior doctors banding and pay protection.
- 12 junior doctors from Great Ormond Street Hospital were involved in those complaints.
- One grievance/complaint involving eight doctors has been settled.
- The procedures in place are as set out in the national guidance and the process is being handled through the North Central London action team.
- This appeal process does not outline time-scales for completing the process (as in the case of the Employment Tribunal, the time-scale is influenced by the individual case). Great Ormond Street also has its own internal appeals process, which would be triggered if either party is unhappy with the views expressed by the action team on this matter.
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