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30 Mar 2004 : Column 1372W—continued
Bed Blocking
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the performance of (a) Bournemouth borough council and (b) Dorset county council in tackling bed blocking arising at the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital Trust. [163800]
Dr. Ladyman: In the last four weeks, the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital National Health Service Trust has reported between 17 and 32 delayed discharges of residents of Bournemouth borough council. The same trust has reported, in the last four weeks, between 11 and 23 delayed discharges of residents of Dorset county council. These delays were due to a range of reasons; some patients were awaiting social services and others non-acute national health services services. The NHS trust, ambulance trust, five primary care trusts and three local authority social services departments have recently agreed an action plan to tackle these delays.
Care Homes
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that those carrying out inspections of care homes adhere to similar objectives and requirements. [162377]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 18 March 2004]: Inspections of care homes are carried out by the National Care Standards Commission, using a national methodology. They are responsible for ensuring the
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requirements set down in the Care Homes Regulations 2001 are met and the National Minimum Standards are taken into account. This responsibility will fall to the Commission for Social Care Inspection from 1 April 2004.
Children (Mental Health)
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how he plans to empower children meeting the criteria set out by the House of Lords in Gillick v. West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority in 1986 to consent to or refuse treatment to the same extent as an adult in the planned Mental Health Bill; and if he will make a statement; [162320]
- (2) if he will introduce a legal duty on the managers of hospitals to secure (a) assessment of and (b) provision in the care plan for the family needs of a patient with parental responsibility made subject to compulsory mental health powers; and if he will make a statement; [162321]
(3) if he will bring forward a requirement in the draft Mental Health Bill that the clinical supervisor of a child subject to mental health law must be a specialist in child and adolescent mental health; [162322]
(4) whether he intends to incorporate into the planned Mental Health Bill the rights expressed in article 25 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of a child who has been placed by the competent authorities for the purposes of care, protection or treatment of his or her physical or mental health to a periodic review of (a) the treatment provided to the child and (b) all other circumstances relating to his or her placement. [162323]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: The Mental Health Bill Consultation Document, Cm. 5538–111, published in June 2002 contained a number of specific consultation questions on protecting children and young people with serious mental disorder. We have been considering carefully the responses to the consultation and further points raised at a recent meeting with stakeholders specifically looking at proposals for children and young people.
A revised and completed Mental Health Bill will be brought forward for pre-legislative scrutiny this session.
Correspondence
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to reply to the letter to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 12 February with regard to Dr. P W Bishop. [164938]
Dr. John Reid: A reply was sent to the right hon. Member on 26 March 2004.
Dentists
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists' surgeries in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough are accepting new NHS patients. [162364]
Mr. Hutton: The available information on dental practices accepting new National Health Service patients is for primary care trust areas in London. The information in the table shows separate information for the main category of patient and includes the total number of practices.
This information was taken from the NHS.UK website and is correct for 18 March 2004. In addition, some other dental practices may take on new patients, but this is not recorded on the website.
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Digital Hearing Aids
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when residents of Northavon constituency will be able to access digital hearing aids via the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [163260]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 24 March 2004]: Digital hearing aids will be available to people from Northavon who attend the audiology service at Southmead Hospital from March 2005.
Details of audiology departments that are or will be involved in the modernising hearing aid services project are available at the Royal National Institute for the Deaf's Modernising of Hearing Aid Services (MHAS) internet site at www.mhas.info.
E-auctions
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems are in place to ensure that products and services purchased by e-auction are subject to the same quality and clinical reliance tests as those purchased under normal tender procedures. [164342]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 29 March 2004]: Suppliers invited to participate in an e-auction are initially subjected to a traditional tender process, where product quality issues are assessed. Only those suppliers who meet the minimum criteria on both commercial viability and product quality and standards are invited to submit an initial tender and to participate in any subsequent e-auction event. The award of contracts following an e-auction is not based on the lowest bid price, but on a combination of factors including quality, service and price.
Hospitals (Carshalton and Wallington)
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the hospitals in Carshalton and Wallington which ran a budget deficit in the year ending 31 March 2003; and how much this deficit was for each hospital. [163690]
Mr. Hutton: Information on deficits is available at national health service trust level and not for individual hospital units. Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust includes St. Helier hospital, an acute hospital within Carshalton and Wellington. The 2002–03 audited NHS
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trust summarisation schedules show Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust reporting a deficit of £2,193,000 in its accounts for 2002–03.
Medical Qualifications (EU)
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the recognition of qualifications for (a) nurses, (b) doctors and (c) midwives from the EU applicant countries; and if he will make a statement. [163620]
Mr. Hutton: The Department is in touch with the European Commission about the progress of the acceding countries in meeting their commitments in relation to the training of general care nurses, doctors and midwives and I continue to keep the regulatory bodies informed of developments.
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