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4 May 2004 : Column 1468W—continued

Elective Admissions (Crosby)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the levels of elective admissions to the NHS in Crosby in the past five years. [160433]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not collected on a constituency basis, but at national health service trust level. Data for NHS trusts is shown in the table.
In year elective admission episodes for selected NHS Trusts, 1998–99 to 2002–03

NHS Trust	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust	30,363	31,063	32,959	32,437	33,401
Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust	13,569	14,106	13,838	14,730	15,165
The Cardiothoracic Centre—Liverpool NHS Trust	7,846	8,301	8,539	9,091	10,223
Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust	3,841	4,184	3,893	3,710	4,123
Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust (26)	n/a	22,992	23,053	20,035	18,181
Southport and Formby Hospitals NHS Trust (26)	13,867	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
West Lancashire NHS Trust (26)	8,564	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Total	78,050	80,646	82,282	80,003	81,093

⁽²⁶⁾ Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust was created on 1 April 1999 from Southport and Formby Hospitals NHS Trust and part of West Lancashire NHS Trust. The figure for West Lancashire NHS Trust in1998–99 is for the whole trust. It is not possible to identify the proportion of the figure attributable to Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust.
⁽²⁷⁾ Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
⁽²⁸⁾ An in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Periods of care on-going at the end of the data year (unfinished admission episodes) are included. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health

Eye Tests

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many senior citizens in Heywood and Middleton have access to free eye tests; [168482]

(2) how many residents in Heywood and Middleton aged over 60 years have benefited from the abolition of charges for eye tests; [168483]

Jim Dobbin: how many residents in Stalybridge and Hyde over 60 have benefited from the aboliton of charges for eye tests. [168773]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Data for the number of sight tests by constituency or by the number of senior citizens is not collected centrally.
 
4 May 2004 : Column 1469W
 

The total number of national health service sight tests paid for by the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority in 2002–03 for patients aged 60 and over was 189,900. The total number eligible for a free sight test for those aged 60 and over was 493,100. Sight tests cannot be equated to the numbers of patients.

General Practitioners

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) headcount and (b) whole-time equivalent general practitioners there were in each year between 1979 and 1997 inclusive. [168985]

Mr. Hutton: The number of headcount and whole time equivalent general practitioners in each year between 1979 and 1997 is shown in the table.
General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers)⁽²⁹⁾ in England, 1979–1997England

	Headcount	Estimated whole-time equivalents(30)
1979	23,062	n/a
1980	23,674	n/a
1981	24,359	n/a
1982	24,835	n/a
1983	25,341	n/a
1984	25,788	n/a
1985	26,190	n/a
1986	26,529	n/a
1987	27,023	n/a
1988	27,420	n/a
1988	27,420	n/a
1989	27,749	n/a
1990	27,523	26,982
1991	27,888	27,135
1992	28,185	27,299
1993	28,460	27,387
1994	28,735	27,495
1995	28,869	27,489
1996	29,116	27,549
1997	29,389	27,660

n/a = Not available
Notes:
⁽²⁹⁾   All Practitioners (excluding GP Retainers) includes GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs, PMS Salaried GPs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA) and PMS Other.
⁽³⁰⁾   Prior to 1990 all GPs were considered to be full-time
WTE data has been estimated using the results from the 1992–93 G~MP Workload Survey;
Full time = 1.00 wte; three quarter time = 0.69 wte; job share = 0.65 wte; half time = 0.60 wte.
All data as at 1 October
Source:
Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

GP Waiting Times (Battersea)

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients in the Battersea constituency were offered an appointment with a general practitioner within 48 hours in each year since September 2001. [168856]

Mr. Hutton: Information on the percentage of patients in the Battersea constituency offered an appointment to see a general practitioner within 48 hours is not collected. Information is provided by Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Health Authority
 
4 May 2004 : Column 1470W
 
(September 2001 and March 2002) and Wandsworth Primary Care Trust, which was established on 1 April 2002, and includes patients from the Battersea area.
Percentage

Organisation	September 2001	March 2002	March 2003	February 2004
Wandsworth PCT			85.0	100.0
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth HA	(31)82.5	(31)78.4
England	(31)80.1	(31)74.6	88.2	97.0

⁽³¹⁾ Data collected between September 2001 and March 2002 are based on percentage practices not patients and are not strictly comparable but are included here for completeness.

Health Ombudsman

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2004, Official Report, column 703W, on the Health Ombudsman's Report (Long-term Care), how many cases have been reviewed so far; how many wrong assessments have been discovered; and what action (a) has been and (b) is to be taken to rectify the wrong assessment cases. [169229]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department expects information on the number of reviews completed and the number of cases granted recompense to be available in due course. Restitution payments are offered when the review suggests that national health service care was inappropriately denied.

Health Services (Birkenhead)

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the levels of elective admissions to the NHS in Birkenhead in the past five years. [166223]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the table.
Provider of treatment—Wirral Hospitals NHS Trust—count of finished elective (waiting list, planned and booked) admission episodes NHS hospitals, 1998–99 to 2002–03

	Finished admission episodes
1998–99	36,667
1999–2000	29,759
2000–01	32,018
2001–02	33,351
2002–03	29,664

Notes:
1.   A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
2.   Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (ie the data are ungrossed).
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Heart Disease (Batley and Spen)

Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the impact of the Government's campaign to reduce heart disease in Batley and Spen. [167057]

 
4 May 2004 : Column 1471W
 

Miss Melanie Johnson: The coronary heart disease (CHD) national service framework (NSF) was published in March 2000 and sets national standards for the prevention and treatment of CHD. In the West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority area, which includes Batley and Spen, around 25,900 people have quit smoking for at least four weeks with the help of local smoking cessation services since the publication of the NSF. In December 2002, 16 people were waiting over nine months for heart surgery. Today no-one is waiting over nine months. The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals National Health Service Trust will benefit from two new catheterisation laboratories at Pinderfields General Hospital and Dewsbury and District General Hospital.

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