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7 Jun 2004 : Column 154W—continued

GP Registrars

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of changes in general practitioner registrar numbers and funding in London since 1997; [175262]

(2) how many doctors have entered the general practitioner vocational training scheme in the last three years. [175690]

Mr. Hutton: Information on numbers of general practitioner registrars is shown in the table.

	1997	1999	2001	2002	2003	Change since 1997	Percentage change since 1997
London	208	221	244	282	348	140	67
England	1,343	1,520	1,883	1,980	2,235	892	66

Note: Data as at 1 October 1997–99, 30 September 2000–03.
Source:
Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Funding for GP registrars is included in strategic health authorities' multi-professional education and training allocations. In 2004–05, these allocations will be increased by almost £10 million to fund £134 new GP registrars, 10 of which will be in London. We remain committed to increasing the number of GP registrars in the National Health Service and, having exceeded the NHS Plan target of 450 (later updated to 550) more GP registrars over the 1999 baseline, nine months early, work continues to recruit even more.

Haemophiliacs

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what improvements to the services available to haemophiliacs on the National Health Service have been made since 1997. [174642]

Miss Melanie Johnson: In 1998 the Government provided funding to place all haemophilia patients under 16 on synthetic clotting factors. These patients have continued to receive synthetic products as they have grown older. In February last year we announced additional funding of £88 million over three years to extend the availability of these products to adult haemophilia patients. The Government's aim is that by March 2006 the vast majority of haemophilia patients will be receiving synthetic clotting factors.

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when haemophiliacs who contracted hepatitis C through contaminated blood will receive the ex gratia payment offers from the Department of Health that he has announced. [174643]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk, East (Mr Connarty) on 4 May 2004, Official Report, column 1464W.

Health Services (Nottinghamshire)

Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients were waiting for (a) appointments and (b) operations in Nottinghamshire health authority areas on 1 January in each year since 1997. [173555]

Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the tables.
Total number of in-patients on the waiting list at 31 December for each year since 1997 for the Nottinghamshire area—in-patient provider based

NHS trust	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust	5,900	6,037	5,486	4,883	4,633
Central Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	574	875	917	772	714
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, University Hospital NHS Trust	12,423	12,078	10,793	10,168	8,902
King's Mill Centre for Health Care Services NHS Trust	4,085	6,009	5,456	5,238	5,113
Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust	0	94	0	0	0

	As at 31 December:
NHS trust	2001	2002	2003
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust	5,283	5,657	4,786
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, University Hospital NHS Trust	9,556	9,981	7,492
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust(33)	2	0	0
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust(34)	5,942	5,424	5,417

Source:
Department of Health form KH07.





 
7 Jun 2004 : Column 155W
 

Patients waiting for a first out-patient appointment over 13 weeks as at 31 December for each year since 1997 for the Nottinghamshire area. Weeks waiting to be seen from a general practitioner referral to consultant appointment—out-patient provider based

NHS Trust	Not seen 13 to 25	26+	Total 13+
December 1996
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust	580	207	787
Central Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	247	789	1,036
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, University Hospital NHS Trust	2,194	737	2,931
King's Mill Centre for Health Care Services NHS Trust	0	0	0
Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust	160	273	433
December 1997
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust	739	258	997
Central Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	304	133	437
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, University Hospital NHS Trust	5,645	5,039	10,684
King's Mill Centre for Health Care Services NHS Trust	1,847	1,133	2,980
Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust	62	57	119
December 1998
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust	1,172	372	1,544
Central Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	157	22	179
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, University Hospital NHS Trust	6,490	5,615	12,105
King's Mill Centre for Health Care Services NHS Trust	2,161	764	2,925
Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust	6	11	17
December 1999
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust	1,006	353	1,359
Central Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	218	6	224
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, University Hospital NHS Trust	4,730	4,563	9,293
King's Mill Centre for Health Care Services NHS Trust	2,193	1,167	3,360
Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust	0	0	0
December 2000
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust	953	344	1,297
Central Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	224	14	238
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, University Hospital NHS Trust	3,749	2164	5,913
King's Mill Centre for Health Care Services NHS Trust	1,504	480	1,984
Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust	10	0	10
December 2001
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust	1,221	173	1,394
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, University Hospital NHS Trust	3,153	1,058	4,211
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust(33)	9	1	10
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust(34)	1,999	230	2,229

Weeks

NHS Trust	Not seen 13 to less than 17	17 to less than 21	21 to less than 26	26+	Total 13+
December 2002
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust	362	72	0	0	434
Queens Medical Centre Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust	977	495	276	0	1,748
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust(33)	0	0	0	0	0
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust(34)	1,205	542	18	0	1,765
December 2003
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust	241	5	0	0	246
Queens Medical Centre Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust	568	179	0	0	747
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust(33)	4	2	0	0	6
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust(34)	842	108	0	0	950

⁽³³⁾ In April 2001, Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust became Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
⁽³⁴⁾ In March 2001 the Central Nottinghamshire NHS Trust was abolished, and Newark Hospital from the Central Nottinghamshire NHS Trust was combined with the King's Mill Centre for Healthcare Services NHS Trust to form Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust.
Source:
Department of Health form QM08.





 
7 Jun 2004 : Column 157W
 

Health Test Charges

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the administration costs of collecting charges for (a) eye check-ups, (b) dental check-ups and (c) prescriptions. [174478]

Ms Rosie Winterton: There are no charges for sight tests provided under the national health service. Sight tests are free to children, older people, people on low income and those susceptible to eye disease who can benefit most from regular sight tests.

More than 85 per cent., of the total income from prescription charges is collected by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors as part of the dispensing of medicines. Charges for dental examinations are collected by dentists. There is no separately identifiable element of the remuneration of any of these professions attributable to the charge collection function.

The administration costs of the sale of prescription pre-payment certificates, which account for the remainder of the income from prescription charges, are around £1.5 million per year.

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