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Neonatal Intensive Care

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many neonatal intensive care cots there were in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each year since 1996. [179153]

Dr. Ladyman: Data for strategic health authorities (SHAs) can only be provided for 2002–03, the year SHAs were introduced. Useful comparative data for England before 2002–03 cannot be provided as improved data collection over the period has excluded special care cots, which were formerly included in the data for neonatal intensive care cots.
Neonatal intensive care cots at 31 March 2003

Organisation identifier	SHA	Neonatal intensive care cots
Q01	Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA	43
Q02	Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA	8
Q03	Essex HA	42
Q04	North West London HA	58
Q05	North Central London HA	57
Q06	North East London HA	28
Q07	South East London HA	84
Q08	South West London HA	20
Q09	Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA	18
Q10	County Durham and Tees Valley HA	24
Q11	North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA	22
Q12	West Yorkshire HA	43
Q13	Cumbria and Lancashire HA	15
Q14	Greater Manchester HA	64
Q15	Cheshire and Merseyside HA	47
Q16	Thames Valley HA	22
Q17	Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA	49
Q18	Kent and Medway HA	19
Q19	Surrey and Sussex HA	24
Q20	Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA	24
Q21	South West Peninsula HA	17
Q22	Somerset and Dorset HA	28
Q23	South Yorkshire HA	17
Q24	Trent HA	59
Q25	Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA	26
Q26	Shropshire and Staffordshire HA	16
Q27	Birmingham and the Black Country HA	47
Q28	Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire HA	36
	England	957

Note:
The table shows neonatal intensive cots by strategic health authority for 2002–03, the year in which SHAs were introduced.
Source:
Department of Health KH03 returns.




 
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NHS Dentists

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his latest estimate is of when everyone in England will have access to an NHS dentist. [179220]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government recognise that it is difficult in some parts of the country to find a national health service dentist, This is why we are undertaking the most radical overhaul of NHS dentistry since 1948—through legislation in the Health and Social Care Act 2003, transferring responsibility for commissioning NHS dental services to primary care trusts (PCTs). In addition to this, we have targeted £59 million specifically to improve access to NHS dentistry across England: £50 million allocated to PCTs for specific local initiatives and an additional £9 million specifically targeted to the 16 most challenged areas for dental access via the NHS support team. There are now nearly 50 dental access centres operational around the country. They are providing care to a group of patients who may not have previously been able to easily access NHS dentistry.

At present, about 91 per cent. of callers to NHS Direct are being advised of available sources of NHS dentistry within locally agreed standards and about 19,000 people a month are doing so.

NHS Spending Levels

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what NHS spending was (a) in real terms and (b) at present prices in each region in each of the last 25 years; and what the projected spending levels will be for the next five years. [180023]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

NICE Facilitators/Guidance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what target dates he has set for ensuring that all primary care trusts have a National Institute for Clinical Excellence facilitator. [179450]

Mr. Hutton: We have set no target dates as this is a matter for national health service bodies. We have asked strategic health authorities to work with the local NHS to ensure that they have effective arrangements in place for the implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the NHS Information Centre to be in a position to provide good quality comparative information on the take-up of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance. [179454]

Mr. Hutton: The arrangements for the co-ordination, collection and publication of statistics is being considered as part of the arm's length body (ALB) review. An announcement on the ALB review will be made shortly.

Nursing/Midwifery Training

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nursing and (b) midwifery training
 
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places there were in each year since 1990; and what the projected number of training places is for each of the next five years. [180022]

Mr. Hutton: Information on the number of nursing and midwifery training places in each year since 1992–93, the first available year, is shown in the table. Information is not available on the number of training places projected for each of the next five years, though we expect further growth as a result of increased investment in nurse training.
Pre-registration nursing and midwifery training commissions

	Total(15)
1992–93	16,338
1993–94	14,197
1994–95	12,480
1995–96	13,381
1996–97	14,984
1997–98	16,539
1998–99	17,689
1999–2000	18,707
2000–01	20,021
2001–02	21,770
2002–03	22,956

⁽¹⁵⁾ Adjusted to take account of Dearing transfer of 1,017 nursing degree places to national health service 1992–03 to 1997–98.

Osteoporosis

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received in the last six months from the National Osteoporosis Society on the review of pharmaceutical treatments for osteoporosis being conducted by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. [179882]

Dr. Ladyman: In the last six months, the Department received 12 letters directly citing the National Osteoporosis Society in connection with the review of pharmaceutical treatments for osteoporosis treatments for osteoporosis.

In addition, there have been 214 letters about the review from hon. and right hon. Members on behalf of constituents and organisations.

Out-of-Hours Services

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts have (a) begun to develop plans for out-of-hours services after December and (b) finalised plans for out-of-hours services after December; and if he will make a statement. [180273]

Mr. Hutton: Delivery plans for the new primary care contracts and the modernisation of out of hours services require all primary care trusts to have in place plans for the delivery of out of hours services after December.

In some places, these plans are already successfully delivering out of hours care in areas where practices have opted out. We continue to work closely with strategic health authorities to ensure a smooth transition to meet the time scales of the new contracts and to ensure patients continue to receive a quality assured service.
 
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Plastic Surgery

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) hospital admissions and (b) finished consultant episodes there were in (i) reconstructive plastic surgery and (ii) elective cosmetic plastic surgery in the NHS in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement; [180278]

(2) what the cost to the NHS was of (a) reconstructive plastic surgery and (b) elective cosmetic plastic surgery in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement; [180279]

(3) what criteria are used to determine which patients should be referred to receive cosmetic surgery on the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [180280]

Mr. Hutton: Table 1 shows the number of finished hospital admissions and finished consultant episodes for both reconstructive plastic surgery and elective cosmetic surgery carried out in the national health service since 1996.

Table 2 shows NHS expenditure on plastic surgery for the financial years 1995–96 to 2002–03. The Department is unable to distinguish between reconstructive and elective cosmetic surgery.

The Department does not issue criteria to surgeons on the selection of patients for cosmetic surgery. The decision on whether to provide cosmetic surgery on the NHS is made locally by primary care trusts based on other competing priorities.
Table 1. Counts of finished consultant episodes and finished admissions for plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery in NHS hospitals in England 1996–97 to 2002–03

	Reconstructive plastic surgery		Elective cosmetic surgery
	Finished episodes	Finished admissions	Finished episodes	Finished admissions
1996–97	5,239	5,202	2,603	2,598
1997–98	5,346	5,300	2,522	2,515
1998–99	5,836	5,816	2,837	2,835
1999–2000	5,779	5,749	2,285	2,279
2000–01	6,399	6,356	2,462	2,450
2001–02	6,467	6,398	2,427	2,385
2002–03	6,905	6,887	2,701	2,696

Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health.




 
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Table 2. Hospital and community health services expenditure on plastic surgery—1995–96 to 2002–03—England

Financial year	Expenditure (£)
1995–96	148,163,186
1996–97	160,604,901
1997–98	172,683,817
1998–99	189,208,695
1999–2000	206,682,111
2000–01	226,578,825
2001–02	252,713,681
2002–03	286,147,991

Sources:
Annual financial returns of district and regional health authorities and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals 1995–96.
Annual financial returns of health authorities 1996–97.
Annual financial returns of NHS trusts 1995–96 to 2002–03.
Annual financial returns of primary care trusts 2000–01 to 2002–03.

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