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20 Jul 2004 : Column 165W—continued
General Practitioners (Night Calls)
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost to the national health service in payments for general practitioners for maintaining a night call out service for patients in each year from 1974 to 2003. [173636]
Mr. Hutton: In 1974, £18.4 million is recorded has having been spent on payments to general medical service (QMS) general practitioners for out-of-hours responsibilities. In 2003, the total expenditure is recorded as £112.3 million. The full data is shown in the following tables.
| Amount (£000) | |
|---|---|
| 1973–74 | 16,080 |
| 1974–75 | 18,432 |
| 1975–76 | 23,918 |
| 1976–77 | 26,043 |
| 1977–78 | 26,160 |
| 1978–79 | 30,599 |
| 1979–80 | 36,348 |
| 1980–81 | 49,464 |
| 1981–82 | 56,052 |
| 1982–83 | 62,500 |
| 1983–84 | 65,762 |
| 1984–85 | 75,138 |
| 1985–86 | 81,251 |
| 1986–87 | 84,010 |
| 1987–88 | 92,255 |
| 1988–89 | 103,645 |
| 1989–90 | 112,980 |
| 1990–91 | 56,106 |
Note:
(14) Data for QMS only.
Sources:
1. Figures are taken from the relevant summarised accounts for 1973–74 to 1990–91.
2. Annual financial returns of district and regional health authorities and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals, 1991–92 to 1995–96.
3. Annual financial returns of health authorities, 1996–97 to 2001–02.
4. Annual financial returns of strategic health authorities, 2002–03.
5. Annual financial returns of primary care trusts, 2000–01 to 2002–03.
20 Jul 2004 : Column 166W
Health Care Related Infection
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress in combating health care-related infection in England. [183039]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Infection control within the national health service is improving and there are some excellent examples of good practice in our hospitals. We are determined to bring everywhere up to the standards of the best and the wide range of work under way is set out in "Towards cleaner hospitals and lower rates of infection".
Islington Primary Care Trust
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been made available to the Islington Primary Care Trust for each year of its existence to date; and what the projected amounts are for future years. [184724]
Mr. Hutton: Revenue allocations to Islington Primary Care Trust (PCT) from 2003–04 to 2005–06 were announced on 12 December 2002 as follows:
| Amount (£000) | |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 248,319 |
| 2004–05 | 272,794 |
| 2005–06 | 298,986 |
This was the first time allocations were made from the Department direct to PCTs. Prior to this, allocations were made direct to health authorities.
Leeds Community and Mental Health Trust
Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set for bed capacity in the Leeds Community and Mental Health Trust; at what level of bed capacity the Trust is operating; and if he will make a statement. [184139]
20 Jul 2004 : Column 167W
Miss Melanie Johnson: In 2002–03, Leeds Mental Health Teaching National Health Service Trust had 608 beds, with an occupancy rate of 79.2 per cent.
Source:
Form KH03, Department of Health.
LIFT Projects
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy whenever possible to use local architects, builders and tradespeople in designing and building local investment finance trust (LIFT) projects in England; and if he will make a statement. [184291]
Mr. Hutton: There is no size limit on firms participating in national health service local investment finance trust. It is a legal requirement to evaluate all competing bids in a transparent manner. Advertising through the Official Journal of the European Community means that competition is fair and open and non-discriminatory for all bidders. Contracts will be awarded to the bidders offering best value for money.
Medical Data Exchange (Cuba)
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions are in place for exchange of medical data on UK citizens with Cuba. [184341]
Mr. Hutton: The exchange of medical data between the United Kingdom and Cuba must be in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the common law duty of confidentiality. When these legal requirements are met, local organisations may establish provisions for exchanging medical data where this is a locally determined business requirement.
Ministerial Travel
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of air travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain was for (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in the last year for which figures are available. [184528]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The cost of air travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain is not readily identifiable and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All ministerial and civil service travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers, and the Civil Service Management Code, copies of which are available in the Library.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the implications are for current NHS practice of the World Health Organisation's re-classification of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome as a neurological disorder. [184514]
Dr. Ladyman:
The World Health Organisation's international classification of diseases, ICD 10, provides a system of categories for international systematic recording. They are not diagnostic criteria and are not
20 Jul 2004 : Column 168W
used by clinicians as such. Patients benefit most from a holistic model of care and new services are being developed to provide this. Services have not been designed around the ICD 10 in the past, nor do we expect them to be in the future.
NHS Beds
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds there are in the national health service; and what plans he has to change the number. [184044]
Mr. Hutton: In 2002–03 the average daily number of available national health service beds in England was 183,826. This includes acute, geriatric, mental illness, learning disability and maternity beds.
The "NHS Improvement Plan" contains no targets for the total number of NHS beds. However, there is a major hospital building programme under way to deliver on commitments in the "NHS Plan" to improve NHS hospitals. The NHS is on course to exceed the two "NHS Plan" commitments of 100 new hospitals by 2010 and to reduce the age of hospitals such that over 40 per cent. of the NHS estate will be less than 15 years old by 2010.
NHS Posts (E-advertising)
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department conducted before deciding to introduce electronic recruitment of NHS job vacancies; and if he will place a copy of the conclusions in the Library. [183130]
Mr. Hutton: A copy of the strategic case prepared by the Department for the procurement of the national health service e-recruitment service has been placed in the Library.
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