House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 1 Sept 2004 (pt 55)

1 Sept 2004 : Column 895W—continued

GP Contract

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) of 25 March 2004, Official Report, column 1050W, on general practitioners, what assessment his Department has made in (a) money and (b) manpower terms of the potential impact of the new GP contract on ambulance services providing out-of-hours cover. [178176]

Mr. Hutton: No central assessment has been made; however, the new contract provides the opportunity for primary care trusts to commission and resource out-of-hours services together with ambulance services, to provide integrated unscheduled care. This should ensure that patients receive easy access to the treatment they need and that the most effective and appropriate use is made of ambulance services.

GPs (Saturday Morning Surgeries)

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely impact on hospital emergency services of the choice general practitioners will have after October to opt out of Saturday morning surgeries. [184973]

Mr. Hutton: Under the new general medical services contract, primary care trusts (PCTs) have responsibility for ensuring a high quality service is available to patients during the out-of-hours period, which now includes Saturday mornings. PCTs have consequently built this extra demand into their capacity assumptions and their commissioning. They are also communicating details of changes, where necessary, to patients and other local services.

Health Expenditure

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of public expenditure on health was in real terms at today's prices in each of the last 25 years. [186103]

1 Sept 2004 : Column 896W

Mr. Hutton: The table shows total net national health service expenditure in England for the period 1980–81 to 2004–05, at 2004–05 prices.
Total net NHS expenditure at 2004–05 prices⁽⁷¹⁾

£ billion

1980–812,3 26.2

1981–82⁽⁷³⁾ 26.8

1982–83⁽⁷³⁾ 27.2

1983–84⁽⁷³⁾ 27.5

1984–85⁽⁷³⁾ 28.0

1985–86⁽⁷³⁾ 28.1

1986–87⁽⁷³⁾ 29.2

1987–88⁽⁷³⁾ 30.4

1988–89⁽⁷³⁾ 31.4

1989–90⁽⁷³⁾ 31.6

1990–91⁽⁷³⁾ 32.9

1991–92⁽⁷³⁾ 35.3

1992–93⁽⁷³⁾ 37.7

1993–94⁽⁷³⁾ 38.0

1994–95⁽⁷³⁾ 39.6

1995–96⁽⁷³⁾ 40.2

1996–97⁽⁷³⁾ 40.1

1997–98⁽⁷³⁾ 41.1

1998–99⁽⁷³⁾ 42.2

1999–20003,4 45.3

2000–01⁽⁷³⁾ 49.0

2001–02⁽⁷³⁾ 53.3

2002–03⁽⁷³⁾ 56.8

2003–045,6 65.1

2004–05⁽⁷⁷⁾ 69.4

⁽⁷¹⁾ Figures are not directly comparable across the period.
⁽⁷²⁾ Expenditure for the period 1980–81 to 1998–99 is on a cash basis.
⁽⁷³⁾ Outturn.
⁽⁷⁴⁾ Expenditure for the period 1999–2000 to 2002–03 is on a stage 1 resource budgeting basis.
⁽⁷⁵⁾ Expenditure for the period 2003–04 and 2004–05 is on a stage 2 resource budgeting basis.
⁽⁷⁶⁾ Estimated outturn.
⁽⁷⁷⁾ Plan.
Note:
Gross domestic product series as at 30 June 2004.

	£ billion
1980–812,3	26.2
1981–82⁽⁷³⁾	26.8
1982–83⁽⁷³⁾	27.2
1983–84⁽⁷³⁾	27.5
1984–85⁽⁷³⁾	28.0
1985–86⁽⁷³⁾	28.1
1986–87⁽⁷³⁾	29.2
1987–88⁽⁷³⁾	30.4
1988–89⁽⁷³⁾	31.4
1989–90⁽⁷³⁾	31.6
1990–91⁽⁷³⁾	32.9
1991–92⁽⁷³⁾	35.3
1992–93⁽⁷³⁾	37.7
1993–94⁽⁷³⁾	38.0
1994–95⁽⁷³⁾	39.6
1995–96⁽⁷³⁾	40.2
1996–97⁽⁷³⁾	40.1
1997–98⁽⁷³⁾	41.1
1998–99⁽⁷³⁾	42.2
1999–20003,4	45.3
2000–01⁽⁷³⁾	49.0
2001–02⁽⁷³⁾	53.3
2002–03⁽⁷³⁾	56.8
2003–045,6	65.1
2004–05⁽⁷⁷⁾	69.4

Health Protection Agency

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what formal relationship his Department has with the Health Protection Agency. [184299]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is a special health authority (SHA), created by the Health Protection Agency (Yr Asiantaeth Diogelu lechyd) Establishment Order 2003 (SI 2003/505), with further provision made in the Health Protection Agency (Yr Asiantaeth Diogelu lechyd) Regulations (SI 2003/506). Further material relevant to the Secretary of State's relationship with the SHA is in the Secretary of State's directions to the HPA conferring functions and directing how they should be exercised (dated 1 April 2003) and in the management statement agreed with the authority, copies of which are available in the Library.

The Health Protection Agency Act received Royal Assent on 22 July 2004. This makes provision for establishing the HPA as a non-departmental public body, which will take up the functions of both the HPA

1 Sept 2004 : Column 897W

SHA and the National Radiological Protection Board, both of which will be wound up. Our intention is that this should happen on 1 April 2005.

Health Services (Non-EU Nationals)

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the changes to the entitlement of non-EU nationals to treatment by British (a) general practitioners and (b) dentists will also apply to children travelling from outside the EU. [185631]

Mr. Hutton: The Department is currently consulting on "Proposals to Exclude Overseas Visitors from Eligibility to Free National Health Service (NHS) Primary Medical Services". The consultation ends on 13 August. Copies of the consultation document can be obtained from www.dh.gov.uk/consultation or from the national health service response line on 08701 555455. A copy of the consultation document is available in the Library.

The proposals are intended to provide clarity regarding the eligibility of overseas visitors, including non-European Union nationals and their dependents, to receive free NHS primary medical services, and therefore apply only to those services provided by general practitioners.

The consultation does not cover primary dental services.

Health Workers (West Sussex)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health workers were recruited to work in West Sussex in 2003–04, broken down by profession. [185505]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The latest available data (September 2003) on the number of health workers employed in West Sussex have been placed in the Library.

Heart Bypass Surgery

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged (a) 25, (b) between 26 and 50, (c) between 51 and 60, (d) between 61 and 70 and (e) 71 years have had heart bypass surgery in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [186269]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the table.
Finished in-year admissions all operations count of episodes for patients treated for coronary artery bypass graft, by age at start of episode—NHS hospitals, England, 2000–02

Age group 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03

All ages 18,980 18,981 20,058

Under 25 10 7 7

25 0 0 3

26–50 1,499 1,405 1,394

51–60 4,711 4,524 4,701

61–70 7,929 7,638 7,865

71 709 764 838

Over 71 4,117 4,636 5,234

Not known 5 7 16

Notes:
1. A finished 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 datayear. 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. All operations count of episodes—these figures represent a count of all finished consultant episodes where the procedure was mentioned in any of the 12 (four prior to 2002–03) operation fields in a hospital episode statistics record. A record is only included once in each count, even if an operation is mentioned in more than one operation field of the record.
3. Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data for 2000–01, but ungrossed for 2001–02 and 2002–03, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
Source:
Hospital episode statistics, Department of Health.

1 Sept 2004 : Column 898W

Age group	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
All ages	18,980	18,981	20,058
Under 25	10	7	7
25	0	0	3
26–50	1,499	1,405	1,394
51–60	4,711	4,524	4,701
61–70	7,929	7,638	7,865
71	709	764	838
Over 71	4,117	4,636	5,234
Not known	5	7	16

Hepatitis B

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the (a) costs and (b) benefits of universal vaccination for hepatitis B. [185403]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, the Government's expert advisory committee, is currently reviewing our national hepatitis B immunisation programme. This review will consider whether the programme might need to be expanded or strengthened.

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a vaccination programme in babies for hepatitis B; and if he will make a statement. [184987]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Immunisation is already recommended for babies born to mothers infected with hepatitis B to prevent them developing chronic infection. The joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, the Government's expert advisory committee, is currently reviewing our national hepatitis B immunisation programme. This review will consider whether the programme might need to be expanded or strengthened.

Next Section

Index

Home Page