House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 11 Oct 2004 (pt 39)

11 Oct 2004 : Column 140W—continued

Departmental Satellite and Cable

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the cost to the taxpayer was of satellite and cable subscriptions in his Department's buildings; [185862]

(2) if he will list the premium channels that his Department subscribes to. [185863]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department's building at 79 Whitehall (Richmond House) is connected by cable link to the parliamentary annunciator system from the Palace of Westminster. This link was in place when Richmond House opened in 1988, having first been established in 1969 in a previous headquarters building. The purpose of this is to provide Ministers, their Private Offices and other staff access to debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Currently, this system is free of charge and comes in the form of a package of 24 audio and visual channels, which provide access to a range of broadcast services in addition to the parliamentary channels. Of these, Sky Sports is the only service which would be categorised as a premium channel. Separate from this, the Central Office of Information also provides a link for viewing the parliamentary committee broadcasts, at a current annual cost to the Department of £27,739.40, including VAT.

In her reply to a similar question from the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo) on 23 April 2002, Official Report, column 241W, my hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Ms Blears) attributed this separate charge to the provision of the annunciator system.

11 Oct 2004 : Column 141W

This was based on wrong advice, arising from a misunderstanding at the time about the operation of the system. I have written to the hon. Member apologising for the mistake and drawing his attention to this reply. A copy of that letter has been placed in the Library.

Domiciliary Care

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of domiciliary care. [189207]

Dr. Ladyman: Since 1997, the number of contact hours of domiciliary care have increased from 2.6 million to 3.1 million in 2003. More people are being kept out of residential care through the provision of intensive care packages in their own home. The number of households receiving intensive support at home has increased from 60,700 at September 1998 to 87,000 at September 2003.

In 2004–05, total social services resources for adults increased to £10.3 billion, or £775 million more than 2003–04, an increase of 8.2 per cent. in cash terms or about 6 per cent. in real terms. It is for local councils to decide how much of this funding is spent on domiciliary care.

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Eating Disorders

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 14 September 2004, Official Report, column 1498W, on eating disorders, what information he collates on waiting times for in-patient and out-patient treatment for eating disorders. [189841]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on waiting times, which is available at http://www.performance.doh. gov.uk/waitingtimes/, for in-patient and out-patient treatment in England is collected by consultant specialty rather than for specific conditions. This means that the information is not available in the format requested. However, we are aware that waiting times for treatment for eating disorders are sometimes too long and this is why we asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to develop a guideline on the effective treatments and why the national director for mental health is developing guidance for commissioners of specialised services.

Female Doctors

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many female doctors are employed in the NHS; and at what level (a) in real terms, (b) as whole time equivalent and (c) as a percentage of all doctors. [189397]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the following table.
Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS) doctors and general medical practitionersFemale doctors by grade/type/number (headcount) and percentage

All doctors
Of which: Female

Headcount Percentage Wte Percentage Headcount Percentage Wte Percentage

All doctors 109,964 100 102,344 100.0 41,371 37.6 36,284 35.5

HCHS Doctors⁽⁴²⁾ 76,400 100 42,260 100.0 27,826 36.4 25,474 35.3

Of which:

Consultant 28,750 100 26,341 100.0 7,162 24.9 6,261 23.8

Staff Grade 5,255 100 4,828 100.0 1,982 37.7 1,654 34.3

Associate Specialist 2,001 100 1,780 100.0 751 37.5 602 33.8

Registrar Group 14,619 100 13,989 100.0 5,738 39.3 5,289 37.8

Senior House Officer 18,698 100 18,419 100.0 8,231 44.0 8,048 43.7

House Officer 4,003 100 3,994 100.0 2,110 52.7 2,104 52.7

Senior Dental Officer 492 100 383 100.0 295 60.0 218 57.0

Dental officer 766 100 521 100.0 535 69.8 353 67.7

Hospital Practitioner⁽⁴²⁾ 72 100 221 100.0 20 27.8 55 24.9

Clinical Assistant⁽⁴²⁾ 461 100 1,068 100.0 146 31.7 446 41.8

Other CHS 1,283 100 715 100.0 856 66.7 443 61.9

General Medical Practitioners⁽⁴³⁾ 33,564 100 30,084 100.0 13,545 40.4 10,810 35.9

Of which:

Unrestricted Principals and
Equivalents (UPEs) 28,568 100 26,311 100.0 10,144 35.5 8,467 32.2

Assistants 456 100 329 100.0 288 63.2 202 61.5

Flexible Career Schemes 175 100 52 100.0 145 82.9 43 82.9

GP Registrars 2,235 100 2,153 100.0 1,339 59.9 1,268 58.9

GP Retainers 971 100 307 100.0 955 98.4 302 98.2

GP Returners 62 100 60 100.0 42 67.7 40 67.7

PMS others 914 100 710 100.0 531 58.1 401 56.4

Restricted Principals 78 100 71 100.0 38 48.7 35 48.7

Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA) 105 100 91 100.0 63 60.0 52 57.4

⁽⁴²⁾ Excludes hospital medical hospital practitioners and hospital medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part-time in hospitals.
⁽⁴³⁾ All practitioners include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other, GP retainers, flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
Sources:
Department of Health general and personal medical services statistics.
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.

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	All doctors	Of which: Female
	Headcount	Percentage	Wte	Percentage	Headcount	Percentage	Wte	Percentage
All doctors	109,964	100	102,344	100.0	41,371	37.6	36,284	35.5

HCHS Doctors⁽⁴²⁾	76,400	100	42,260	100.0	27,826	36.4	25,474	35.3
Of which:
Consultant	28,750	100	26,341	100.0	7,162	24.9	6,261	23.8
Staff Grade	5,255	100	4,828	100.0	1,982	37.7	1,654	34.3
Associate Specialist	2,001	100	1,780	100.0	751	37.5	602	33.8
Registrar Group	14,619	100	13,989	100.0	5,738	39.3	5,289	37.8
Senior House Officer	18,698	100	18,419	100.0	8,231	44.0	8,048	43.7
House Officer	4,003	100	3,994	100.0	2,110	52.7	2,104	52.7
Senior Dental Officer	492	100	383	100.0	295	60.0	218	57.0
Dental officer	766	100	521	100.0	535	69.8	353	67.7
Hospital Practitioner⁽⁴²⁾	72	100	221	100.0	20	27.8	55	24.9
Clinical Assistant⁽⁴²⁾	461	100	1,068	100.0	146	31.7	446	41.8
Other CHS	1,283	100	715	100.0	856	66.7	443	61.9

General Medical Practitioners⁽⁴³⁾	33,564	100	30,084	100.0	13,545	40.4	10,810	35.9
Of which:
Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs)	28,568	100	26,311	100.0	10,144	35.5	8,467	32.2
Assistants	456	100	329	100.0	288	63.2	202	61.5
Flexible Career Schemes	175	100	52	100.0	145	82.9	43	82.9
GP Registrars	2,235	100	2,153	100.0	1,339	59.9	1,268	58.9
GP Retainers	971	100	307	100.0	955	98.4	302	98.2
GP Returners	62	100	60	100.0	42	67.7	40	67.7
PMS others	914	100	710	100.0	531	58.1	401	56.4
Restricted Principals	78	100	71	100.0	38	48.7	35	48.7
Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA)	105	100	91	100.0	63	60.0	52	57.4

General Practitioners

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the average list size of general practitioners in (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority and (c) each primary care trust for each year since 1997. [187865]

Mr. Hutton: The average general practitioner list sizes in England for each year from 1997 to 2003 by strategic health authorities and primary care trusts have been placed in the Library.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average general practitioner list size is in (a) Hartlepool Primary Care Trust and (b) England. [189264]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 16 September 2004]: The table shows the average general practitioner list size in Hartlepool Primary Care Trust and England.
Average list size of Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs) 1 for England and Hartlepool Primary Care Trust As at 30 September 2003 Numbers (headcount)

UPEs Patients of UPEs Average list size

England 28,568 52,713,780 1,845

of which

5D9 Hartlepool PCT 45 93,550 2,079

⁽⁴⁴⁾ UPEs include GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs. Patient data has been revised from previously published figures
Source:
Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

	UPEs	Patients of UPEs	Average list size
England	28,568	52,713,780	1,845
of which
5D9 Hartlepool PCT	45	93,550	2,079

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the 10 primary care trusts with the lowest number of general practitioners per 100,000 population; [189262]

(2) how many general practitioners per 100,000 population there are in (a) Hartlepool Primary Care Trust and (b) England. [189265]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 16 September 2004]: As at March 2004, there were 52.6 general practitioners (GP) (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) per 100,000 weighted population in Hartlepool Primary Care Trust (PCT) compared to 63.6 GPs (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) per 100,000 weighted population in England.

The 10 PCTs with the lowest number of GPs (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) per 100,000 weighted population as at March 2004 are as follows:

Doncaster, West

Thurrock

Eastern Hull

Easington

Barking and Dagenham

Walsall

Barnsley

Oldham

North Stoke

Ashton, Leigh and Wigan

All figures are based on headcount.

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