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8 Nov 2004 : Column 538W—continued
NHS Trust Boards
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) men and (b) women he has appointed to NHS trust boards in the last 12 months. [195927]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Appointments to national health service trust boards are delegated to the NHS Appointments Commission. I have asked the chair of the Commission, Sir William Wells to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
Operating Theatres (Fires)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many fires there have been in operating theatres in the NHS in England in each year since 1997. [194237]
Mr. Hutton:
The numbers of reported fire incidents originating in operating departments in the national health service in England are shown in the table. A fire incident is defined as any incident where fire alarms have been activated and the fire service has attended.
8 Nov 2004 : Column 539W
| Number of incidents | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 10 |
| 1998 | 8 |
| 1999 | 12 |
| 2000 | 11 |
| 2001 | 22 |
| 2002 | 9 |
| 2003 | 16 |
| 2004 | (26)7 |
(26) To 25 October 2004.
Overseas Nurses
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas nurses have been recruited to work in the NHS during the last 12 months. [194632]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registers all nurses who work in the United Kingdom and produces a statistical breakdown of its register. An analysis of the register can be found on the NMC website at www.nmc-uk.org.
In the last 12 months 14,124 non-United Kingdom nurses were admitted to the NMC register.
A copy of the most recent data has been placed in the Library.
Paediatric Services
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure on (a) the NHS in England and (b) NHS paediatric services in England has been in each year since 1992. [194245]
Dr. Ladyman: The data available is shown in the table.
Source:
Hospital and community health services programme budget.
8 Nov 2004 : Column 540W
Patients' Complaints
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken to ensure that patients' complaints against NHS hospitals within the Greater London area are dealt with immediately; and if he will make a statement. [195898]
Dr. Ladyman: The National Health Service (Complaints) Regulations 2004 came into force on 30 July. They contain all the time scales for local resolution. Supporting guidance was issued at the same time. Both are available on the Department's website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/81/57/04088157.pdf
PFI (Greater London)
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the private finance initiative hospital building programmes under consideration for the Greater London area. [195929]
Dr. Ladyman: Information on the schemes within the five London strategic health authority areas is shown in the table.
8 Nov 2004 : Column 541W
Pharmacists
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of the new community pharmacy contract to pharmacists who wish to expand their practices. [195920]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 4 November 2004, Official Report, column 398W.
Postgraduate Deaneries
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much central funding was given to postgraduate deaneries in each year since 1997. [195724]
Mr. Hutton: Central funding for postgraduate medical and dental education and training since 1997 has been:
| Amount (£ million) | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 533 |
| 1997–98 | 592 |
| 1998–99 | 621 |
| 1999–2000 | 657 |
| 2000–01 | 821 |
| 2001–02 | 864 |
| 2002–03 | 1,156 |
| 2003–04 | 1,235 |
| 2004–05 | 1,344 |
This represents an increase of 132 per cent., or £811 million. These sums formed part of the overall national health service training budgets allocated to regional health authorities and, more recently, to strategic health authorities. The amounts that postgraduate deaneries actually received will have been determined locally in the light of local priorities and national work force targets.
Radiologists
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of clinicians performing interventional radiology. [195032]
Mr. Hutton: Interventional radiology is the use of imaging guidance for the purpose of treating patients.
Many clinical radiologists undertake interventional radiological procedures and most of them combine diagnosis and intervention in their practice. There is no certificate of completion of specialist training in interventional radiology, therefore the Department does not collect data on the numbers of interventional radiologists practising in the national health service.
Since September 1997, numbers of consultants in clinical radiology have increased by 417, or 29 per cent. Consultant numbers are expected to increase further as a result of the significant investment in training capacity in this speciality.
Between 2002–03 and 2004–05, 166 additional centrally funded specialist registrar posts have been allocated to clinical radiology. In 2005–06, there are plans in place to create up to 60 posts for the new clinical radiology academies.
8 Nov 2004 : Column 542W
Reducing Bureaucracy
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 22 July 2004, Official Report, columns 73–77WS, on reducing bureaucracy, what assessment he has made of the future role of private contractors in NHS procurement. [195025]
Mr. Hutton: The Department's commercial directorate is scrutinising the business processes and procurement activities of many of the central services of the Department's arm's length bodies (ALBs) to establish the full scope of the efficiencies to be made, especially in relation to the money—about £3 billion—that is spent by ALBs on behalf of frontline organisations on national health service supplies, temporary staff and litigation services. This includes evaluation of the value that could be achieved by partnering with the private sector.
The commercial directorate's work on the NHS supply chain is already well advanced, suggesting savings of approximately £500 million per annum by 2007–08.
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