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15 Nov 2004 : Column 1173W—continued
NHS Direct
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of (a) whether NHS Direct is providing advice to people who would not have otherwise sought medical attention and (b) the extent to which NHS Direct is diverting people away from their general practitioners. [196989]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on whether NHS Direct is providing advice to people who would not have otherwise sought medical attention is not collected centrally.
The National Audit Office found the best estimate that can be generated from available data suggests that NHS Direct is off-setting around half of its running costs by encouraging more appropriate use of NHS services. This includes advising a significant number of callers who would otherwise have visited their general practitioner on how to care for themselves instead.
NHS Foundation Trusts
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much each of the first round of foundation hospital trusts spent on preparing its application for foundation status; and how much of this was paid to outside consultants; [194175]
(2) how much each of the first round of foundation hospital trusts spent on preparing for foundation status after they had been given the go-ahead to do so. [194176]
Mr. Hutton:
The Department provides a centrally-provided programme of support and direct financial support to applicants preparing for national health service foundation trust status. It does not, however, hold information on the level of resources or the way in
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which resources are used by applicants in preparing for foundation status, as it is for each trust to determine how resources are best spent. Costs vary from trust to trust, depending on the individual circumstances of the organisation and its state of readiness.
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much money, and to which organisations, each Foundation Hospital Trust paid in fees to outside bodies for help (a) with compiling registers of electors and (b) in the conduct of elections for boards of governors; [194178]
(2) how much each of the first round of Foundation Hospital Trusts spent on (a) compiling its register of electors for governors and (b) the conduct of their elections. [194180]
Mr. Hutton: I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 15 June 2004, Official Report, column 896W.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 11 October 2004, Official Report, column 4WS, on ministerial accountability for NHS foundation trusts, in what circumstances a Minister from his Department will comment (a) in the House and (b) in the press on issues arising within an NHS foundation trust. [194364]
Mr. Hutton: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said on 30 March 2004, Official Report, column 83WS, because of the independent status and separate and local route of accountability of national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs), Ministers are not in a position to comment on the details of operational management within these organisations. The statement of 11 October 2004, Official Report, column 4WS, confirmed that copies of replies by NHSFTs to such questions would be placed in the Library. Media inquiries on operational matters are treated in a similar fashion, being directed to the NHSFT in question.
The new arrangements also stem directly from the limits on information gathering set out in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. The Department holds only that information about NHSFTs that the Act (s19(1)(a) ) allows. This precludes the collection of routine operational data and, where the Department does not hold information, replies based on such information cannot be given. Conversely, if the information is held centrally, then a substantive reply will be given in the usual way. Ministers will also continue to be responsible for answering questions on general policy for provision of NHS services where provision is through NHSFTs. Notwithstanding the advent of NHSFTS, matters of national policy, including the statutory framework for the NHS and its resources, standards and targets remain the responsibility of Ministers.
NHS Pay
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what pay band he anticipates the majority of (a) radiographers and (b) physiotherapists will be placed in under Agenda for Change. [196429]
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Mr. Hutton: We anticipate that the majority of qualified radiographers and qualified physiotherapists will be placed on pay bands six and seven.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what effect Agenda for Change is likely to have on the hourly rate of pay of radiographers. [196430]
Mr. Hutton: We anticipate that for the majority of existing radiographers there will be an increase in the hourly rate of pay, both in the short term when hours will be unchanged and in the longer run when hours are increased.
NHS Professionals
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS acute trusts had signed up to use NHS Professionals on the latest date for which figures are available; and what proportion of acute trusts this represents. [196117]
Mr. Hutton: NHS Professionals has advised that, with effect from 1 November, a total of 76 national health service trusts have signed up to use its services. This is made up of 37 acute trusts, 30 primary care trusts and nine mental health trusts.
76 trusts represents 30 per cent. of NHS acute/specialist and mental health trusts.
NHS Staff
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses, (b) doctors and (c) professions allied to medicine he expects there will be in the NHS in England in (i) 2005–06, (ii) 2006–7, (iii) 2007–08, (iv) 2008–09 and (v) 2009–10. [197279]
Mr. Hutton: Delivering the NHS Plan included expectations for increases in the National Health Service workforce. By 2008 we expect there to be 35,000 more nurses, midwives and health visitors, 30,000 more therapists and scientists and 15,000 more doctors (consultants and general practitioners) employed in the NHS than there were in 2001. The expectation for increasing the nursing workforce has been met already, there are almost 46,000 more nurses than in 2001, and we are making considerable progress towards the others, as at June 2004, there were 6,719 more doctors and by September 2003, there were 11,825 more therapists and scientists than in 2001.
It is for local NHS organisations to determine the workforce it needs to meet service objectives and we are supporting the NHS in developing new and innovative ways of working, enabling organisations to develop the skill mix appropriate to local need.
The expectations for increasing the NHS workforce by 2008 have not been broken down by year.
Paediatric Care
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) paediatric beds and (b) paediatric wards there were in each strategic health authority area for each of the past five years. [195276]
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Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 1 November 2004]: Data for strategic health authorities (SHAs) can only be provided from 2002–03, the year SHAs were introduced. These are shown in the tables. Data on paediatric beds in wards open overnight are collected by ward classification. The data in the table on overnight admissions include all ward classifications that involve children. Data on paediatric beds available during the day only are contained in the table on day beds.
Data on the number of exclusively paediatric wards are not collected centrally.
Note:
The specified ward classifications used in the above table are those that involve children.
Source:
Department of Health Form KH03.
Source:
Department of Health Form KH03.
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