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Health Trainers

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate his Department has made of the cost of employing NHS accredited health trainers; [199472]

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of NHS health trainers, as defined in the White Paper, Choosing Health, Cm 6374, which will be needed to provide universal access for those entitled to NHS care for this service; and what criteria NHS health trainers will be required to meet to obtain accreditation; [199473]

(3) what consultation his Department has had with (a) primary care and (b) general practice bodies on the establishment of NHS health trainers; and if he will make a statement. [199476]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Choosing Health consultation prompted many recommendations from specialist task groups and responses from organisations and the wider public. Representatives from primary care were involved in the primary care task group and responses to the Choosing Health consultation document were received from across the national health service.

A key theme in the recommendations and replies was the need to promote health and healthy lifestyles and for the NHS to take a lead. As a response to those views, the
 
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White Paper, Choosing Health, announced the establishment of NHS health trainers. We will be working with the Faculty of Public Health and other appropriate professional bodies as the detailed plans for NHS health trainers are developed.

From 2006, NHS trainers will be providing support to people in disadvantaged areas and progressively from 2007 across the country. This will involve a mix of full and part-time accredited NHS trainers and others, for example, trainers working in the voluntary sector, some of whom could carry out this role as part of their main job. There is no firm figure for the total number of accredited trainers as there will be a number of different models for delivering this service. During 2005–06, we will be piloting local models.

The method of accreditation will be based on completion of formal training with built-in standards and quality assurance.

The planning assumption, based on existing evidence and best practice, is that they will be broadly similar in salary and related employer costs to health care assistants and other NHS staff with comparable skills.

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS health trainer will be a title protected by the Health Professions Council; and if he will make a statement. [199474]

Mr. Hutton: When the role of national health service health trainer is established and the competences and training agreed, it will be a matter for the Health Professions Council, as independent statutory regulator, to consider whether to recommend regulation with protection of title. The health trainer role will be piloted in spearhead primary care trusts from 2005.

Hospital Capacity

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he will take to ensure that hospital capacity matches increased demand in areas designated for high levels of new house building. [199497]

Mr. Hutton: It is for strategic health authorities (SHAs) to ensure that capacity is in place to meet the needs of their local population and deliver the 2005–06 to 2006–07 planning framework.

To support this, the Department, with SHAs, has developed guidance for local capacity planning. This recommends that, as a basis for capacity planning, SHAs need to model demand for services, including understanding changes to population and demographics.This guidance is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/28/32/04082832.pdf.

The Department allocates revenue funding to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to calculate PCT's target shares of available resources, based on population size, age and additional need, and unavoidable geographical variations in the cost of providing services, which then inform allocations.
 
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As announced to Parliament on 15 March 2004, an extra £20 million, per annum, of revenue funding in 2004–05 and 2005–06 will be allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs) and £20 million of capital resources in 2005–06 will be allocated to SHAs.

The Department has also agreed to give priority to Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) growth areas for future local improvement finance trust schemes and to include a growth area adjustment for ODPM growth areas in the next round of PCT allocations.

Mental Health

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mentally ill young people aged between 16 and 18 years are held under the Mental Health Act 1983; what proportion of these people are held on adult psychiatric wards; and if he will make a statement. [199755]

Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not collected centrally.

In the three years to March 2006, we are investing some £300 million in child and adolescent mental services (CAMHS). Our plans to increase CAMHS provision will reduce the incidence of placing children and young people on adult psychiatric wards, but will take time to eliminate.

Placing adolescents on adult psychiatric wards is sometimes necessary and acceptable for clinical or practical reasons. Our plans to increase CAMHS provision will help deliver the marker of good practice in the children's national service framework which states that

' . . . young people who require admission to hospital for mental health care have access to appropriate care in an environment suited to their age and development'.

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken into (a) demand for and (b) the supply of infant mental health specialists; and if he will make a statement. [199773]

Dr. Ladyman: No such research has been undertaken. The Department's 2003 child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) mapping exercise found that of all the children being seen by CAMHS professionals, 6.5 per cent. were aged four years and under.

We are committed to ensuring that CAMHS are able to provide high quality services for children in all age groups, including infancy. The children's national service framework recommends that:

'Primary Care Trusts and Local Authorities ensure that CAMH Tier 2 and 3 services with specialist expertise, are available to provide assessment and therapeutic support for infants/young children and their families to promote parent child relationships and address attachment difficulties'.

NHS Care Costs

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average time taken to complete an investigation into recompensing someone who has been inappropriately denied fully-funded NHS care was in the latest period for which figures are available; [201462]
 
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(2) what percentage of cases notified by 31 March of people who may have been inappropriately denied fully-funded NHS care have been completed; [201463]

(3) what the latest available figures for progress with restitution cases in continuing care are; [201464]

(4) what percentage of cases of individuals who may have been inappropriately denied fully-funded NHS care had been fully investigated on the most recent date for which figures are available; and in what percentage of cases investigated recompense has been granted; [201465]

(5) how many complaints he has received since 1 January as part of the ongoing investigations into recompensing people inappropriately denied fully-funded NHS care; and how many such cases have been investigated to completion. [201466]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department has been working with all strategic health authorities to ensure that they have robust processes in place to clear any backlog of pre-April cases and to process subsequent cases thoroughly, quickly and efficiently. I have no additional statistical information beyond that included in my written ministerial statement on continuing care on 16 September 2004, Official Report, columns 175–76WS.

NHS Staff

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what forecasts have been made by his Department's work force planners of the number of additional medical and nursing staff over the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [200596]

Mr. Hutton: "Delivering the NHS Plan" included forecasts of expected growth in the national health service work force. By 2008, there are expected to be 15,000 more consultants and general practitioners (GPs) and 35,000 more qualified nurses and midwives. These expectations are headcounts and have not been broken down by year.

The expected increase for nurses and midwives has been achieved early. Between September 2001 and March 2004, the number of headcount nurses and midwives increased by 46,978 and between September 2001 and June 2004, consultants and GPs has increased by 6,719.
 
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Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) general medical practitioners and (b) practice nurses there were in each strategic health authority for each year since 1997, broken down by (i) whole-time equivalent and (ii) headcount. [201524]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) hospital, public health medicine and community health service (HCHS) medical and dental staff, (b) consultants and (c) HCHS qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff there were in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) whole time equivalent and (ii) headcount in each (A) NHS Trust and (B) Strategic Health Authority. [201525]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

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