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1 Feb 2005 : Column 889W—continued
Nursing Homes
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on the funding of care of the elderly in nursing homes. [210593]
Dr. Ladyman: Nursing care in nursing homes has been provided by the national health service, free of charge, since October 2001. In addition, the Government provide significant levels of funding for social services departments. Over the last three years, the Government have provided for an average of three per cent. growth in real terms in spending on social services. Local councils have the freedom to use these resources to provide services for older people in care homes, taking account of local circumstances and priorities.
Paddington Hospital
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to make a decision on the proposal for the building of the Paddington Health Campus. [211734]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 31 January 2005]: The outline business case for the Paddington Health Campus is currently being considered by the Department. I expect a decision will be made shortly.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the revenue available to support the revised Paddington Health Campus project to take account of the gap in revenue highlighted in the NAO/Department of Health report on the previous outline business case. [211735]
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Mr. Hutton [holding answer 31 January 2005]: No revenue has been made available to support the Paddington Health Campus project, and neither has an estimate been prepared.
Radiography
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of training a (a) radiographer and (b) radiologist (i) in each year of training and (ii) in total; and if he will make a statement. [211073]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 25 January 2005]: Information for England on the cost of training a pre-registration radiographer and radiologist in each year of training and in total excluding bursaries are shown in the tables.
| Staff group | 2003–04 annual cost | 2003–04 total cost |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic radiographer | 7,630 | 22,890 |
| Therapeutic radiographer | 7,160 | 21,480 |
Source:
Financial and Workforce Information Return (FWIR) November 2004
The figures in the table cover tuition costs only for the whole length of the course. In addition radiography students could be entitled to a means tested bursary, which in 2003–04 averaged £3,696 per annum.
The cost of training a radiologist is the same as that for any hospital doctor. In the period between entry to medical school and full registration it is estimated that training a doctor costs between £200,000 and £250,000. After full registration, a doctor goes on to specialise, for example as a radiologist. The duration of post-registration training varies greatly and as service and training costs are closely related it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the total cost of training.
In the years up to full registration, the costs are as follows:
Note:
Costs for years three to five are estimates as the actual cost to the national health service of providing clinical placements for medical undergraduates is not known. The cost in year six is the level at which funding is provided centrally. It does not include various additional costs such as out-of-hours payments, which are met by employing trusts.
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Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what change there has been in the number of training places for (a) radiographers and (b) radiologists since 1997; if he will estimate the cost of the change; and if he will make a statement; [211074]
(2) what estimate he has made of how many (a) diagnostic radiographers and (b) radiologists are needed to deal with (i) current and (ii) future workloads; [211342]
(3) what targets his Department have set for recruitment of (a) radiologists and (b) radiographers; and if he will make a statement; [211345]
(4) how many state registered radiographers there were in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004; how many he expects there to be in each year until 2010; and if he will make a statement. [211346]
Mr. Hutton [holding answers 25 and 27 January 2005]: Between 1997–98 and 2003–04, the number of training places for diagnostic radiographers, therapeutic radiographers and specialist registrars in clinical radiology increased by around 660, 170 and 440 respectively.
At 2004–05 prices, the cost of the increase for diagnostic radiographers was around £5 million, for therapeutic radiographers the cost was around £1.2 million and for specialist registrars the cost was around £20.6 million.
The Health Professions Council holds information on the number of state registered radiographers. This information can be found at www.hpc-uk.org.
It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs), in partnership with local providers, to assess the needs of their local community. PCTs have the resources to commission services as well as to be able to identify the number of professional staff that they need to deliver those services. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision and development of radiography services.
The expectation is that the number of radiographers and radiologists will continue to increase.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on introducing the roles of assistant practitioner and advanced practitioner in radiology departments since 1997; and if he will estimate the cost of these changes. [211075]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 25 January 2005]: The introduction of assistant practitioners and advanced practitioners in radiology departments is one of a range of initiatives that are contributing to an increase in workforce capacity. This is being supported by a national radiography recruitment and retention project, which is encouraging the expansion through the use of innovative skill mix and career escalator models. £3.4 million has been made available to support this.
It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs), in partnership with local providers, to assess the needs of their local community. PCTs have the resources to commission services, and to identify the number of
1 Feb 2005 : Column 892W
professional staff that they need to deliver those services. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision and development of radiography services. Data on advanced practitioners is not collected centrally. However data for assistant practitioners will be available from the September 2005 workforce census. The overall radiography headcount has increased by 13,300 or 13 per cent. since 1997.
Rural Areas (Health Professionals)
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to (a) recruit and (b) retain the services of health professionals in rural and remote areas. [211548]
Mr. Hutton: It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) to assess and make provision for the healthcare needs of their local communities. PCTs have the resources to commission services and identify the number of professional staff that they need to deliver those services. The flexibilities provided by the new general medical services (QMS) and alternative provider medical services (APMS) contracts will assist PCTs in securing local workforce capacity. In addition, the Department is working closely with those PCTs who have been identified as having specific problems in general practitioner and other health professional recruitment. This work will be disseminated to share good practice across all PCTs, strategic health authorities and deaneries. NHS Employers", the new employers organisation for the national health service, will provide advice and support to local NHS organisations still experiencing recruitment difficulties.
A range of recruitment and retention initiatives are in place to help expand the NHS workforce across England. These include improving pay and conditions, encouraging the NHS to become a better, more flexible and diverse employer, help with accessing child care, increasing training, attracting back returners and running national and international recruitment campaigns. As a result of these measures, between September 1997 and March 2004, the total number of qualified nurses employed in the NHS has increased by 77,500. The primary care workforce has also expanded. Between September 1997 and September 2003, the number of GPs (excluding retainers) employed by the NHS has increased by 3,169, or 11.3 per cent., and the primary care nursing workforce has increased by 18,884, or 24.4 per cent.
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