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21 Feb 2005 : Column 171W—continued

National Patient Safety Agency

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of recent changes in the National Patient Safety Agency budget on patient safety. [214953]

 
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Ms Rosie Winterton: The effectiveness of the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) is kept under regular review as part of the annual ministerial accountability review process.

As a result of the recent review of all of the Department's arm's length bodies, the NPSA is to take on additional responsibilities from April 2005 and will be funded appropriately to do so in its 2005–06 budget, which is nearing finalisation.

NHS Walk-in Centres

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS walk-in centres there are in England. [215171]

Mr. Hutton: There are 62 operational national health service walk-in centres in England with a further 27 under development.

NHS (Vacancy Rates)

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the three-month vacancy rate is for (a) consultant psychiatrists, (b) psychiatric nurses and (c) all medical and dental staff in the NHS, for the latest period for which figures are available. [216160]

Mr. Hutton: The latest three-month vacancy data available is at March 2004.

The tables show the three-month vacancy rates for medical and dental staff, consultants within the psychiatry group and nurses within mental health.
Three month vacancy rate and number for all medical and dental staff and psychiatry consultants in England, March 2004

	3 month vacancy rate (percentage)	3 month vacancy number	Staff in post (whole-time equivalent)	Staff in post (headcount)
All doctors (excluding doctors in training)	4.3	1,666	37,081	44,957
Psychiatry group	9.6	334	3,155	3,503

Notes:
1.Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
2.Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
3.Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
4.Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
5.*where the sum of the staff in post and number of vacancies is less then 10.
6.—where the sum of the staff in post and number of vacancies is 0.
Source:
Department of Health Medical and Dental vacancy survey.





Department of Health vacancies survey, March 2004—NHS three month vacancies for each specified nursing area of work three month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post

	3 month vacancy rate (percentage)	3 month vacancy number	Staff in post (whole-time equivalent)	Staff in post (headcount)
Community learning disabilities	2.5	81	3,289	3,705
Other Learning disabilities	2.1	94	4,535	5,245
Community psychiatry	1.9	235	12,064	13,73
Other psychiatry	4.7	1,282	27,319	31,555

Notes:
1.Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March each 2004.
2.Three month vacancies are vacancies which Trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole-time equivalents).
3.Three month Vacancy Rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
4.Three month vacancies are calculated using staff in post from the vacancy survey March 2004.
5.Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
6.'—'zero
7.Staff in post data is from the Non-Medical Workforce Census.
Sources:
Department of Health Vacancies Survey.
Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.





 
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NHS Business Services Authority

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he expects the financial effects to be of the NHS Business Services Authority taking over the functions of the Dental Practice Board. [204268]

Ms Rosie Winterton: As a result of the Arm's Length Body Review and the proposed merger of the Dental Practice Board with the Prescription Pricing Authority, NHS Pensions Authority and Counter Fraud and Security Management Services to create the NHS Business Services Authority, considerable efficiencies in delivering transactional services will be secured. However no detailed estimates have yet been made.

NHS Finance

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure per weighted head of population was in (a) the Guildford and Waverley primary care trust area and (b) the Surrey and Sussex strategic health
 
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authority area in each year since 1992; and what the expenditure per weighted head of population was in England in each year since 1997. [214182]

Mr. Hutton: The 2003–04 to 2005–06 revenue allocations were the first time funding was made directly from the Department to primary care trusts. The Department announced the latest round of allocation for 2006–07 and 2007–08 on 9 February 2005.

From 1996–97 to 2002–03 allocations were made to health authorities.

Prior to this, allocations were made on a regional basis. These allocations do not contain information down to the Surrey and Sussex area.

Information covering allocations per weighted head of population for the period from 1996–97 to 2007–08 for national health service organisations within the Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority is shown in the table.
Allocations per weighted head of population to HAs and PCTs in Surrey and Sussex SHA area—1996 to 2008 £

	Allocation per weighted head of population
Health authorities	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
East Surrey	432	448	483	641	703	751	846
East Sussex Brighton and Hove	404	446	469	642	705	758	829
West Surrey	439	450	489	643	706	749	839
West Sussex	406	427	463	624	684	733	821

	Allocation per weighted head of population
Primary care trusts	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06
Adur, Arun and Worthing	924	1,011	1,106
Bexhill and Rother	977	1,064	1,157
Brighton and Hove City	918	1,005	1,098
Crawley	900	986	1,078
East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey	1,017	1,109	1,207
East Surrey	977	1,065	1,159
Eastbourne Downs	982	1,069	1,162
Guildford and Waverley	990	1,079	1,174
Hastings and St. Leonards	880	966	1,058
Horsham and Chanctonbury	934	1,017	1,105
Mid-Sussex	960	1,046	1,137
North Surrey	966	1,054	1,147
Sussex Downs and Weald	919	1,003	1,095
Western Sussex	967	1,053	1,145
Woking	989	1,078	1,173

Allocations per weighted head of population for England 1996 to 2008

England	£
1996–97	426
1997–98	443
1998–99	464
1999–2000	629
2000–01	689
2001–02	738
2002–03	817
2003–04	916
2004–05	1,003
2005–06	1,097

Information on allocations per weighted head of population for England from 1996–97 onwards is available in the Library.

Smoking

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his latest estimate is of the percentage of people who have used the NHS Stop Smoking Services programme and who are no longer smoking after 12 months; [210136]
 
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(2) how many people have used the NHS Stop Smoking Services in each of the last five years; and what the average cost to the NHS per person is of NHS recommended smoking cessation services. [210137]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department funded an evaluation of the national heath service stop smoking
 
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services programme, which was led by a team at Glasgow university.

The results will be published in due course.

The information is shown in the table.
Information about NHS stop smoking services in England, 1999–2000 to 2003–04

	1999–2000(58)	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Number of people setting a quit date(57)	14,600	132,500	227,300	234,900	361,200
Number of successful four week quitters (self report)	5,700	64,500	119,800	124,100	204,900
Cost of NHS stop smoking services (£ million) (59)	5.0	21.5	24.7	24.5	36.2
Cost per person setting a quit date (£)(59)	344	162	109	104	100
Cost per successful four week quitter (£)(59)	872	334	206	197	177
Total net ingredient costs of prescriptions for NRT7 bupropion (£ million)(60)	(61)0.5	16	29	30	37

⁽⁵⁷⁾Total number of people who have used the NHS stop smoking services is not collected centrally, however information is collected on the number of people setting a 'quit date'; some people may use the service but not go onto set a quit date.
⁽⁵⁸⁾In 1999–2000, NHS smoking cessation services were set up in the 26 health action zones (HAZ) in England and services were rolled out across the NHS to the rest of England in 2000–01.
⁽⁵⁹⁾The cost of the NHS stop smoking services and the cost per successful quitter in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 included the cost of giving clients 'free' NRT/NRT (or vouchers); from 2001–02 onwards the cost of the service and the cost per quitter excluded the cost of NRT or Zyban on prescription. Only a few nicotine replacement therapy products were available on prescription until 17 April 2001, when all NRT products became available on NHS prescription. Bupropion (Zyban) became available on NHS prescription from June 2000. Therefore, the costs from 2001–02 onwards are not directly comparable with the costs in previous years.
⁽⁶⁰⁾Net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug and does not take account of discounts, dispensing fees or prescription charge income. Note that some prescriptions for NRT/Bupropion are dispensed to people not using the NHS stop smoking services.
⁽⁶¹⁾This figure only includes the costs of NRT, as bupropion (Zyban) was not available until June 2000.
Sources:
1.Statistics on Smoking Cessation in the Health Action Zones in England, April 1999 to March 2000—http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/02/24/22/04022422.pdf.
2.Statistics on Smoking Cessation in England, April 2000 to March 2001—http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/07/64/58/04076458.pdf.
3.Statistics on NHS stop smoking services in England, April 2001 to March 2002—http://www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0225.pdf.
4.Statistics on NHS stop smoking services in England, April 2002 to March 2003—http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/07/62/33/04076233.pdf.
5.Statistics on NHS stop smoking services in England, April 2003 to March 2004—http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/09/76/51/04097651.pdf.

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