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21 Feb 2005 : Column 305W—continued

Rape Trials

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will take steps to stop rape trials at Crown courts from being listed as floating trials. [215689]


 
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Mr. Lammy: Departmental records show that during 2004 four cases were listed as floaters, but this should be placed in the context of 1,039 cases listed for trial where there was at least one count of rape.

Court Service policy is that rape cases are listed as fixtures and not as floating trials because of their sensitivity. However, courts' listing practices are a matter for local judicial discretion.

Staff Surveys

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1)how much was paid to consultants carrying out staff surveys in the Department in each year since 1997; [213659]

(2) what the cost of staff surveys in the Department and its predecessors was in each year since 1997. [213680]

Mr. Lammy: My Department undertakes staff surveys to cover key issues relating to staff satisfaction. Through regular surveying (usually annually) the survey acts as a temperature check for the organisation with a combination of demographic and benchmark questions. This enables my Department to make comparisons between groups internally as well as with other similar organisations and to monitor progress. Staff surveys are usually carried out by external consultants. The costs of these surveys are given as follows.
Cost (£)Surveys
1997(167)17,649Court Service
1998(167)24,612Court Service
199943,270Court Service and LCD
200082,063Court Service and LCD
2001(167)71,090Court Service
200255,923Court Service and LCD
200360,765DCA combined survey


(167) Surveys not conducted by LCD.


HEALTH

ATMs

Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS trusts are free to negotiate contracts exclusively for the installation of ATMs for which there is a charge in hospitals. [217403]

Mr. Hutton: National health service trusts are free to enter into contracts for the installation of ATMs on their premises. Whether users of ATMs are charged for doing so will depend on the policy of the financial institution providing the ATM.

Better Healthcare Consultation

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he gave to the Merton, Sutton and Mid-Surrey NHS Trust during the recent consultation Better Healthcare Closer to Home, with particular reference to (a) publicising the consultation within the catchment area and (b) definition of the catchment area; and what guidance is available for NHS trusts performing similar consultations on each aspect area. [215787]


 
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Dr. Ladyman: The Department has issued general guidance to the national health service on changes to services to support Sections 7 and 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001.

Overview and Scrutiny of Health—guidance to support consultation with overview and scrutiny committees was issued in May 2003.

Strengthening Accountability—policy and practice guidance on public consultation and involvement was issued in February 2003.

Keeping the NHS local: a new direction of travel—guidance on the principles and approach which should be applied to all proposed service change was issued in February 2003.

Botox

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much botox is manufactured in the UK by (a) Ipsen (Dysport) and (b) Allergan (botox). [216115]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency does not collect information about the amounts of medicinal products manufactured in the United Kingdom.

Chiropodists/Podiatrists

Miss Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the organisations representing chiropody and podiatry practitioners who responded to his Department's consultation on the establishment of the Health Professional Council; and which organisations (a) supported and (b) opposed the establishment of the Council. [214056]

Mr. Hutton: The consultation exercise did not seek respondents' views on whether or not they supported the establishment of a new Council, but sought their views on the structure, composition, functions and operations of the proposed Council.

The following organisations representing chiropody and podiatry were consulted:

Waiting Times (Worcestershire)

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many consultant episodes were completed in Worcestershire in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [213458]
 
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(2) what the (a) maximum and (b) average waiting times were for in-patient treatment in Worcestershire in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [213478]

(3) how many people waited for in-patient treatment for more than 18 months in Worcestershire in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [213480]

Dr. Ladyman: The table shows the number of finished consultant episodes, the average waiting time (both the mean and the median) and the number of patients who waited more than 18 months for each year since 1997–98, for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust and its predecessor organisations; Alexandra Healthcare NHS Trust, Worcestershire Royal Infirmary NHS Trust and Kidderminster Healthcare NHS Trust.

Maximum waiting time information is not available centrally.
Activity and waiting times for Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust 1997–98 to 2003–04

Finished episodesMean waiting
time in days
Median waiting
time in days
Finished admissions with more than 18 months waiting time
1997–9891,549100.742158
1998–9993,133125.757404
1999–200094,279112.356439
2000–0191,32598.548294
2001–0288,468107.356240
2002–0392,091128.875414
2003–0497,612131.182377




Notes:
1. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
2. A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
3. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
4. Length of stay—duration of spell (LOS)—is calculated as the difference in days between the admission date and the discharge date, where both are given. LOS is based on hospital spells and only applies to ordinary admissions, i.e. day cases are excluded (unless otherwise stated). Information relating to LOS figures, including discharge method/destination, diagnoses and any operative procedures, is based only on the final episode of the spell.
5. Time waited statistics from hospital episode statistics (HES) are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
Source:
HES, Department of Health.





 
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