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21 Mar 2005 : Column 619W—continued
Health Statistics (Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were waiting to see a consultant at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on (a) 1 May 1997, (b) 7 June 2001 and (c) the latest date for which figures are available. [223157]
Dr. Ladyman: The information for individual hospitals is not held centrally.
The table shows the total number of patients waiting for admission to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital National Health Service Trust for the nearest dates to those specified.
| Period | Total waiting |
|---|---|
| 31 March 1997 | 4,245 |
| 30 June 2001 | 4,210 |
| 30 September 2003 | 3,648 |
Hospital Car Parking
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department gives to hospital trusts on the policy of charging (a) staff, (b) visitors and (c) patients for hospital car parking. [222284]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
Guidance on car parking charges was issued to national health service hospitals in March 1996. The guidance allows individual hospitals to decide whether or not to charge staff, visitors and patients for car parking and the cost of such charges in the light of local circumstances. Where charges are introduced, patients who are eligible to claim reimbursement of travelling expenses under the hospital travel costs scheme may have the charges reimbursed.
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Hospital Energy Bills
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the annual energy bill has been at NHS hospitals in each of the last 10 years; [221999]
(2) what steps his Department has taken to improve the energy efficiency of NHS hospitals. [222000]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table. Data on energy costs is not available before 1998–99.
| Total annual cost of energy | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 177 |
| 1999–2000 | 183 |
| 2000–01 | 197 |
| 2001–02 | 243 |
| 2002–03 | 244 |
| 2003–04 | 261 |
The figures quoted are as reported by the national health service and include costs for all forms of energy used, e.g., coal, gas and electricity sourced both locally and from outside suppliers.
Under the requirements of the Government's climate change programme, the Department has set mandatory energy/carbon efficiency targets on the NHS in England to:
Reduce the level of primary energy consumption by 15 per cent., or 0.15 million tonnes carbon from March 2000 to March 2010.
Achieve a target of 35–55 GigaJoules/100 cubic metres energy efficiency performance for the healthcare estate for all new capital developments and major redevelopments or refurbishments.
In November 2004, the NHS Estates Agency issued guidance, entitled, Carbon/energy management in healthcare—best practice advice for the NHS in England on meeting the mandatory carbon/energy targets—March 2000-March 2010", to assist the NHS and to ensure the requirements are kept in focus. The larger more energy intensive elements of the NHS estate are subject to the requirements of the emission trading scheme, which sets a cap on carbon emissions.
Intensive Care Bed Register
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on how many occasions there were no intensive care beds available on the intensive care bed register in each NHS region in each year since 1997; [222137]
(2) how many (a) intensive care beds, (b) high dependency beds and (c) total critical care beds there have been in the NHS in each year since 1997; and what plans he has to increase the number of such beds. [222143]
Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect information on the intensive care bed register.
The available data on intensive care and high dependency provision has been published since March 1999. The latest figures show that there were a total of 3,213 critical care beds in January 2005 compared with 2,362 in January 2000—a 36 per cent. increase.
21 Mar 2005 : Column 621W
Copies of the statistical publications are available in the Library. Data from July 2001 to the most recent available are also available on the Department's website at: www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/index.htm.
IT Projects
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many trusts in each of the clusters of the NHS National Programme for IT he expects will have implemented and begun to use patient administration systems that form the first release of the common reference solution delivered by local service providers by the end of March; [220859]
(2) how many trusts in each of the clusters of the NHS National Programme for IT he expects will have implemented and begun to use the patient administration systems that form the first release of common reference solution delivered by local service providers by the end of December. [220865]
Mr. Hutton: By the end of March, none. The anticipated numbers by the end of December, broken down by cluster area, are shown in the table.
| Cluster | Trusts |
|---|---|
| North West and West Midlands | 37 |
| North East | 15 |
| Eastern | 29 |
| London | 4 |
| Southern | 5 |
| Total | 90 |
These year-end figures are broadly in line with the high level profile in the latest published indicative implementation schedule for the national programme for information technology. This will be subject to change as details of local implementation plans become firmer.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government's target remains that Choose and Book will be implemented across England by the end of 2005. [220866]
Mr. Hutton: The Government's targets are for all patients to be offered the choice of at least four or five providers at the point of general practitioner referral and for patients to be able to book the date and time of their hospital appointment by the end of 2005. The Choose and Book service will greatly assist local health communities in achieving these targets.
We have asked the national health service to produce revised returns showing how they plan to roll out the Choose and Book service. We have asked strategic health authorities as a guide to aim for the Choose and Book service to be used for at least 80 per cent. of GP referrals for first consultant outpatient appointments by the end of 2005. Where the Choose and Book service is not being used by this date, there will be other systems in place to ensure that patients receive a choice of four to five providers and can book the date and time of their appointment.
21 Mar 2005 : Column 622W
Medical Staff Salaries
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average salary of (a) medical consultants, (b) junior doctors and (c) nurses has been in each year since 1997. [221814]
Mr. Hutton: The Department only holds figures for 1999, 2000 and 2002. These are shown in the table.
NHS Campuses
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition he uses, in the context of the new priorities for the Learning Disability Development Fund, of a NHS Campus; which NHS trusts include a campus within their provision; how many people with a learning disability there are in each campus setting; and what targets have been set for the reprovision of campuses into more appropriate settings in the community. [222624]
Dr. Ladyman: A national health service residential campus is a:
Service operated by an NHS Trust comprising housing, some of which will be clustered on one site, together with some shared central facilities and developed as a direct result of the closure of NHS hospitals". Valuing People, Department of Health, March 2001.
A survey was undertaken on behalf of the Valuing People support team (VPST) in 2003. Data collection proved difficult, so the Department has confidence in the overall figures, but not in the individual NHS trust data. The current estimate is that there are approximately 3,000 people living in NHS campuses and approximately a further 3,000 people living in arrangements where NHS trusts are involved but in partnership with other providers. A further survey to improve accuracy is currently underway.
In the implementation guidance for Valuing People" (HSC 2001/016:LAC(2001)23), objective 6 is clear that people with learning disabilities and their families should be supported to have greater choice and control over where and how they live. Sub-objective 6.3 also states the intention of:
Enabling all people currently in NHS long-stay hospitals to move into more appropriate accommodation and reviewing the quality of outcomes for people living in residential campuses".
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