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6 Apr 2005 : Column 1553W—continued
Operations
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were contracted for in each of his Department's contracts with independent sector firms to provide NHS operations; how many operations have been completed under each contract; and how many operations have been paid for but were not completed within the contracted time scale. [223254]
Mr. Hutton
[holding answer 22 March 2005]: All wave 1 contracts with independent sector (IS) providers are for fixed terms (usually five years) and set numbers
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of procedures. IS providers are required to treat patients referred to them in order to be paid and it is the responsibility of the national health service to ensure that appropriate numbers of patients are referred to ensure that resources are not wasted and that patients receive treatment as quickly as possible. The number of patients treated under the schemes that are currently operational is shown in the tables
(54) 36 month contract spread over four financial years.
(55) Procedures
(56) Diagnostics
(57) Approximately
Premature Babies
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the survival rate of premature babies born at (a) 20, (b) 21, (c) 22, (d) 23 and (e) 24 weeks gestation was in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of surviving babies experienced long-term severe disability. [224726]
Dr. Ladyman:
This data is not collected centrally.
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A recent study of survival and disability in children born at 25 or fewer completed weeks of gestation confirms the association with mortality, and with morbidity and disability for survivors, which may persist into later life. It also notes that the greater introduction of antenatal treatment with corticosteroids and surfactants are important determinants of the increased survival of extremely preterm infants and observes that this may have some bearing on long-term outcomes. The study, entitled EPICure, is available on the following website: http://www.nottinaham.ac.uk/human-development/EPICure/.
Private Operations
Ms Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on whether patients who are being treated privately for a hospital operation may receive public funding to meet part of the cost. [224765]
Mr. Hutton: There is no statutory power under existing legislation, which would enable patients to receive public funding, in whole or in part, for private treatment in such circumstances.
Current legislation makes provision for a national health service which is delivered free of charge, except where there is a statutory basis for making a charge. Any other charge for a NHS service would be unlawful. We have no plans to introduce legislation to change this, and remain committed to a free NHS.
There is no statutory provision for charging United Kingdom residents for their hospital operations funded by the NHS, whether they are carried out by an NHS organisation or through the independent sector. Nor is there any statutory provision for such services to be part funded in this way by the NHS. If they are funded by the NHS they must be free of charge to the patient and funded in full.
Renal Services
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding he has made available for research into kidney disease in each year since 1997. [222830]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the national health service through its national research programmes. Expenditure on research into kidney disease supported by these programmes is shown in the table.
| Amount (£000) | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | 44 |
| 1999–2000 | 94 |
| 2000–01 | 102 |
| 2001–02 | 138 |
| 2002–03 | 224 |
| 2003–04 | 284 |
Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. The NHS has reported spending from this funding in support of renal disease as follows:
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| Amount1 (£ million) | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 11.1 |
| 2003–04 | 10.6 |
(58) The figures represent the aggregate sum as reported by some 280 Individual research-active NHS organisations in the appropriate year.
This expenditure data was not collected centrally prior to 2002.
Sane
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the impact on services provided by SANE of changes in central Government funding over the next three years. [216433]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Currently, the Department has made no formal assessment of the effectiveness of SANELINE service. The Department has paid SANE a total of £2 million in respect of the two-year contract for the SANELINE service. The contract comes to an end on 31 March 2005. SANE is seeking additional unqualified payments because it alleges that some of the payments were delayed. The Department will continue to seek to resolve this matter with SANE.
The chair of the Mental Health Helplines Partnership (MHHP), of which SANE was until recently a member, has written to SANE offering the partnership's support. The Department has indicated to the chair of the MHHP that it would offer advice and support to the partnership in this matter.
SANE is eligible to apply for Government funding streams aimed at the voluntary and community sector.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the service provided by SANELINE. [221992]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Currently, the Department has made no formal assessment of the effectiveness of the SANELINE service. However, on previous occasions when SANE has said it would need to close the SANELINE service, the Department conducted discussions with other helpline mental health providers to support SANELINE callers, who would have been affected.
The Chair of the Mental Health Helplines Partnership (MHHP), of which SANE was until recently a member, has written to SANE offering the Partnership's support. The Department has indicated to the Chair of the MHHP that it would offer advice and support to the Partnership in this matter.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department decided to withhold payments on its contract with SANE to provide the SANELINE service in 2004–05; and for what reason the decision was taken. [221993]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The Department does not consider that it withheld payments from SANE in respect of the contract for the SANELINE service. The Department has paid SANE a total of £2 million in respect of the two year contract for the SANELINE service. The contract came to an end on 31 March 2005. SANE is seeking additional payments because it alleges
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that some of the payments were delayed. The Department will continue to seek to resolve this matter with SANE.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether his Department has fulfilled the undertakings and requirements of the compact on relations between government and the voluntary and community sector in its relations with SANE. [221994]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has paid SANE a total of £2 million in respect of the two year contract for the SANELINE service. The contract came to an end on 31 March, 2005. SANE is seeking additional unqualified payments because it alleges that some of the payments were delayed. The Department will continue to seek to resolve this matter with SANE.
The Department is fully committed to consolidating and developing partnership working with the voluntary and community sector and to supporting the COMPACT agreement.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department agreed a resolution on the partnership between the Department and SANE. [222686]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has paid SANE a total of £2 million in respect of the two-year contract for the SANELINE service. The contract comes to an end on 31 March 2005. SANE is seeking additional unqualified payments because it alleges that some of the payments were delayed. The Department will continue to seek to resolve this matter with SANE.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what disagreements regarding grant funding remain outstanding between his Department and SANE. [222711]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has paid SANE a total of £2 million in respect of the contract for the SANELINE service. The contract came to an end on 31 March 2005. SANE is seeking additional unqualified payments because it alleges that some of the payments were delayed. The Department will continue to seek to resolve this matter with SANE.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will pay the interest owed to SANE on its contract to provide the SANELINE service. [222664]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The Department has paid SANE £2 million in respect of the contract for the SANELINE service. The contract comes to an end on 31 March 2005. SANE is seeking additional unqualified payments
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because it alleges that some of the payments were delayed. The Department will continue to seek to resolve this matter with SANE.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons he is proposing not to renew funding for SANELINE. [222666]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has paid SANE a total of £2 million in respect of the two-year contract for SANELINE service. The contract comes to an end on 31 March 2005. SANE is seeking additional unqualified payments because it alleges that some of the payments were delayed. The Department will continue to seek to resolve this matter with SANE. SANE is eligible to apply for Government funding streams aimed at the voluntary and community sector.
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