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26 May 2005 : Column 221W—continued
Congestion Charge
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions she has had with the Mayor of London regarding implications of the proposed westwards extension of the congestion charge for patients travelling from outside the zone's border to the Chelsea and Westminster hospital for treatment; [1145]
(2) what recent discussions she has had with the Mayor of London. [1146]
Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State has had no recent discussion with the Mayor of London. However, Professor Sue Atkinson, regional director of public health (London), is the Department's health advisor to the Mayor and the Greater London Authority. Professor Atkinson meets regularly with the Mayor and his advisers and has raised the proposed congestion charge zone extension with the Mayor at these meetings.
I understand the public consultation on the extension of the scheme is underway and closes on 15 July 2005.
A leaflet about public consultation on the extension is available at: www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/cc-ex/pdfs/wez_Leaflet.pdf
Digital Hearing Aids
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average, (b) maximum and (c) target waiting time for (i) audiology appointments and (ii) the fitting of digital hearing aids were in the last period for which figures are available. [938]
Mr. Byrne: Median waiting times for ear, nose and throat (ENT) and audiological medicine are shown in the table. Data on waiting times for the fitting of digital hearing aids are not centrally collected.
For all specialties, the maximum waiting time for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant, following general practitioner referral, is 17 weeks. By the end of 2005, this will be reduced to a maximum of 13 weeks.
By 2008, the maximum wait will be just 18 weeks from referral to start of treatment. This includes waits for outpatient consultation, diagnostic tests and treatment.
| Main specialty | Median waiting time in days |
|---|---|
| 120—ENT | 75.0 |
| 310—Audiological medicine | 32.5 |
Notes:
1. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls (i.e., the data is ungrossed).
2. A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the datayear. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
3. Care is needed when analysing HES data by specialty, or by groups of specialties (such as acute). Trusts have different ways of managing specialties and attributing codes, so it is better to analyse by specific diagnoses, operations or other recorded information.
4. 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, Health and Social Care Information Centre.
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European Working Time Directive
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the European working time directive (EWTD) (a) on the NHS in general and (b) on the ability of junior doctors to recognise and manage critical illness; and if she will make a statement on the steps being taken to redraft the EWTD in order to reverse the SIMAP and Jaeger rulings. [259]
Mr. Byrne: Implementation of the working time directive (WTD) is a local national health service matter, but we know that the vast majority of trusts achieved compliance across all specialities by 1 August 2004, although a small number of trusts experienced some initial problems in a limited number of specialities.
The United Kingdom, together with most member states, continues to press for changes to the WTD to address the difficulties from the SIMAP and Jaeger judgments. The Government will continue to seek to negotiate an acceptable agreement with member states and the European Commission.
General Practitioners
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many out-of-hours general practitioners there are per thousand of the population in (a) the area covered by South Gloucestershire primary care trust, (b) the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority and (c) England. [645]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 23 May 2005]: The information is not collected by the Department. It is for individual primary care trusts to ensure out-of-hours provision in their areas.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) single-handed GP practices and (b) two-partner GP practices there are in Chiltern and South Bucks Primary Care Trust area at the latest date for which statistics are available; and what percentage these practices represent of the total number of GP practices in the primary care trust area. [805]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.
(18) Figures shown refer to general medical practitioners (excluding GP registrars and GP retainers).
Source:
National Health Service Health and Social Care Information Centre general and personal medical services statistics.
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Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners in the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust area are within five years of retirement; and what percentage of the total this represents. [662]
Mr. Byrne: There is no prescribed retirement age for general practitioners. The table shows all general practitioners in the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust by age-band, as at September 2004.
Notes:
1. General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes contracted GPs, general medical service (QMS) others and personal medical service (PMS) others. Prior to September 2004, this group included QMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (para. 52 SFA), PMS other, flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
2. Data as at 30 September 2004.
Source:
Department of Health QMS PMS statistics.
Hammersmith Hospital
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to visit Hammersmith Hospital. [810]
Jane Kennedy: I intend to visit the research and development department of Hammersmith Hospital in the near future.
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the financial position of the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust. [800]
Jane Kennedy:
At the end of the financial year, Hammersmith Hospitals National Health Service Trust is reporting a significant financial deficit. Audited information in respect of the 2004–05 financial position of all strategic health authorities (SHAs), primary care
26 May 2005 : Column 224W
trusts (PCTs) and NHS trusts will be published in their individual annual accounts and will be available centrally in autumn 2005. We have no plans to publish un-audited information.
NHS bodies must operate within their means and I understand North West London SHA are working closely with Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and local PCT to find a solution. They are developing a recovery plan, the details of which are currently under discussion. As yet, there are no measures in the plan which will have a direct impact on patient services.
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of emergency admissions in the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust area are to (a) Charing Cross Hospital and (b) Hammersmith Hospital. [813]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is shown in the table.
Notes:
1. Data split by site of treatment and the proportion of episodes are calculated as a percentage for each site.
2. Data provided for datayears 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04 and total figures calculated over the three datayears.
3. An in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the datayear. Periods of care ongoing at the end of the datayear (unfinished admission episodes) are included. 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. Data quality—hospital episode statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Health and Social Care Information Centre liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.
5. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
Source:
HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints (a) Hammersmith hospitals NHS Trust and (b) her Department has received in the last 12 months regarding the accessibility of Hammersmith hospital for (i) patients and (ii) staff. [826]
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Jane Kennedy: The Department does not collect this information.
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