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5 Jul 2005 : Column 346W—continued
Diagnostic Scans
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of diagnostic scans in the NHS were carried out by private healthcare companies in the last year for which figures are available. [8258]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 30 June 2005]: This information is not centrally available, as the Department do not collect data on the total number of national health service scans carried out in the independent sector.
Domiciliary Care
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) people and (b) households were receiving domiciliary care in each social service authority area in (i) 1992–93, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii) the most recent year for which figures are available. [5614]
Mr. Byrne: Information on the estimated number of households and clients receiving home help or home care during a sample week in September for the years 1992, 1997 and 2004, by council with social services responsibility has been placed in the Library. Figures for the number of clients receiving home care were not collected before September 2000.
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what public financial support was provided for the training of domiciliary carers in the last year for which figures are available; [6921]
(2) how many domiciliary carers have achieved NVQ Level 2 in care; and what percentage this represents of those required to achieve this under the Care Standards Act 2000. [6923]
Mr. Byrne: We will pay a national training strategy grant of £94,859 million to local councils in 2005–06. We intend this to be used to support training and qualification for all social care staff. Local councils can use this funding to train their own staff and those employed in private and voluntary sector organisations providing social care services on their behalf. We will give a further £15 million national training strategy implementation grant to Skills for Care to support national vocational qualification training for social care staff employed in the private and voluntary sectors.
Information is not available on qualifications held by the domiciliary care workforce. The requirement in the Care Standards Act 2000 relating to domiciliary care is expressed in terms of the percentage of care delivered, not the percentage of workers qualified.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Answer of 9 June 2005, Official Report, column 628W, on domiciliary care, what the timescale is for (a) the work officials are undertaking with outside bodies to consider the recording of adverse events in domiciliary care settings and (b) the review of national minimum standards. [7196]
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Mr. Byrne: We intend to complete the work on the recording of adverse events in domiciliary care in co-operation with the review of the national minimum standards (NMS). We plan to complete the review of the NMS in 2006.
Foundation Trusts
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) governors and (b) public governors there are of each foundation hospital trust; and how many public governors of each trust declare in their personal manifesto a declaration of interest that they (i)have medical qualifications and (ii) have worked in health. [4064]
Mr. Byrne: This is a matter for Monitor, the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of national health service foundation trusts. The Chairman will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library. Declarations of interests for governors are maintained by individual NHS foundation trusts and can be obtained by directly approaching them.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to (a) foundation trusts and (b) Monitor on the funding trusts should make available (i) to encourage membership, recruitment and retention and (ii) to communicate with their electorates. [8114]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 30 June 2005]: Schedule one of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003" sets out the minimum legislative requirements for the governance arrangements of national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs). The Department provides a central programme of support to applicants preparing for foundation status, which includes guidance and direct financial assistance. Applicants are provided with guidance on developing governance arrangements, which gives information on the principles supporting the way NHSFTs are governed. This includes information on developing a representative membership base and communicating with the electorate.
It is for the independent regulator of NHSFTs, Monitor to consider authorisation as an NHSFT. As part of its assessment process, Monitor considers the suitability of an applicant by considering its governance plans, including the membership strategy and steps taken to ensure a representative membership. Once authorised, it is the responsibility of Monitor to oversee the operation of an NHSFT and ensure it remains with the terms of authorisation and legislative framework.
General Practitioners
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to monitor the target for 48 hour access to a general practitioner. [8084]
Mr. Byrne:
Data on access to general practitioner is collected monthly from primary care trusts via the primary care access survey.
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Detailed information about the survey is published on the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/PatientChoice/WaitingBookingChoice/WaitingBookingChoiceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4079186&chk=NIdfeQ.
General Social Care Council
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to make an announcement concerning the next groups to be registered with the General Social Care Council. [9069]
Mr. Byrne: The General Social Care Council is currently completing the task of registering all qualified social workers in England. In September, the register will be extended to include social work students. During 2004, the Council carried out a widespread consultation about the order in which the remaining groups of social care staff should be brought into registration. I am considering that their report of the outcome of this consultation in the context of the continuing development of our social care policies following the publication of the social care Green Papers, Independence, well-being and choice" and Every Child Matters." I expect to announce my decision shortly.
Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of delayed discharge in hospitals located in the Haringey teaching primary care trust area; and if she will make a statement. [7809]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available centrally.
Health Direct
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Health Direct will be established as a subsidiary of NHS Direct; whether NHS Direct and Health Direct will share the same access points; and if she will make a statement. [7477]
Caroline Flint: Health Direct will be set up from 2007. It will be developed as a telephone, internet and digital television service. The aim is to provide easily accessible information on health choices. It will include links to existing health improvement services, including diet, nutrition and support for parents.
A scoping study is being undertaken during 2005 to establish customer, operational and technical requirements for Health Direct. The decision to determine which are the most appropriate management and operational structures to deliver the Health Direct service will be taken in spring 2006, prior to commencement of a procurement phase, which we expect to complete by the end of 2006.
Health Services (Contractors)
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the independent sector providers
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with whom (a) her Department has contracts for the provision of health services and (b) primary care trusts have commissioned directly to provide services; what services are provided under each contract; and how many patients have been treated under each contract. [3434]
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Mr. Byrne: The information on the independent sector providers with which the Department has contracts is shown in the table. Information on contracts with the independent sector agreed by local national health service commissioners is not collected centrally.
(24)Patients have been referred but are not yet treated.
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