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17 Oct 2005 : Column 777W—continued
Midwives
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to improve the recruitment and retention of midwives in the NHS. [16658]
Mr. Byrne: A range of initiatives are in place to improve the recruitment and retention of midwives working in the national health service in England. These include improving pay and conditions, encouraging the NHS to become a better, more flexible and diverse employer, help with accessing child care, increasing training, attracting back returners and running national and local recruitment campaigns. As a result of these initiatives, there are over 2,400 more midwives working in the NHS in England than in 1997.
MRSA
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA infection cases there were in the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust area in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [17291]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 13 October 2005]: Statistics on meticillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA) figures for April 2000 to March 2001 are not available. The information for MRSA figures at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals National Health Service Trust for the last four years is shown in the table.
| April to March | Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 86 |
| 2002–03 | 74 |
| 2003–04 | 107 |
| 2004–05 | 129 |
Myasthenia Gravis
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the disease myasthenia gravis; and what plans she has to support those who are diagnosed with this disease. [17016]
Mr. Byrne: The Government are sympathetic to the needs of patients with myasthenia gravis and the impact this condition can have on their independence and quality of life.
Patients with myasthenia gravis are able to access a range of national health service and social care services, which are tailored to meet their individual needs, to help them manage their condition. It is for primary care trusts, in consultation with other stakeholders, to determine which services, including those for people with myasthenia gravis, their local populations require and ensure the appropriate provision of these services.
The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions is supporting local sustained improvements in service quality for people with long-term neurological
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conditions, including myasthenia gravis. The NSF addresses a range of key issues including the need for equitable access to a range of services; good quality information and support for patients and carers; the ability to see a specialist and get the right investigations and diagnosis as quickly as possible.
NHS Direct
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat the call capacity for NHS Direct has been in each year since it was established; and what the planned call capacity of NHS Direct is in each year until 2010. [12610]
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 12 July 2005, Official Report, columns 984–85W. It is currently forecast that NHS Direct will be answering over eight million calls per year by the end of March 2006. There is no planned call capacity projection beyond 2006.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports she has received regarding prospective deficits in NHS trusts in Oxfordshire; andwhat action her Department has taken to address them. [18051]
Caroline Flint: Like all strategic heath authorities (SHAs), Thames Valley provides regular financial reports to the Department. Thames Valley SHA is responsible for delivering overall financial balance for their local health communities, and works with Oxfordshire trusts to bring the position as close as possible to financial balance.
NICE
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to speed up the appraisals of medicines and technologies undertaken by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. [18350]
Jane Kennedy: We are currently considering proposals from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence for a revised technology appraisal process allowing more rapid appraisal of certain new drugs and health technologies.
North Bristol NHS Trust
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list each of the job titles of staff employed at North Bristol NHS Trust, together with the number of full-time equivalent staff employed in each role. [17032]
Caroline Flint:
This information is not collected in the format requested. However, the tables show figures for non-medical staff employed at North Bristol National Health Service Trust by area of work and job description and medical staff by grade and speciality.
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Note:
Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
Source:
Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census 2004.
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Note:
'0' denotes less than one, more than zero.
Source:
NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre medical and dental workforce census.
17 Oct 2005 : Column 782W
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