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31 Oct 2005 : Column 836W—continued
Health Services (Essex)
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech and language therapists have been on staff in the Essex strategic health authority in each of the last three years. [18089]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The number of speech and language therapists that have been on staff in the Essex strategic health authority (SHA) in each of the last three years is shown in the table.
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(42) Zero
Source:
Health and Social Care Information Centre non-medical workforce census.
Hospital Food
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent estimate she has made of (a) weight loss and (b) protein loss among patients in hospital for (i) 0 to 6, (ii) 7 to 13, (iii) 14 to 29 and (iv) 30 days and over; [18941]
(2) what research she has commissioned to assess the extent of malnutrition after admission among (a) hospital in-patients and (b) residents of care and nursing homes. [18942]
Mr. Byrne: There have been no estimates or research on this carried out centrally. Essence of Care, published in 2003, sets benchmarks for screening and assessment to identify patients' nutritional needs in health and social care settings, and helps healthcare professionals to devise appropriate care plans.
Hospital Re-admissions
Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rates of re-admission to hospitals were in (a) England and (b) Lancashire in each year since 1997. [15096]
Mr. Byrne [pursuant to the reply, 17 October 2005, Official Report, c. 763W]: My previous reply should read as follows:
Re-admission data from 1998–99, which is calculated using the re-admission rate definition, emergency re-admissions to hospitals within 28 days of discharge to hospitals", is available at www.nchod.nhs.uk, where a full definition is given in the guidance notes.
I regret that due to a clerical error, table 2 in the reply that the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Miss Melanie Johnson) gave the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 22 March 2005, Official Report, column 758W was incorrect. The correct information is contained in this answer.
Hospital Staffing
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations Ministers have received from the Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health on the availability of senior house officer posts. [18066]
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Mr. Byrne: No representations have been received by Ministers from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health on the availability of senior house officer posts.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors completed training in 2004; and how many senior house officers posts were available in that year. [18067]
Mr. Byrne: The Department does not collect data on the number of doctors completing training in any given year. Such data for 2004 would be available from the competent authorities for postgraduate medical education at the time, the Specialist Training Authority of the Medical Royal Colleges and the joint committee on postgraduate training for general practice.
In the September 2004 census, the number of medically qualified senior house officers and equivalents was 20,094 in England. This was an increase of 1,882 (10 per cent.) from the previous year and an increase of 5,514 (38 per cent.) since 1997.
The census is a count of doctors on particular salary scales or their equivalents, not a count of doctors with a particular job description. These figures therefore include trust doctors, clinical fellows and other such posts.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations Ministers have received on phasing out senior house officer posts under the modernising medical careers initiative. [18068]
Mr. Byrne: The modernising medical careers proposals for specialist training have yet to be agreed in detail. The proposals would see the gradual phasing out of the senior house officer grade to be replaced by structured programmes of training leading to the award of a certificate of completion of training.
We have consulted widely on these proposals and will continue to engage with stakeholders to manage transition.
Hospital Treatments
Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost was of procedures carried out by (a) Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust and (b) other teaching hospital trusts in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by specialty. [18913]
Mr. Byrne: Data on the average costs of national health service hospital services is made available through the annual NHS reference costs collection. The NHS reference cost index (RCI) provides an indication of the costs of hospital services in individual NHS trusts against the national average. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has an RCI score of 115 relative to the average of 100, based on 2003–04 data, the most recent year for which figures are available. NHS reference costs are not broken down by speciality.
Lancashire NHS Teaching Trust
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the job titles of the staff employed at Lancashire NHS Teaching Trust; and how many full-time equivalent staff are employed in each role. [21690]
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Mr. Byrne [holding answer 25 October 2005]: This is a matter for the Chair of the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust. I have written to Mr. Dennis Benson informing him of your inquiry.
Local Health Communities
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems are in place to ensure that her Department works closely with local health communities to understand their requirement for extra capacity in the services it provides. [19890]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 20 October 2005]: The Department carries out regular capacity planning and local delivery planning (LDP) processes with strategic health authorities (SHAs). In both of these, the Department worked closely with SHAs and, through them, with primary care trusts to understand overall capacity requirements in order to deliver the national targets for 2005–06 to 2007–08, as set out in National Standards, Local Action".
Capacity planning guidance is available at on the Department's website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/86/65/04118665.pdf.
The LDP technical note is available on the Department's website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/09/54/49/04095449.pdf.
Lupus
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to improve the standard of care available to those suffering from lupus; and what action is being taken to raise awareness of lupus among health professionals. [18363]
Mr. Byrne: The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions, while specifically aimed at those with neurological conditions, is relevant for all people with long-term conditions, including lupus. 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.
Addressing the training needs of health professionals is the responsibility of the appropriate regulatory bodies. They set standards for the pre-registration training of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals, approve the education institutions that provide the training and determine the curricula.
The post-registration training needs of national health service staff are decided against local priorities, informed by local delivery plans and the needs of the service.
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