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14 Dec 2005 : Column 2145W—continued
General Practitioners
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she will abolish the 48 hour general practitioner access target. [31903]
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of salaries for general practitioners was in the last five years for which figures are available. [29689]
Mr. Byrne: Table 1 shows the total combined spend by primary care trusts (PCTs) in England, for both general medical services (GMS) and personal medical services (PMS), on payments to general practitioners and, since financial year 2004–05, practices in providing primary medical services (PMEDs) for financial years 2000–01 to 2004–05.
The cost of salaried GMS GPs included in table 1 figures are separately reported for financial years 2000–01 to 2003–04 in table 2.
| Total GMS including PMS spend (£ million) | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 3,650 |
| 2001–02 | 3,816 |
| 2002–03 | 4,060 |
| 2003–04 | 4,623 |
| 2004–05(47) | 5,905 |
(47)2000–01 to 2004–05 general medical practitioner figures include both combined GMS and PMS GP spend.
Notes:
1.Data 2000–01 to 2003–04 are based on combined discretionary, non discretionary and PMS spend.
2.Data for 2004–05 nGMS Contract spend is funded solely through Discretionary Unified Allocations.
3.All data for 2000 to 2003–04 are taken from the audited health authority/PCT returns for England to the NHS summarised accounts. Data for 2004–05 are taken from the 303 PCTs in England and are unaudited. As such they are still subject to change.
| GMS salaried GPs only (£ million) | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 3 |
| 2001–02 | 3 |
| 2002–03 | 6 |
| 2003–04 | 6 |
| 2004–05 | n/a |
Notes:
1.Salaried doctors as defined under SFA para. 52 relate to GMS only and are funded through discretionary GMS spend to the unified budget.
2.Data are taken from the HA/PCT audited returns for England 2000 to 2003–04 only. 3. Data from 2004–05 are not available centrally.
4.Separate data for PMS salaried GPs are not available centrally.
14 Dec 2005 : Column 2146W
Health Outside Hospitals
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1294W, on Health Outside Hospitals, whether she had received expressions of interest to run the consultation from companies with whom the Central Office of Information did not hold framework agreements prior to the contract being awarded; when Opinion Leader Research agreed a framework agreement with the Central Office of Information; when this framework agreement was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union; and what assessment she has made of the cost-effectiveness of restricting the number of companies to which the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" contract could be offered to those with which the Central Office of Information holds a framework agreement. [31891]
Mr. Byrne: No expressions of interest were received from companies with whom the Central Office of Information (COI) did not hold framework agreements.
Opinion Leader Research secured the current framework agreement with the Central Office of Information in December 2004. It was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union in February 2004.
Opinion Leader Research had previous framework agreements with the Central Office of Information concurrently from 1998 to 2001 and from 2001 to 2004.
The process of restricting the number of companies, open to tender for the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" contract, to only those whom the COI held a framework reduced the amount of time taken to procure services, from several months to a few weeks, while still conforming with procurement legislation.
Health Service Commissioning
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition she uses of (a) contestability and (b) the internal market in the commissioning of national health services. [31720]
Mr. Byrne: New providers will give patients wider choice in where they receive treatment. Independent sector providers will provide a challenge by offering high quality and innovative services, and patient choice will challenge national health service providers to match the service quality and performance of the independent sector, thus promoting improved patient services.
Health Services (Uxbridge)
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in Uxbridge constituency have (a) opened and (b) closed since 1997. [29768]
14 Dec 2005 : Column 2147W
Ms Rosie Winterton: As at 30 September 2005, there were 11 dental surgeries working in the national health service general dental service (GDS) or personal dental service (PDS) within Uxbridge parliamentary constituency. Of these, one had opened since 30 September 1997. No dental surgeries have closed within this area in the same time period.
Healthy Eating
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to promote healthy eating among (a) children and (b) the general population. [35490]
Caroline Flint: The Choosing Health" White Paper sets out the Government's strategy to promote healthy eating among children and the general population. Action includes healthy start which reforms the welfare food scheme, the 5 A DAY programme, the school fruit and vegetable scheme, the joint Department of Health and Department of Education and Skills food in schools programme and the obesity social marketing programme.
Hemel Hempstead General Hospital
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the strategic health authority plans are for the level of services to be provided by Hemel Hempstead general hospital; and if she will make a statement. [26828]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire strategic health authority have advised that the implementation of Investing In Your Health" will mean that Hemel Hempstead hospital will have the following:
A new state-of the-art surgicentre:
Performing thousands of elective operations every year. It should be completed by September 2007 and ready to open its doors in early October.
Over the course of a year, a similar number of patients will be seen at Hemel Hempstead hospital as at Watford hospital.
It will deliver all West Hertfordshire's day case surgery, most elective orthopaedic activity and most non-cancer related general surgery. It will also provide some planned day case paediatric surgery.
Among the procedures to be performed there will be hip and knee replacements, cataracts, grommets, tonsillectomies and hernias.
Accident and emergency (A and E) department:
The department will not treat major trauma cases but it is expected that around 80 per cent. of the people currently visiting the A and E department would be safely cared for under the new arrangement. Patients will be seen and treated far more quickly than at present. Under current arrangements they have to wait as more urgent cases come in.
It will include a children's rapid assessment unit where children with an illness or injury can be assessed and then either treated or sent to a more appropriate place for treatment.
A full range of diagnostic services such as magnetic resonance imaging, computerised tomography scan, electrocardiogram, x-ray and blood tests will be available.
Although most cancer treatment will be provided at the new state-of-the-art Hatfield hospital cancer unit, many diagnostic minor illness or injury will be seen and treated far more quickly than at present as under current arrangements they have to wait as more urgent cases come in.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to close the children's ward at Hemel Hempstead hospital; and if she will make a statement. [30261]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 21 November 2005]: Any decisions regarding the children's ward at Hemel Hempstead hospital are a matter for the local national health service, which has responsibility for the reconfiguration and delivery of local service, working in partnership with its local community.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to reopen York Ward at Hemel Hempstead hospital; and if she will make a statement. [30262]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 21 November 2005]: Any decision regarding the re-opening of York Ward at Hemel Hempstead hospital is a matter for the local national health service, which has the responsibility for the reconfiguration and delivery of local services, working in partnership with the communities it serves.
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