| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
23 Jan 2006 : Column 1854W—continued
NHS Air Ambulance Services
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the funding arrangements for NHS air ambulance services in (a) the East Midlands and (b) England. [40817]
Mr. Byrne: Air ambulances are funded by charities. Since 1 April 2002, the cost of clinical staff on air ambulances has been met by the national health service on a continuing basis. It is for NHS trusts to decide whether they provide any additional funding to air ambulance charities.
NHS Consultants
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sabbaticals for NHS consultants were arranged during 2005. [40670]
Mr. Byrne: There is no national sabbatical scheme for consultants. Consultants may apply for sabbatical leave in accordance with the employing organisation's arrangements. Information on numbers would be held locally by individual employers.
NHS Direct
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of callers to NHS Direct have been advised to go to their GP. [39665]
Mr. Byrne:
The information requested is not centrally held. It may be available from NHS Direct special health authority.
23 Jan 2006 : Column 1855W
NHS Private Finance Initiative Schemes
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the total expenditure on NHS private finance initiative schemes in each year until 2013–14. [39356]
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer I gave on 12 July 2005, Official Report, columns 988–989W, which stated that detailed unitary payment for schemes which have reached financial close had been placed in the Library. This list has now been updated to reflect the four private finance initiative hospital schemes which have reached financial close since then and which are over £20 million in capital value. The updated list has also been placed in the Library.
NHS Trusts (Finance)
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cumulative deficit is of each NHS trust in England which has a deficit that it is required to clear to reach a break even financial position. [39811]
Mr. Byrne: National health service trusts are expected to plan for and achieve financial balance each and every year.
All NHS trusts with a cumulative deficit have a statutory duty to breakeven over a three, or exceptionally up to a five-year period.
The latest year for which audited financial data is available is 2004–05, which has been placed in the Library.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health over what time period an NHS trust which runs up a deficit during the 2005–06 financial year is required to repay the amount overspent; and if she will make a statement. [40903]
Mr. Byrne:
National health service trusts are expected to plan for and achieve break even every year. NHS trusts have a statutory financial duty to achieve a break even position on income and expenditure taking one year with another. This is interpreted as needing to break even over a period of three, and in exceptional cases, up to five years. Where NHS trusts overspend, this would require other NHS organisations, within the health economy, to under spend over the same period.
23 Jan 2006 : Column 1856W
NHS Walk-in Centres
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much NHS walk-in centres have cost in each year since their establishment; [41960]
(2) how many attendances there have been at walk-in centres in each quarter since 1 January 2003. [41997]
Mr. Byrne: National health service walk-in centres are managed locally by their host primary care trust or NHS trust. They are not separate accounting entities and theirrunning costs are not routinely collected or held centrally by the Department.
Data on the number of visits to NHS walk-in centres in each quarter from January 2003 to September 2005, the latest full quarter for which data are available, are shown in the table.
Source:
Department of Health
Nurses
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time equivalent nurses are employed by (a) general practitioners, (b) other primary care NHS organisations and (c) acute sector NHS organisations in (i) England and (ii) each primary care trust area in Kent, broken down by nursing specialty. [42202]
Mr. Byrne: Information on the number of full-time equivalent nurses by primary care trust (PCT) and national health service trust in Kent and England broken down by specified specialty is shown in the table.
It is not possible to provide NHS trust (acute sector) staff by PCT area.
23 Jan 2006 : Column 1857W
Note:
Full time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
Source:
Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |