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27 Feb 2006 : Column 480W—continued
Physiotherapy
Mr. Baron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate she has made of the number of
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physiotherapy graduates who are yet to find their first NHS post; and what methods she uses to collect this information; [51925]
(2) what work force planning will accompany implementation of the Green Paper on welfare reform for physiotherapists specialising in (a) occupational health and (b) rehabilitation and early intervention; [51926]
(3) what steps are taken to ensure that unemployed physiotherapy graduates are able to maintain their clinical skills; [51927]
(4) pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 851W, on physiotherapy, whether she has made an assessment of the implications of the action plan for physiotherapy graduates; [52630]
(5) pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 630W, on physiotherapy, how often the NHS work force review team has met to discuss implementation of the action plan for physiotherapy graduates; [52631]
(6) how many physiotherapy vacancies there are in each NHS trust area. [52632]
Mr. Byrne [holding answers 15 February 2006]: NHS Jobs, the e-recruitment service for the national health service, has been amended to enable physiotherapy graduates to register their details in a database. This will enable the number of physiotherapy graduates seeking jobs to be determined and provide physiotherapy managers with a recruitment route for junior vacancies. The new service became operational on 30 January 2006 and currently has 12 graduates registered.
NHS Employers, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists and the NHS work force review team continue to work with NHS managers to help secure posts for new graduates. Lead stakeholders met in July 2005 and are due to meet again at the end of February to review progress. The NHS work force review team sought updates in the autumn, which they shared with stakeholders in December 2005.
Junior physiotherapists are being encouraged to contact local physiotherapy managers, who may be able to provide opportunities for them to maintain their clinical skills in a variety of ways. This is being supported by Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, who are providing a reduced rate membership for unemployed junior physiotherapists to enable them to utilise such opportunities.
The Department collects annual vacancy rates, which identified that as at March 2005 the vacancy rates within physiotherapy had reduced to 2.9 per cent., compared to 5.2 per cent. in 2002. Details of the number of vacancies and the vacancies rates for each NHS trust area will be placed in the Library.
Local work force planners are responsible for collecting information on vacancies within their areas and for ensuring that their workforce needs are mapped against changes to services brought about as a result of new policies and reforms. The NHS workforce review team provide national assistance to local NHS organisations who to enable them to plan for an
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affordable workforce, able to provide the skills, experience and capacity to deliver locally determined services.
Post Mortem Examinations (Stillborn Viable Babies)
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities are available for the carrying out of post mortem examinations upon still born viable babies from the Ashford, Kent and Canterbury and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Margate) Hospital maternity units. [52329]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 16 February 2006]: This is a local matter. However, I understand that East Kent Hospitals National Health Service Trust no longer undertakes post mortem examinations on babies, according to the Royal College of Pathology guidelines. The trust refers cases to a specialist pathologist, usually to King's College Hospital NHS Trust or occasionally Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust or University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she collects on the length of time waited before carrying out of post mortem examinations upon viable babies still born in the Ashford, Kent and Canterbury and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Margate) Hospital maternity units. [52330]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 16 February 2006]: The Department does not collect information centrally about waits for paediatric and perinatal post mortems.
Pregnancies (Terminations)
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which categories of NHS premises are authorised to conduct terminations of pregnancies; what plans she has to increase the number of authorised premises; and what plans she has for NHS community clinics to be authorised to conduct terminations of pregnancies. [52243]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 16 February 2006]: Under the Abortion Act 1967, an abortion can only be performed in a hospital vested in a national health service trust, primary care trust or foundation trust or in an approved independent sector place. It is a matter for local commissioners and providers as to which NHS hospitals provide this service.
Section l(3a) of the Act gives the Secretary of State for Health the power to approve a class of place to perform medical abortion which could enable this method to be available in a wider range of healthcare settings. Two hospitals are being funded by the Department to run early medical abortion services in non-traditional settings, to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of provision in these settings.
Prescription Charges/Items
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has paid in VAT (a) on prescriptions and (b) in total in each year since 1997. [49674]
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Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not held by the Department.
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the net ingredient cost of prescription items dispensed by (a) the NHS and (b) Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust was in each year since 2000; [51797]
(2) how many prescription items were dispensed by (a) the NHS and (b) Hammersmith hospital NHS trust in each year since 2000. [51798]
Jane Kennedy: The net ingredient cost of prescription items dispensed and the number dispensed in the community in England since 2000 is shown in the following table.
| Total net ingredient cost for England (£ million) | Number of prescriptions dispensed in England (million) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5,584.6 | 551.8 |
| 2001 | 6,116.6 | 587.0 |
| 2002 | 6,846.7 | 617.0 |
| 2003 | 7,510.1 | 649.7 |
| 2004 | 8,079.6 | 686.1 |
This data are based on the prescription cost analysis (PCA) database and is taken from the Department's statistical bulletin published in 2005. This is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/10/76/26/04107626.pdf
Figures for 2005 are not yet available. We have no figures for individual hospital trusts.
Prevenar
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost of introducing the vaccine Prevenar on the NHS. [40962]
Caroline Flint: The cost to the national health service of introducing vaccinations against pneumococcal disease is dependent on a number of factors, including the number of doses of vaccines offered, the cost of vaccine, and the cost of administration of the vaccine.
Introducing Prevenar into the routine childhood immunisation schedule, and the proposed catch up programme, is likely to cost in the region of £80 million.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the (a) number and (b) timing of doses of Prevenar required to protect children from invasive infections. [49682]
Caroline Flint: These issues are addressed in the published minutes of the joint committee on vaccinations and immunisation meeting of 19 October 2005 and accompanying paper outlining the changes to the routine childhood immunisation schedule rationale which is available on the Department's website at: www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/JCVI/minutes.htm
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