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8 Mar 2006 : Column 1619W—continued
Health Suppliers
Mr. Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the contracted obligations of the public sector are under the Connecting for Health Supplier Attachment Scheme; what the maximum cost to public funds is of not meeting these obligations; and if she will make a statement; [51694]
(2) what representations (a) her Department and (b) Connecting for Health have received from (i) local service providers and (ii) NHS bodies about the Supplier Attachment Scheme. [51698]
Mr. Byrne: The supplier attachment scheme is an arrangement by which national health service personnel are seconded on a temporary basis to work with local service providers to the national programme for information technology (LSPs) to ensure that the systems and services being developed and deployed meet the needs of the NHS. Fulfilment of the arrangement has advantages for the NHS in compensating price reductions and ensuring that NHS expertise is readily available to LSPs.
The current contractual liability to LSPs in each cluster area in respect of the Supplier Attachment Scheme is as follows:
North East and Eastern Clusters (jointly)—242,000 man days over the term of the contract (no contracted financial obligation).
Southern Cluster—an agreement has been reached to buy out the liability at a cost of £19 million in 2006–07 as NHS trusts have decided not to supply the staff resources.
The LSPs have said that they greatly value the arrangement and the benefits they derive from it.
Hearing Tests
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average waiting time is for (a) children's, (b) adults and (c) all hearing tests for each NHS trust in the county of Bedfordshire; and if she will make a statement; [53461]
(2) how many NHS hearing tests have been completed in the county of Bedfordshire in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [53462]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to reduce waiting times for those (a) children and (b) adults in the county of Bedfordshire who need hearing tests; and if she will make a statement. [53464]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
Nationally and therefore including the county of Bedfordshire, several initiatives have been introduced to improve capacity to deliver audiology services for children and adults. These are the development of a new degree to help to address the shortage of audiologists and the introduction of Hearing Direct that provides follow-up care and advice for hearing aid users who would benefit from this.
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The figures on waiting times for testing and fitting hearing aids are not collected centrally. It is for primary care trusts to ensure their local population benefits from modernised hearing aid services.
HIV/AIDS
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 1721W, on HIV/Aids (Hertfordshire), what representations she has made to the Befordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority concerning (a) HIV diagnosis and (b) levels of other sexually transmitted infections. [54458]
Caroline Flint: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for assessing and meeting the needs of their local populations, including the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and HIV. Sexual health and access to genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics is included as one of the six key priorities for the national health service for 2006–07. This requires the NHS to take action, through local delivery plans, to reduce waiting times for GUM clinics to 48 hours for all by 2008.
Hospital Audiology Services
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from whom (a) she and (b) the NHS Chief Executive receive advice on hospital audiology services; what information she has received on (i) waiting times and (ii) waiting lists for hearing tests and hearing aid fitting in NHS hospitals; and what advice she has received on how to reduce them. [51755]
Mr. Byrne: Information on provision of audiology services including waiting times and lists for hearing tests is not held centrally. It is for primary care trusts to plan and commission appropriate services for their local population including those with hearing impairments.
During 2005, the Department collected unvalidated diagnostic waiting time and activity data, including data on pure tone audiometry, from 21 trusts as part of piloting work. Building on this pilot exercise, the Department introduced a new national diagnostic data collection in January 2006 and expects to commence routine publication of data on diagnostic waiting times and activity from the spring.
The Healthcare Commission is responsible for monitoring overall performance in the national health service, including audiology services. The Healthcare Commission reports to the NHS Chief Executive and the Secretary of State as part of their responsibilities. Civil servants also provide advice for the Secretary of State and the NHS Chief Executive.
Influenza
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 133W, on influenza, whether she has examined what contribution acute respiratory distress syndrome makes to the mortality rate in influenza outbreaks. [41093]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
We have not made a specific examination.
8 Mar 2006 : Column 1621W
Information on those at an increased risk from influenza and who are recommended influenza vaccine is available at www.immunisation.nhs.uk
Late Payment
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 February to Question 46369, if she will assess the effect of late payments by NHS professionals on small and medium sized firms. [51159]
Mr. Byrne: NHS Professionals meets or exceeds Confederation of British Industry's Better Payment Practice Code target of paying 95 per cent. of undisputed invoices within contract terms or 30 days where no terms have been agreed.
In 2004–05, NHS Professionals paid 97 per cent. of its invoices within the code requirements. It is for all businesses, regardless of size to ensure that their invoices are correct, so that NHS Professionals is able to exceed the target to a greater extent.
Local Authority Finance
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account has been taken in the local authority budget settlements for 2006–07 of changes in the numbers of people with (a) multiple and profound disabilities and (b) autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Asperger's syndrome. [51442]
Mr. Byrne: Local authority budget settlements do not take into account changes in the numbers of people in these specific groups.
From 2006–07, there is a new needs-based relative needs formulae (RNF) allocation formulae for adults' social care. This incorporates the latest available 2001 Census data, and has been developed following a rigorous process of academic research. The RNF for each personal social services (PSS) service block (younger adults, older people and children) are based on the new PSS formula models described in the recent Office of Deputy Prime Minister consultation. These take into account needs-based variables such as age, deprivation, sparsity, low income and area costs.
Macmillan Nurses
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she is taking to increase the numbers of Macmillan nurses working for the NHS in West Lancashire. [53398]
Mr. Byrne: It is for the national health service trusts to decide how many nurses including palliative care nurse specialists, are employed in each specialty within hospitals. Local cancer networks work in partnership with primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and their work force development directorates to assess, plan and review their work force, education and training needs for all staff linked to the delivery of local and national priorities for cancer.
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