---

14 Mar 2006 : Column 2195W—continued

London Ambulance Service

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) cash terms and (b) percentage change in funding to the London Ambulance Service was in each year since 1995. [57087]

Jane Kennedy: This information is not held in the format requested.

However, the table shows figures for the London Ambulance Service national health service trust for the years 1997–98 to 2004–05, the latest year for which data is available. The figures are total income, which includes all income from activities and all other operating income for each year.

NHS trusts do not normally receive funding directly from the Department but receive income for service provision from primary care trusts and, previously, from health authorities.

	Total income (£ thousand)	Increase year on year (percentage)
1997–98	105,814	—
1998–99	107,964	2.0
1999–2000	116,759	8.1
2000–01	123,578	5.8
2001–02	135,775	9.9
2002–03	160,750	18.4
2003–04	168,508	4.8
2004–05	192,588	14.3

Note:
This information is not held prior to 1997–98.
Source:
Audited summarisation schedules of the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust.





 
14 Mar 2006 : Column 2196W
 

MRSA

Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the percentage of (a) the general population and (b) health workers who are carriers of MRSA. [55740]

Jane Kennedy: There is only limited evidence on the proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus" carriage in the general population or healthcare workers.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to introduce the use of colloidal silver as the standard treatment for MRSA infections. [56242]

Jane Kennedy: Clinicians are responsible for determining appropriate therapies for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The Department are not aware of any peer reviewed or clinical trial evidence that colloidal silver is an effective treatment for this or other healthcare associated infections. Although colloidal silver has antimicrobial properties, it is not used as an alternative to antibiotics because of its toxicity.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA cases there were in (a) Royal Surrey and (b) Frimley Park hospital in Surrey in each of the last three years. [58320]

Caroline Flint: The information for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus" (MRSA) figures at Frimley Park hospital and Royal Surrey county hospital for each of the last three years is shown in the table.

	Last six months
Trust name	April 2002-March 2003	April 2003-March 2004	April 2004-March 2005	April 2005-September 2005
Frimley Park hospital	35	49	29	14
Royal Surrey county hospital	35	28	26	14

Source:
MRSA mandatory surveillance. Data was produced by the Health Protection Agency Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre for the Department of Health.

NHS Trusts

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts paid 95 per cent. of undisputed invoices within contract terms on (a) 60 days, (b) 90 days and (c) 120 days where no terms have been agreed in the last period for which figures are available; what the value of those invoices was in each case; which NHS trusts did not pay 95 per cent. of undisputed invoices within contract terms or 120 days where no terms have been agreed in that period; and what the value of those invoices was. [57526]

Jane Kennedy: National health service trusts are required to report on their performance against the better payment practice code (BPPC) in their individual final accounts. The BPPC target stipulates that all NHS trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities must pay 95 per cent. of bills within contract terms or 30 days where no terms have been agreed.
 
14 Mar 2006 : Column 2197W
 

The data requested are not collected centrally by the Department.

However, data on both the number of bills paid within the BPPC target and the value of those bills from the 2004–05 final accounts are available in the Library.

NHS Trusts (Oxfordshire)

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what dates she expects each of the trusts serving Oxfordshire to have (a) determined and (b) published its budget for 2006–07. [58283]

Caroline Flint: Each strategic health authority (SHA) will set their own timetable for agreeing the plans prior to submitting them to the Department.
 
14 Mar 2006 : Column 2198W
 

Thames Valley SHA expects its trusts and primary care trusts to take an interim budget paper to their boards in March and a final one in April.

The Department is expecting the SHAs to submit financial plans for 2006–07 on 20 April 2006.

Nurses

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent nursing vacancies there are in the North West London strategic health authority area. [57367]

Jane Kennedy: The table shows national health service three-month vacancies in the North West London strategic health Authority area by organisation for qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff as at 31 March 2005 which are the latest figures available.
Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey March 2005 NHS three month vacancies in the North West London strategic health authority area by organisation for qualified nursing, midwifery, and health visiting staff. Three month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post

		Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff
		March 2005		September 2004
		Three month vacancy rate (percentage)	Three month vacancy (number)	(Staff in post) full-time equivalent	Staff in post) Headcount
North West London strategic health authority area total	Q04	4.5	606	12,893	15,774
Brent Teaching PCT	5K5	3.4	11	313	401
Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust	RV3	1.2	12	976	1,148
Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust	RQM	8.3	94	1,034	1,284
Baling Hospital NHS Trust	RC3	0.0	0	603	734
Baling PCT	5HX	11.7	34	258	370
Hammersmith and Fulham PCT	5H1	1.9	3	154	192
Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust	RQN	10.7	234	1,962	2,210
Harrow PCT	5K6	0.0	0	208	272
Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust	RAS	0.0	0	771	1,152
Hillingdon PCT	5AT	0.0	0	373	476
Hounslow PCT	5HY	7.5	13	158	221
Kensington and Chelsea PCT	5LA	13.2	39	258	347
North West London Hospitals NHS Trust	RV8	0.7	10	1,427	1,549
North West London SHA	Q04	(43)—	0	0	0
Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust	RT3	0.2	2	866	1,148
St Mary's NHS Trust	RJ5	0.3	4	1,265	1,567
West London Mental Health NHS Trust	RKL	5.4	73	1,276	1,438
West Middlesex University NHS Trust	RFW	3.8	27	699	857
Westminster PCT	5LC	14.6	49	290	408

⁽⁴³⁾ Zero
Notes:
Three month vacancy
1 Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2005
2 Three month vacancies are vacancies which Trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents)
3 Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post
4 Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004
5 Percentages are rounded to one decimal place
Staff in post
1 Staff in post data are from the Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004
General
1 Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number
2 Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates
3 Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts
4 Strategic health authority figures are based on Trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of healthcare
Sources:
Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey March 2005
Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004





 
14 Mar 2006 : Column 2199W
 

---