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22 May 2006 : Column 1574W—continued
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the measured level of user satisfaction with NHS Direct was in each year since it came into operation. [72837]
Andy Burnham: The data is not available as an annual figure, but is collected monthly by NHS Direct. The information from the monthly survey in March each year is shown in the table.
| March | Patients very satisfied and satisfied (Percentage) |
| Source: Patient satisfaction reports—NHS Direct. |
The rates for patients who are satisfied or very satisfied remain consistently high (above 95 per cent.), although the level of calls received has risen from 5,213,000 in 2001-02 to 6,810,000 in 2005-06.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations were carried out with the staff of NHS Direct before the recent announcement of job cuts. [72838]
Ms Rosie Winterton: NHS Direct has commenced a 12-week consultation with staff on proposals to improve performance and efficiency. Information on any prior consultation with staff is not held by the Department but may be available from the Chairman of NHS Direct.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out the timetable for the review of NHS Direct. [71549]
Ms Rosie Winterton: As part of the Department's review of arm’s length bodies, NHS Direct is to change its status from a special health authority to a national health service trust from April 2007 with the objective of becoming a NHS foundation trust from April 2008 or as soon as possible thereafter. NHS Direct is also changing the way it operates so that it can respond to the needs of people for advice and support in the most appropriate and cost efficient way. On 16 May it began a three-month consultation with staff on proposed changes to its management structures, skill mix and its call centre.
NHS Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of NHS primary care trust budget deficits on the funding of local area agreements with local councils. [66287]
Andy Burnham: Local area agreements (LAAs) are based on a number of area-specific funding streams. NHS funding is not one of these, but can be aligned locally at the decision of the primary care trust (PCT) and the strategic health authority (SHA). PCTs and SHAs have played a key role in developing the LAAs, and this is reflected in the enthusiasm and commitment with which local partners have approached health and social care outcomes within the LAA. LAAs have proved valuable in improving the efficiency and targeting of resources, developing new ways of working and agreeing a joint approach with a range of local partners to addressing local issues.
With the record levels of funding available to NHS bodies, they should all have sufficient resources to invest in national and local priorities. Where appropriate, this includes arrangements for joint working with local authorities.
NHS Logistics
Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she is placing a requirement on bidders to take over NHS Logistics to maintain all the current distribution centre; and whether such a commitment has been made. [72705]
Andy Burnham: The preferred bidder has indicated that they will take over all the current distribution centres. Their proposals indicate that they will maintain these distribution centres for the foreseeable future. There are no plans to close any of the current distribution centres over the life of the contract.
Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if the Minister of State will fulfil the promise made by her predecessor to visit an NHS logistics distribution centre to discuss its operation and future plans with management and staff before reaching any decisions on the future of NHS logistics; [72706]
(2) if she will meet hon. Members representing constituents who work in NHS Logistics sites before any final decision is reached on its future. [72707]
Andy Burnham: I am happy to visit one of the distribution centres before any contract is awarded and have initiated the process to set this up.
Although my predecessors have met with hon. Members representing constituents who work in NHS Logistics sites on a number of occasions, I am prepared to meet them as well.
Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has received reports of changes to the business case for outsourcing NHS Logistics and the NHS consumables supply chain during discussions with DHL/Novation; and if she will make a statement. [72708]
Andy Burnham: There have been no such reports. In March 2006, Ministers approved the full business case for the outsourcing of NHS Logistics and related parts of NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency. Subject to final negotiation a contract could be awarded to DHL/Novation.
These final negotiations are still in hand. Once they have been completed, I will be made aware of any changes to the business case that are material.
Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the likely job losses (a) in NHS Logistics and (b) in total if the NHS consumables supply chain is outsourced. [72709]
Andy Burnham: Details of known implications for staff will be included in the letter of intent from the bidders as part of the formal consultation process. This letter of intent is known as the measures letter.
We cannot be more specific at this point due to continuing commercial negotiations.
NHS Staff (Attacks)
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were (a) refused treatment and (b) prosecuted for verbal and physical attacks on NHS staff in (i) England and (ii) the Royal Shrewsbury hospital in 2004-05. [64283]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information is not collected centrally on the number of people who have been refused treatment because they have verbally or physically attacked national health service staff or on
the number of prosecutions for those people who have verbally attacked NHS staff. In 2004-05, 759 people were prosecuted for assaults on NHS staff.
NHS Staff Turnover
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the annual cost of staff turnover in the NHS in each of the last five years. [73108]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of NHS staff in each health care profession left the service and had to be replaced in the last year for which figures are available. [73109]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally for all health care professions. However, the number of joiners and leavers in the general practitioner workforce are tracked as part of the national health service workforce census.
In 2004 (the last year for which complete figures are available), 1,649 practitioners (excluding GP registrars and GP retainers) left the NHS in England. This equated to 5.2 per cent. of the practitioner workforce. In the same year, 2,930 practitioners (excluding GP registrars and GP retainers) joined the workforce. This equated to 9.3 per cent. of the workforce. The information collected shows only the numbers and proportion of leavers and joiners, it does not specify which of the leavers had to be replaced.
This information is not currently available for any other staff groups working in the NHS.
NHS Work Force
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the job title of each category of non-clinical job within the NHS in each strategic health authority area. [67947]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes to job titles have occurred within each strategic health authority area in the last two years. [67948]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes to job coding in the NHS workforce census were made between (a) 2003-04 and 2004-05 and (b) 2004-05 and 2005-06. [67946]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: National health service workforce census uses the occupation code manual as the basis for coding the jobs of staff. The census is run recording the position of the NHS workforce at the end of September. NHS organisations require 6 months notice of any changes made to the occupation code manual before they become mandatory in the census. Changes to the occupation code manual are announced through the publication of a data set change notice (DSCN).
The following DSCNs have relevance to the NHS workforce census and were issued between 1 May 2003 and 30 of April 2006. They are as follows:
DSCN 23/2003—which was issued in June 2003
(i) Introduction of new codes for:
qualified school nurses and other nurses working in school nursing
healthcare scientists working in: life sciences / pathology; physiological sciences; clinical engineering and physical sciences; and other healthcare science professions.
(ii) Deletion of scientific, therapeutic and technical codes rendered obsolete by the introduction of the new Healthcare Science codes above—in medical physics, pathology and physiological measurement.
DSCN 26/2004—which was issued in November 2004
(i) Introduction of new codes for: assistant practitioners, occupational therapy technicians and instructor/teachers in speech and language therapy.
(ii) Closure of scientist in clinical psychology and guidance for re coding assistant psychologists.
(iii) Improved guidance for: Emergency care practitioners, administrative managers, locums, pre-registration house offices, NHS Direct nursing, cadet nursing and nursing auxiliary, mental health workers.
DSCN 07/2005—which was issued in May 2005
(i) Introduction of a new specialty code for sports and exercise medicine for medical staff.
(ii) Introduction of codes for modern matrons and community matrons
(iii) Improved guidance for non-executives, general definitions for nurses and suggested re-coding for carer support workers.
DSCN 06/2006—which was issued in March 2006
(i) Recoding of ambulance matrix to allow greater level of detail.
(ii) Introduction of codes to track community matrons distinct from modern matrons.
Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings she has had with officials concerning primary care trusts in the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire strategic health authority area. [68928]
Andy Burnham [holding answer 8 May 2006]: There have been no specific meetings between departmental officials and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State to discuss Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge. However, a range of meetings with officials to discuss primary care trust reconfiguration have taken place, which as a matter of course will have included discussions on Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge.
Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to Northamptonshire Heartlands Primary Care Trust for the 2006-07 financial year; how much was allocated in each of the previous five years; how much is expected to be allocated in each of the next five years; and what percentage each figure represents of the Government's national standard amount in each year. [68957]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Revenue allocations were first made to primary care trusts (PCTS) in 2003-04. Prior to this, funding was allocated to health authorities (HAs).
The information requested is shown in the following table:
| Northamptonshire HA | Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT | England | ||||||
| Allocation (£ million) | Allocation per head (£) | Allocation per head relative to England average (Percentage) | Allocation (£ million) | Allocation per head (£) | Allocation per head relative to England average (Percentage) | Allocation (£ million) | Allocation per head (£) | |
| Notes It is not possible to compare allocations rounds for the following reasons: organisational changes and changes made to the weighted capitation formula for each allocations round, mean that comparisons between allocations rounds would not be on a like with like basis; services for which PCTs are responsible for funding change over time. For example, 2006-07 is the first year that primary medical services were incorporated into revenue allocations. Allocations are informed by a weighted capitation formula. No decision yet has been made on revenue allocations post 2007-08. Source: Department of Health |
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