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25 May 2006 : Column 2008W—continued
NHS Finances
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2006, Official Report, column 1175W, on NHS finances, what responsibility the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority has with regard to the financial management of the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. [73743]
Caroline Flint: Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority (SHA) has no formal responsibility over financial management of national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs). SHAs no longer performance-manage NHSFTs. As independently regulated organisations, the board of directors of a NHSFT is responsible for the organisation's performance.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2006, Official Report, column 1175W, on NHS finances, whether the Department of Health requires the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority to achieve financial balance in 2006-07, including clearing accumulated deficits from prior years. [73744]
Caroline Flint: The new strategic health authority (SHA) boundaries were announced on 12 April 2006. From 1 July 2006, the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA will form part of the South West SHA.
The Department is currently in discussion with the constituent parts of the new South West SHA about their 2006-07 financial plan which will contribute to financial balance across the national health service in 2006-07.
NHS Supplies Market
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the supplies market within the NHS will be controlled and regulated; and if she will make a statement. [49249]
Andy Burnham: The Department’s policy on the procurement of goods and services in or on behalf of the national health service is based on value for money, having due regard to propriety and regularity and ensuring full compliance with the European Union public procurement directive and other regulatory requirements. The directive promotes equal treatment, transparency and competitive procurement.
Owing to the complexity and variety of products and services within the NHS supplies market detailed management is ultimately based on a case by case basis against the background of the specific category market.
However the structure of the Department and of the NHS means that the relevant bodies will work together to ensure that key purchasing and supply performance measures are integrated into the overall management of NHS performance.
NHS Treatment (Scottish Residents)
Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people normally resident in Scotland received NHS treatment in England in 2005. [72608]
Andy Burnham: Approximately 5,314(1) people normally resident in Scotland received national health service treatment in England in 2004-05.
(1 ) Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.
Over-the-Counter Medicines Initiative
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the progress of the “Better regulation for over-the-counter medicines” initiative. [67797]
Andy Burnham: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement published in the House on 23 May 2006.
Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the market share distribution for the supply of oxycodone hydrochloride; what steps are being taken to increase the number of suppliers; and when she expects more suppliers to enter the market. [73505]
Andy Burnham: Napp is currently the only company marketing oxycodone hydrochloride products in the United Kingdom. It is a commercial decision for any company to enter a particular market. The Department has no information regarding new suppliers entering the market.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the debt of those hospitals which
are in deficit and those hospitals which have been in deficit over the last two complete years for which figures are available is accounted for by the annual private finance initiative charge. [72361]
Andy Burnham: The table provides details of unitary payments and deficits from the audited accounts for private finance initiative (PFI) schemes for the last two complete years.
There is no direct correlation between a trust meeting its PFI unitary charge and incurring a deficit, as the following table shows. Unitary payments—paid for from a trust’s general revenue allocations—include elements for hard and soft facilities management services, financing costs as well as ensuring the availability of the facility, and are just one component of a trust’s total expenditure.
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | ||||
| Commissioning body | Capital value (£ million) | Unitary payment (£ million) | Surplus/deficit (£000) | Unitary payment (£ million) | Surplus/deficit (£000) |
| (1) Hard facilities management only therefore lower unitary payments compared to the rest of the table. |
Primary Care Trusts
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what she expects the impact on primary care trust finances to be of the move to payment by results in areas where acute trusts are most efficient; and if she will make a statement. [73344]
Andy Burnham [holding answer 24 May 2006]: Primary care trusts (PCTs) that have historically paid less than the national average cost will pay more for activity covered by payment by results, whereas PCTs that have been paying above national average cost will pay less. In 2006-07, allocations to PCTs have been adjusted to help smooth the impact of this change in expenditure.
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected costs are of the implementation of the new configuration of primary care trusts in Bedfordshire; and if she will make a statement. [72959]
Andy Burnham: Total costs are dependent on a number of factors, including the number of new organisations, the number of people in the new organisations, new pay ranges for very senior managers, as well as changes in estate costs following reconfiguration.
For these reasons, it is not possible to give definite costs.
We anticipate, however, that the reconfiguration of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire will save £7 million.
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received about the impact of the new configuration of primary care trusts in Bedfordshire on the financial deficit of Bedfordshire Heartlands; what impact she expects the new configuration to have on the deficit; and if she will make a statement. [72960]
Andy Burnham: Ministers have received a range of representations about primary care trust (PCT) reconfiguration in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. However, no representations have been received about the impact of PCT reconfiguration on the financial deficit of Bedfordshire Heartlands.
We anticipate that the reconfiguration of strategic health authorities (SHAs) and PCTs in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire will save £7 million.
SHAs and PCTs are currently drawing up plans to achieve financial balance and these will be reviewed by the Department in June.
Runaway Children
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to safeguard the health of children and young people who run away or go missing from home or care. [73349]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The “Every child matters: change for children” programme, a joint programme between the Department and the Department for Education and Skills, sets out the national framework for local change programmes to build services around the needs of children and young people. “Change for children” is particularly concerned with targeting support on children most at risk of negative outcomes, such as those associated with running away or going missing. As part of this programme, the Children Act 2004 reforms place a duty on a range of health bodies to have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and to co-operate
with local authorities to improve integrated working arrangements so that key people and bodies are working towards shared outcomes.
The national service framework for children, young people and maternity services published in September 2004 is a 10-year programme also intended to stimulate long-term and substantial improvement in children's health and in the better outcomes that are the result of better health. The Department will be seeking to make health an integral part of the everyday services that young people use.
It is possible for any child or young person to access national health service primary medical services by registering as a patient with a local general practitioner practice. Where a child is being registered, an application may be made on their behalf by a parent or other person who has parental responsibility for them. It is also possible to access primary care services through a NHS walk-in centre or NHS Direct where there is no need to register.
Services in all primary care trust areas, including primary, community, specialist and acute services, need to take account of young people's needs. By creating services centred around the needs of children and families and ensuring that every child achieves their potential, these reforms will close the gap between those who do well and those who do not, including, for example, children and young people who run away or go missing from home or care.
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