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5 Jun 2006 : Column 350W—continued
Agency Workers
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the NHS salary budget was spent on agency workers in 2005-06; and if she will make a statement. [73261]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department collects expenditure information on non-national health service staff. Non-NHS staff expenditure includes all agency staff and any other staff not directly employed.
Data for 2005-06 are not yet available.
Agenda for Change
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation there has been with ambulance technicians and paramedics in the national level discussions on Agenda for Change policy for those professions. [72771]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The provisions of Agenda for Change for ambulance staff were agreed by the NHS Staff Council following detailed discussions with nationally recognised unions and professionals representing ambulance staff.
Ambulance Services
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations she has received from hon. Members expressing opposition to the proposed reconfiguration of NHS ambulance services. [68443]
Ms Rosie Winterton: A 14-week consultation on the proposed configuration of national health service ambulance trusts in England was led by strategic health authorities (SHAs) and ended on 22 March 2006. The responses submitted by SHAs together with letters sent directly to the Department indicate that there have been about 40 written responses from hon. Members expressing varying degrees of concern about the reconfiguration proposals. These were considered carefully before making the decisions announced on 16 May 2006, Official Report, columns 849-66.
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on Government policy on the outsourcing of non-emergency ambulance services. [70098]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for ensuring that there is provision of ambulance services, which could include patient transport services, to such extent as they consider necessary to meet all
reasonable requirements. It is, therefore, for the local national health service to decide who provides patient transport services for eligible patients in their area.
A range of different providers may and do provide patient transport services, for example the local ambulance service, private or voluntary sector providers, or a combination of these organisations. It is for PCTs to ensure that that they are getting the best service for the best price. The ambulance review “Taking Healthcare to the Patient: Transforming NHS Ambulance Services” set out our intention to develop a system of accreditation of independent ambulance providers, which should help PCTs further in making this assessment.
Audiologists
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library the full-time equivalent figures for the number of qualified audiologists at each hospital trust at 30 September 2004. [74331]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The table showing the number of full-time equivalent (fte) health care scientists working in audiology in September 2004 by primary care trust and trust has been placed in the Library. The total number has increased by 4 per cent. to 1,421 fte in September 2005.
Barts/Broomfield Hospitals PFI
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2006, Official Report, column 577W, on Barts/Broomfield Hospitals PFI, to the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mark Hunter), when departmental officials will write to NHS trusts letting them know how the private finance initiative reappraisal process will work; and if she will place a copy of this letter in the Library. [66058]
Andy Burnham: Trusts have had the broad nature of the reappraisal exercise, including a summary of the key indicators being used by the Department, outlined to them in a number of meetings with officials. The exercise is already under way, and over the coming months the lead official responsible for the exercise will be visiting all trusts with private finance initiative projects.
These arrangements were confirmed in the letter from Sir Ian Carruthers to all national health service organisations on the 10 May 2006. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library.
Bowel Cancer
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer questions (a) 65745, (b) 65744, (c) 65381 and (d) 63643, on the bowel cancer screening programme, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere. [70896]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Replies were given on 10 and 12 May.
Cancer Treatment (Beta Glucan)
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has evaluated on the efficacy of beta glucan in treating cancer. [74415]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are no authorised medicinal products available in the United Kingdom containing beta glucan so its efficacy in treating cancer has not been established.
Capital Projects
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust on capital projects in the Tamworth constituency in each of the last five years. [71247]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table on total capital expenditure by Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust (PCT) 2001-02 to 2004-05.
| £000 | |
| Notes: 1. Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT was established on 1 April 2001 2. 2004-05 is the latest year for which information is available. Sources: Audited summarisation schedules of the Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT 2001-02 to 2004-05 | |
Care Homes
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in care homes paid top-up fees in each region of England in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [74078]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This information is not collected centrally in the form requested. However, in the UK- wide survey of care homes conducted by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for their report “Care Homes for Older People in the UK”, published in May 2005, the OFT found that the average care home in the United Kingdom had 32 places of which seven were paid for by a combination of the local authority and a third party top-up.
We increased total resources available for social services by an average of 6 per cent. a year in real terms over the three years 2003-04 to 2005-06. These increases follow a 20 per cent. increase in the level of funding for social services between 1996-97 and 2002-03. This enables local councils to purchase the services to meet their residents’ needs.
Chiropractic Management
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to enable NHS patients to choose chiropractic management of their musculoskeletal disorders. [73326]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The national health service currently provides a range of services for people with musculoskeletal conditions including, where appropriate, access to chiropractic services.
Improvements in the care offered to people with musculoskeletal conditions will be supported by the musculoskeletal framework (MSF), which will be published later this year. The MSF will promote the development of services outside hospital, based on informed self-care and better access to a range of health care professionals. The MSF will also build on the principles of current Government policy, ensuring that musculoskeletal services are organised, as far as possible, around the needs and choices of individual patients.
Community Nursing
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the age profile is of the current workforce of community nurses; and how many community nurses who are in post will reach retirement age in the next 10 years; [72264]
(2) how many community nursing posts there are in the NHS in England; how many are vacant; and how many have been vacant for (a) three months or less, (b) three to six months and (c) six months to a year; [72261]
(3) how many qualified community nurses were employed in management roles in January (a) 2000, (b) 2003 and (c) 2006; [72262]
(4) how many NHS trusts are employing health care assistants in community nursing roles. [72263]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of community nursing staff and their age profile as at September 2005 has been placed in the Library as well as information on the number of community nurses by level and each specified area of work as at September 2000, 2003 and 2005.
Vacancy information for the community nurses group is not collected centrally. However, information on the number of vacancies and three-month vacancy rate for constituent groups of community nurses has also been placed in the Library.
Information on posts which have been vacant for three months or less or specifically six months to a year is not collected centrally.
The national health service workforce census for 2006 will not be conducted until September 2006.
Information on the number of NHS trusts employing health care assistants in community nursing roles is not collected centrally.
Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Minister of State will reply to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire’s letter of 25 April. [73892]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This letter was replied to on 25 May 2006.
Critical Care Hospital (St. Helier)
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if, in considering the Epsom and St. Helier NHS Hospital Trust's response to her insistence that the new critical care hospital be at St. Helier, she will look again at the concerns, particularly from the elderly residents of Mole Valley, at the transport difficulties and delays to travel to St. Heliers; [74464]
(2) when she will reply to the Epsom and St. Helier NHS Hospital Trust's reply to her direction that St. Helier be the preferred site for the new hospital build; [74465]
(3) if she will take the representations received from elderly residents of Mole Valley on travel to St. Heliers into account when considering the response from St. Helier NHS Hospital Trust to her direction that the proposed new critical care hospital be situated in St. Helier. [74542]
Caroline Flint: The Department has received the response from the local national health service on St. Helier and is currently considering the situation.
Dentistry
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) orthodontic consultants and (b) fully trained specialist registrars in orthodontics there were in (a) England and (b) Beverley and Holderness in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [66524]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available by constituency. Information for England, North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire strategic health authority, and Hull and East Yorkshire hospitals national health service trust is shown in the following table:
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