| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Mental Health
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the recent changes in the levels of services in mental and community health services in Northamptonshire. [85870]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The assessment of recent changes in the levels of services in mental and community health services in Northamptonshire is the responsibility of the NHS East Midlands strategic health authority (SHA).
It is for SHAs in conjunction with primary care trusts and other local stakeholders to plan and develop services to meet the needs of their local populations.
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department is taking to improve the safety of women patients in NHS mental health accommodation. [84801]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has already introduced a number of policy initiatives which will improve the safety of women patients in mental health accommodation, including: single sex accommodation guidance in 2000; a national suicide prevention strategy in 2002; psychiatric inpatient care best practice guidance in 2002; mainstreaming women's mental health guidance in 2003; and management of violence guidance in 2004 to make in-patient services safer, including clear guidance on single sex accommodation to which national health service trusts are expected to adhere. This allows for men and women within the same unit, providing that there are separate sleeping areas, separate bathrooms and appropriate operational policies and procedures in place to ensure each patient’s safety.
The Department’s statistical note of May 2005, “Elimination of mixed-sex hospital accommodation”, shows that 99 per cent. of mental health trusts and primary care trusts which provide mental health services meet these single-sex accommodation objectives. We are working closely with the remaining trusts to ensure that they achieve the necessary standards as quickly as possible. This is available on the Department’s website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/21/41/04112141.pdf
In 2005, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published guidelines on the management of violence in inpatient settings. Revised guidance on the management of aggression and violence is due to be published in September 2006 by the Care Service Improvement Partnership (CSIP), and this will also address issues of sexual safety.
The Healthcare Commission will include safety and the physical environment in their improvement review on acute inpatient care commencing in autumn 2006 and reporting in 2007. The Healthcare Commission will also include sexual safety in its review of inpatient mental health services due to be carried out in spring 2007.
In addition, the Department will participate in national programmes which will build on existing initiatives of protecting vulnerable patients in mental health services with CSIP, the National Patient Safety Agency, and other agencies to ensure that reporting and appropriate investigation of all such incidents occurs. For example, CSIP together with the current joint Home Office/Department programme on domestic and sexual violence will discuss with mental health trusts what type of guidance is most needed to help support this.
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were available in secure mental health wards in each year since 1997. [85410]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The average daily number of available beds for adults, excluding the elderly, in secure mental illness and in secure learning disability wards for each year from 1996-97 is shown in the table. Figures for 2005-06 are not yet available:
| Available beds in secure mental illness wards (daily average) | Available beds in secure learning disability wards (daily average) | Available beds (both types) | |
| Source: Department of Health form KH03 | |||
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for mental health services for Northamptonshire (a) was in 2005-06 and (b) is in 2006-07. [85871]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on budgets for mental health services for Northamptonshire for 2005-06 and 2006-07 is not held centrally.
Planned investment in mental health per head of weighted working age population in the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland strategic health authority (SHA) area for 2005-06 is provided in the table.
| Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland( 1) SHA | |
| (1)
This SHA merged with Trent SHA to become the East Midlands SHA
effective from 3
July. Source: 2005-06 National Survey of Investment in Mental Health Services. It is for primary care trusts to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations. | |
Midwives
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps are being taken to implement the Independent Midwives NHS Community Midwifery Model in all parts of the country; [85765]
(2) what recent discussions she has had with midwives’ representatives in relation to the Independent Midwives NHS Community Midwifery Model. [85766]
Mr.
Ivan Lewis: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) in
partnership with strategic health authorities (SHAs) and other local
stakeholders to determine which
models best suit the local needs of women and the midwifery workforce.
This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the
health community including the provision of maternity
services.
Ministers and officials met with the Independent Midwives Association (IMA) in August 2005 and again in March 2006 to discuss their proposal of a national health service community midwifery model. The IMA was asked by Liam Byrne, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Care Services, to identify a PCT and SHA, together with a group of midwives, who would be willing to test the model and help to create an outline contract. That process is continuing.
Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust has to sell the site occupied by the Fraser Day hospital in Newport Pagnell. [85827]
Andy Burnham: It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
Multiple Sclerosis
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) males and (b) females are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, broken down by age; what medication is available to those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; and if she will make a statement. [87105]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not collected.
Under the MS risk-sharing scheme, a joint venture between the Department and drug manufacturers, beta interferon and glatiramer acetate are available to patients who meet the criteria of the Association of British Neurologists, including those with secondary progressive MS. In addition, all patients living with multiple sclerosis have access to a wide range of medications to help manage the symptoms associated with this disease. These include drugs for the relief of pain, depression, spasticity and bladder problems.
NHS Direct
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2006, Official Report, column 1050W, on NHS Direct, what steps is she taking to measure the net value of NHS Direct to the national health service. [57539]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 10 March 2006]: Regular performance review meetings are held between the Department and NHS Direct. This review includes indicators in relation to the percentage of urgent and emergency referrals and the percentage of calls completed by NHS Direct without onward referral.
NHS Direct applies consistent methods to assess the clinical needs of people contacting them across the country. According to that assessment they give advice on self care, provide access to a nurse or, where appropriate, advice on seeing a doctor, or other part of the national health service. This ensures that people are able to access health services appropriately.
NHS Direct provides a 24-hour service, 365 days a year, that is shown in monthly patient satisfaction surveys, to be highly valued by people seeking advice on health and health care.
The service is available through a variety of channels—by telephone, through the internet or through their television sets in the comfort of their own home. NHS Direct also provides medical and dental out of hours services for a number of primary care trusts and is developing a number of services to support and complement other NHS organisations, including pilot work to proactively support patients with long-term conditions, as well as pre-operative screening and post-operative follow up services. Its work to support people in their homes is an important contribution to the changes in services needed to meet people’s needs as set out in the White paper, “Our health, our care, our say, a new direction for community services”.
NHS Finance
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria will apply to the use of capital money for the NHS; and whether capital receipts for the sale of closed community hospitals will be able to be reused in new community facilities. [85077]
Andy Burnham: The Department’s capital investment plans are set out in chapter 4 of the ‘Departmental Report 2006’ published in May of this year.
National health service trusts and primary care trusts may retain the proceeds of disposals for reinvestment up to their delegated limits. The sums above this limit go back to the strategic health authority for local prioritisation and it would be unusual for them not to be reinvested in the locality.
As long as the sale proceeds are used for capital investment, such as investment in buildings and equipment, it is for local managers to decide what types of facility are bought and this could include investment in a new community hospital.
The Government have recently announced a central capital fund of £750 million to invest in community hospitals projects and the criteria that will apply to this money is set out in the recently published document ‘Our health, our care, our community’ and are available on the Department’s website at www.dh.gov.uk
NHS Performance
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 7 June 2006, Official Report, column 264, on NHS performance, (1) what the financial impact was of the (a) social and economic deprivation, (b) proportion of elderly people living in the community and (c) demands of a rural economy element of the funding formula on each primary care trust in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2006-07; [81960]
(2) what other elements in addition to those mentioned are contained in the funding formula for local health trusts; and how these are weighted within the formula in respect of their potential proportionate impact on local health trust budgets; [81962]
(3) what assessment she has made of the potential (a) financial impact and (b) proportionate overall funding impact on the average primary care trust (PCT) of (i) the demand of a rural economy, (ii) the proportion of elderly people living within the community, (iii) social and economic deprivation, (iv) the market forces factor and (v) all other elements which create variability of funding for PCTs and health trusts; [81963]
(4) what financial impact (a) the demands of a rural economy, (b) the proportion of elderly people living within the community, (c) social and economic deprivation and (d) the market forces factor have on the available budget for each of the three Cornish primary care trusts. [81997]
Andy Burnham: Funding for primary care trusts (PCTs) is informed by a weighted capitation formula which determines their target shares of available resources to enable them to commission similar levels of healthcare for populations with similar healthcare need.
Four elements are used to set PCTs’ actual allocations:
weighted capitation targets which are set according to the national weighted capitation formula which calculates PCTs’ target shares of available resources by adjusting PCT populations for age (to allow for different levels of health need in different age groups), additional need (highly correlated to social and economic deprivation) and unavoidable geographical differences in the cost of providing healthcare (the market forces factor (MFF));
recurrent baselines which represent the actual current allocation which PCTs receive. For each allocation year the recurrent baseline is the previous year’s actual allocation, plus any adjustments made within the financial year;
distance from target (DFT) which is the difference between weighted capitation targets and recurrent baselines above. If the weighted capitation targets are greater than recurrent baselines, a PCT is said to be under target. If the weighted capitation targets are smaller than recurrent baselines, a PCT is said to be over target; and
pace of change policy which determines the level of increase which all PCTs get to deliver on national and local priorities and the level of extra resources to under target PCTs to move them closer to their weighted capitation targets.
Because there are four elements to PCT allocations, it is not possible to state the financial impact of each adjustment in the formula.
There are separate components in the formula for different services: hospital and community health services (HCHS), primary medical services, prescribing and HIV/AIDS. Within each component, each adjustment for age, additional need and unavoidable costs is expressed as an index comparing the PCT score on the adjustment to the national average. These indices are listed in “2003-04 to 2005-06 Primary Care Trust Revenue Resource Limits Exposition Book” and “2006-07 and 2007-08 Primary Care Trust Initial Revenue Resource Limits Exposition Book” which are available in the Library.
The
demands of a rural economy are reflected in both the additional need
and unavoidable cost adjustments.
The additional need adjustment recognises that access to services is
more difficult in rural areas by including measures of distance to
providers in the statistical modelling. The unavoidable cost adjustment
includes an adjustment for emergency ambulance services where
geographical cost differences are partly accounted for by
rurality.
A full explanation of the elements in the weighted capitation formula and their weights is provided in “Resource Allocation Weighted Capitation Formula Fifth Edition” which is available in the Library.
PCTs (Debt Cancellation)
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial arrangements were which enabled the Ellesmere West and the Ellesmere Port and Neston primary care trusts to cancel their historic debts; whether the arrangements were approved by Ministers; and if she will make a statement. [82535]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 5 July 2006]: As part of its 2006-07 financial management strategy, Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority (SHA) agreed to use the SHA reserve to absorb £15 million of Cheshire West primary care trust (PCT) carry-forward of overspending from previous years and £6 million of Ellesmere Port and Neston PCTs carry-forward of overspending from previous years.
SHAs are responsible for delivering overall financial balance for their local health communities, and ensuring each and every body achieves financial balance.
People Trafficking
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training is available for social workers to help them identify and detect victims of trafficking. [87080]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: It is the responsibility of the General Social Care Council, the regulatory body for social workers, to approve the courses for pre-registration and post-qualification training in social work.
It is the responsibility of social care service providers to ensure that their employees are suitably qualified and competent to carry out their role.
Rural Health Services
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how she assesses the needs of the rural population in making funding allocations within the NHS. [85135]
Andy Burnham: Revenue allocations are made to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted-capitation formula is used to determine each PCT’s target share of available resources. In calculating relative health needs, the formula includes an adjustment related to the age of the population, as well as an additional need adjustment that is related to the level of deprivation. In addition, the formula takes account of the difficulties of accessing services in rural areas.
The development
of the weighted-capitation formula is continuously overseen by the
advisory committee on resource allocation (ACRA). This is an
independent
body, which has national health service management, general practitioner
and academic members. The ACRA work programme post 2007-08 includes
further consideration of rurality issues.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |