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Opthalmic Services
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of ophthalmic services in (a) England and (b) each region was in each of the last five years. [88145]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Expenditure on national health service general ophthalmic services is shown in the following table. This covers the cost of NHS-funded sight tests and the cost of NHS optical vouchers to assist with the purchase of spectacles. The table also shows expenditure for the last five years to 2004-05, which is the latest year for which full accounts data is currently available. Data for NHS expenditure on hospital ophthalmic services is not available centrally.
Osteoarthritis
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at which locations her Department funds research into (a) understanding and (b) treatment of osteoarthritis; and if she will make a statement on the Government's strategy for researching osteoarthritis. [88632]
Andy Burnham: Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is currently devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects including a large number concerned with osteoarthritis are available on the national research register (NRR) at www.dh.gov.uk/research. NRR entries include the address of the hospital or other location at which the principal researcher is based.
The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the NHS. Information about osteoarthritis research commissioned by Department's national research programmes can similarly be found on the NRR.
The Government also support medical and clinical research by funding the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation.
The MRC spent £6.8 million on arthritis and rheumatism research in 2003-04, and is about to issue a highlight notice encouraging researchers to submit innovative proposals aimed at identifying factors involved in the maintenance of musculoskeletal health, especially where such research could underpin the development of new diagnostic approaches.
The approaches to the research are also important and the MRC wishes particularly to support longer-term collaborative research from new partnerships working at the interface of basic and clinical research. To this end, the MRC will consider collaborative funding with other research councils, charities and industry.
Osteoporosis
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) why the decision was made not to include measures to diagnose and treat osteoporosis within the Quality and Outcomes Frameworks; [83245]
(2) what consideration her Department has given to the inclusion of osteoporosis in the Quality and Outcomes Framework of the General Medical Services contract. [85581]
Andy
Burnham: As part of the negotiations for the new general
medical services contract for April 2006 an expert panel was engaged by
NHS Employers to receive and review submissions on clinical areas for
possible inclusion in the quality and outcomes framework (QOF). The
number of submissions to the panel for the inclusion of osteoporosis
totalled seven out of 514. All submissions were considered and the
expert panel produced reports which have been published on the
University of Birmingham website at:
www.pcpoh.bham.ac.uk/primarycare/QOF/index.htm. Copies have been placed
in the Library.
During the negotiations many clinical conditions were considered. The key criteria for inclusion in QOF were:
an evidence base for the effectiveness of intervention in primary care;
the health benefits likely to result from improved primary care; and
Government health priorities for investment through the contractual arrangements with general practitioners.
Due to technical problems with the proposed indicators and the degree of priority attached to other changes to the QOF, the proposals for osteoporosis were not taken forward for the 2006 contract changes. As part of the continuing development of the framework, indicators will be reviewed in the light of emerging evidence.
Out-of-hours Care
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average hourly rate of pay was for GPs providing out-of-hours care in 2005-06; [89110]
(2) if she will conduct an evaluation of standards of out-of-hours care following the introduction of the general medical service contract in 2004; and if she will make a statement. [89111]
Caroline Flint: Information on general practitioner pay for out-of-hours services is not collected centrally.
The National Audit Office published a report on “The Provision of Out-of-hours Care in England” on 5 May 2006. A copy has been placed in the Library.
The report highlights that patient experiences of out-of-hours services are generally positive.
Eight out of 10 patients are satisfied with the service, while six out of 10 rate the service as excellent or good.
Outsourcing
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what administrative functions for which her Department is responsible are outsourced overseas; and what assessment she has made of the merits of outsourcing further such functions overseas. [81554]
Caroline Flint: None of the Department’s administrative functions are outsourced overseas. However, in April 2005, the Department entered into a 50/50 joint venture partnership with Xansa to provide shared services to the national health service, called NHS Shared Business Services. NHS Shared Business Services now has over 100 clients on board for finance and accounting services and it is expanding into other areas such as payroll and e-procurement.
To date, NHS Shared Business Services has offshored some activities to India:
elements of information technology development;
user amendment and set-ups;
supplier information set-up and maintenance; and
accounts payable verification.
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