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Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recommendations have been made by the turnaround team auditors of the Royal Cornwall hospitals' trust in respect of (a) hospital services, (b) hospital sites and (c) hospital staff. [87662]
Andy Burnham: The turnaround plan is produced locally by the trust with its partners where the specific information will be available.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, announced the turnaround teams in a written ministerial statement on 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 37WS.
The first stage was a baseline assessment, the aim of which was to ensure there is an agreed understanding of the local financial problem and that actions were in hand to address the problem. The contract for the baseline assessment, which took place for the royal Cornwall hospital’s trust in February 2006, was awarded to consultants KPMG.
This assessment stage resulted in KPMG rating organisations as:
immediate priority. Need for urgent intervention to drive turnaround;
additional expertise/resource needed to support the turnaround;
drive/focus. Maintain high priority of actions; and
regular challenge of management. Encourage to share what works and deliver easy wins.
The Royal Cornwall hospital NHS trust was rated by KPMG as an immediate priority and needing urgent intervention to drive turnaround. The KPMG assessment therefore did not make specific recommendations in relation to actions for individual organisations. The trust subsequently appointed advisers to help the trust produce a turnaround plan which describes the actions that the trust plans to undertake.
Rule of Rescue Principle
Mr.
Love: To ask the Secretary of State for
Health whether the rule of rescue principle applies to NHS
treatment of (a) brain tumours and (b) other conditions;
and if she will make a statement.
[49591]
Andy Burnham: Decisions on the most appropriate care of any individual patient are usually taken by their treating clinician in consultation with the patient, bearing in mind the individual’s clinical circumstances, relevant evidence and the need to make effective use of the national health service’s resources.
Rural Health Services
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment of health needs in rural areas is undertaken by (a) her Department and (b) primary care trusts. [85134]
Andy Burnham: Nationally, the Department rural proofs policy across much of its business. In policy development we ensure that all communities, including those in rural areas, are able to benefit from our national objectives for healthcare. Examples of our rural proofing activity can be found in the Commission for Rural Communities annual report on rural proofing at: www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk. This commends our White Paper “Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services” highlighting policies aimed at providing care closer to the home. Proposals for social care and integration, initiatives to support carers, such as a dedicated telephone helpline, and set of community hospitals will be particularly beneficial to rural populations.
The Department’s document “Health reform in England: update and commissioning framework”, published on 13 July 2006, sets out a framework for strengthening commissioning in the new primary care trusts (PCTs). An essential part of this is the effective assessment of the health needs of all communities, including those in rural areas. PCTs’ effectiveness is assessed by the strategic health authorities, as well as by the Healthcare Commission.
To further support delivery of health objectives in rural communities, the Department with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs funded the Institute of Rural Health, an independent research charity, for the production of a rural proofing toolkit. This was launched at the House of Commons in October 2005, and now acts as a resource for primary care organisations to help ensure that all health care delivery is accessible and appropriate for people living in rural areas.
Section 19 Referrals
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for which trusts and strategic health authorities auditors have considered, but not made, section 19 referrals in the last 12 months; [85623]
(2) pursuant to her answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 605W, on the Audit Commission Act, how many reports she has received in each category since issuing that response; [85639]
(3)
pursuant to her answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column
605W, on the Audit Commission Act, for what reason (a) West
Midlands strategic health authority, (b) West Hertfordshire
hospitals NHS trust
and (c) Avon Ambulance Service NHS trust were absent from her
response in the Official Report of 21 June 2006, column 1942W;
[85640]
(4) pursuant to her answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 605W, on the Audit Commission Act, for what reason East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is not listed; [85641]
(5) pursuant to her answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 604W, on the Audit Commission Act, if she will break down the number of (a) Section 8 reports, (b) Section 19 referrals and (c) Qualifications on accounts Section 19 referrals by month since 2003, including any referrals that have been made since that answer. [85642]
Andy Burnham: Consideration of whether or not to make a referral under section 19 of the Audit Commission Act 1998 is a matter solely for the appointed auditor and information is not available centrally on instances where this has been considered, but no referral has been made.
Since the answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 605W, two further referrals have been made in respect of organisations having little prospect of achieving financial balance within a three or five year period.
In the response of 21 June 2006, Official Report, column 1942W, West Hertfordshire national health service trust was included in the list of section 8 reports under West Hertfordshire Quadrant, which also constituted a referral under section 19. The referral for Avon Ambulance Trust was not included as it had not been made at the time of compilation of the answer.
The previous answers referred to above omitted West Midlands South strategic health authority (from the answer of 21 June) and East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (from the answer of 29 June), and the number of qualifications on account referrals in 2003 should have been 16 (in the table in the answer of 29 June).
The number of section 8 reports, section 19 referrals and qualification on accounts section 19 referrals by month since 2003 is in the following tables.
Sexual Health
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what interim monitoring her Department is undertaking of the delivery by primary care trusts and strategic health authorities of the Government’s 2008 targets (a) to reduce the level of new infections of gonorrhoea and (b) to ensure that all patients have access to genito-urinary medicine clinics within 48 hours. [81520]
Caroline Flint: Data on the number of sexually transmitted infections for 2005 for each region was published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on 4 July in each region. The number of cases of gonorrhoea has decreased by 14 per cent. in England since 2004. The report is freely available from the HPA website at:
www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/datatables2005.htm
Sexual health and access to genito-urinary (GUM) clinics is one of the six top priorities for the national health service in 2006-07. By 2008 everyone should be offered an appointment within 48 hours of contacting a GUM clinic. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) have all submitted plans to meet this target.
The GUM clinic waiting times audit collects data on waiting times for all GUM clinics in England for a period of one week every quarter. All patients attending a GUM clinic with a new episode or registering for the first time are asked to complete the short questionnaire on waiting times. This audit has been chosen as the initial method of monitoring and improving access to genitor-urinary medicine services. Current analysis is published on numbers seen within 48 hours. The most recent survey is for May 2006 which shows that in England 54 per cent. of attendees were seen within 48 hours and a further 4 per cent. were offered an appointment but did not attend. This compares with 45 per cent. seen within 48 hours in May 2004. A summary of the data is published on the HPA website at the following web address:
www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/results_May_2006.htm
In addition the Department is working with SHAs and primary care trusts to establish a new continuous monitoring system for GUM access to all local areas to better performance manage their progress to the 2008 target. We expect GUM services to start returning data in August 2006.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) gonorrhoea, (b) syphilis, (c) chlamydia and (d) thrush were diagnosed in each primary care trust in London in the last year for which figures are available. [81687]
Caroline Flint: Data on the number of sexually transmitted infections for 2005 for each region was published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on 4 July in each region. Copies have been placed in the Library. The report is freely available from the HPA website at:
www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/datatables2005.htm
Figures on the number of cases of thrush are not collected centrally.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many free condoms her Department has issued in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87506]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 November 2005, Official Report, column 635W.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners have opted out of providing sexual health services in each year from 1997 to 2005 (a) in total and (b) broken down by region. [89089]
Caroline Flint: This information is not collected centrally.
Shared Business Services
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS organisations have transferred their finance, accounting and payroll services to shared business services; what estimate she has made of the reduction in the number of NHS posts as a result of the transfer of these services; and to what extent predicted cost savings have been achieved. [86147]
Andy Burnham: Since the inception in April 2005 of the Department’s 50/50 Joint Venture (JV) with Xansa to provide shared services to the national health service, 56 NHS organisations have transferred their finance and accounting to the JV, whilst 20 have transferred payroll.
The estimate of the reduction in the number of NHS posts as a result of the transfer of these services is over 200.
For the 56 trusts
that have joined for finance and accounting, they are achieving savings
of over 30 per cent. (which is relative to their previous in house
costs) and greater than the original commitment by the JV of
achieving 20 per cent. savings. This amounts to a saving for the 56, of
circa £3.9 million per
annum.
Sight Loss (Emotional Support)
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) primary care trusts and (b) social services departments provide emotional support services for patients in Shropshire at the time of sight loss. [88673]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally. It can be obtained from Shropshire County Primary Care Trust and Shropshire county council.
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