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26 Oct 2006 : Column 2107W—continued
Regional Health Authorities (Personnel)
Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued to regional health authorities on (a) establishment numbers and (b) headcount as a measure of efficiency. [96710]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not give advice to strategic health authorities (SHAs) on establishment numbers or headcount as a measure of efficiency.
We would expect SHAs to work with providers and commissioners to enable the local health community to become more efficient using supporting tools such as the “Better Care, Better Value” indicators.
Residential Care
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support her Department offers to directors of adult social care in providing a choice of residential care for those who have both learning and physical disabilities. [94740]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding 19 October 2006]: The Government are committed to ensuring that people are given a choice when deciding which care home to enter once they have decided that their needs will best be met in a care home.
The Choice of Accommodation Directions 1992 allow people who have been assessed by local authorities as requiring to move to a care home to exercise real and genuine choice over where they live. The Department issued revised guidance to local authorities on 14 October 2004.
In September 2004, the Department published a clarification note for commissioners and regulation and inspection authorities. This provides clarification on the policy framework for commissioning learning disability services and emphasises the key principle that local needs should be addressed by local expertise and resources.
Risk Assessments
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what risk assessments the NHS has carried out on the health consequences of leaving perishable waste uncollected for up to two weeks. [95823]
Caroline Flint: The NHS has not carried out any risk assessment on the health consequence of leaving perishable waste uncollected for up to two weeks. This is not an issue for the NHS.
Domestic waste collection is a local authority responsibility. All issues with regard to domestic waste collection and domestic waste management reside with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and issues with respect to local authorities reside with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). These Departments have legislative and regulatory powers in this area, something that neither the Department nor the NHS has. Should either DEFRA or DCLG have any health concerns with regard to waste disposal or collection policy they would raise them with the Department.
Royal Sussex County Hospital
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total salary bill is for (a) the Royal Sussex county hospital, (b) Worthing hospital and (c) Southlands hospital in West Sussex. [93348]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
South Petherton Hospital
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when South Petherton Hospital will be reopened; and if she will make a statement. [95310]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This is a local matter. Local national health service (NHS) organisations are responsible for decisions about local services in their area. NHS South West has advised officials that the former South Somerset Primary Care Trust (PCT) has developed a business case for the redevelopment of South Petherton Hospital, which would need to be considered by the newly formed Somerset PCT.
The hon. Member may wish to approach the PCT directly for further details on this matter.
Trust Deficits
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for St. Ives (Andrew George) of 4 September 2006, Official Report, columns 2177-78W, on Trust deficits, when her Department’s chief economic adviser was commissioned to undertake detailed analysis of the causes of NHS deficits; which individuals and organisations are supporting the analysis; when she expects the analysis to be completed; whether she has
drawn any interim conclusions from the analysis completed thus far; and if she will publish the analysis when complete. [91800]
Andy Burnham: In his report on the financial position of the national health service at provisional outturn, 2005-06, published in June 2006 the Director General of Finance and Investment gave notice of his intention to ask the Department’s Chief Economic Adviser to undertake further detailed analysis of the causes of deficits. The terms of reference for this work were finalized during the summer.
The Chief Economic Adviser is working with economists and finance professionals within the Department of Health, the Health and Social Care Information Centre, the Centre of Health Economics at the University of York, and various NHS stakeholders (including PCTs and NHS trusts) to complete this analysis. We expect the work to be completed in the autumn. The Department will publish the findings of this study in due course.
Independent Government auditors agree with our assessment that there is no single, simple cause of deficits, just as there are no single, simple solutions for eradicating them.
West Sussex Health Care
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the reconfiguration of health services in West Sussex. [94866]
Andy Burnham: Due to the way data are collected, the Department is unable to provide the number of letters received in relation to the proposed reconfiguration of health services in West Sussex.
Worthing Hospital
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most common reason for (a) out-patient and (b) in-patient admission to Worthing Hospital was in the most recent period for which figures are available. [93274]
Andy Burnham: The information requested is available only at trust level. The table details the top 10 finished admission episodes by primary diagnosis for Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust for 2004-05.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were admitted to Worthing Hospital Accident and Emergency Department in each of the last three years. [93350]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is only collected at trust level. The information in the table details the number of attendances at, and admissions through, the accident and emergency (A and E) department at Worthing and Southlands National Health Service Trust, 2003-04 to 2005-06.
| Organisation | Number of admissions via A and E | Total A and E attendances | |
| Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE. | |||
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most common reason for admission to Worthing hospital Accident and Emergency Department was in the most recent period for which figures are available. [93355]
Andy Burnham: The information requested is only available at trust level. The following table details the top 10 finished admission episodes by primary diagnosis via accident and emergency departments for Worthing and Southlands hospitals national health service trust for 2004-05:
| Primary diagnosis | Finished admission episodes | |
| Notes: 1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital. 3. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). 4. Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England. The Health and Social Care Information Centre liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care | ||
Home Department
Adult Defendants
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many adult defendants (a) found guilty and (b) given custodial sentences in court cases were (i) asylum seekers, (ii) illegal immigrants, (iii) legal immigrants not yet granted leave to remain in the UK and (iv) immigrants granted leave to remain in the UK, in each of the last five years; [77410]
(2) what percentage of (a) adult defendants, (b) adult defendants found guilty of offences and (c) those given a custodial sentence in each of the last five years were (i) born in the UK and (ii) not born in the UK. [77413]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account is taken of the suppliers of animals used in laboratory experiments when assessing the compliance of facilities licensed to conduct such activities with regulatory requirements. [96291]
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