| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
7 Nov 2006 : Column 1305W—continued
NICE
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the case for reviewing the remit and scope of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence investigations to ensure that they are able adequately to access the wider benefits of treatments to society, across health and social care and to carers and families. [97997]
Andy Burnham: The Department has received16 letters regarding the remit and scope of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), linked to NICE’S appraisal of drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. Information for other representations regarding the remit and scope of NICE could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring she undertakes of the extent to which the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence takes note of all responses received through a technology appraisal consultation process; and if she will make a statement. [99203]
Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence publishes details of responses to each appraisal consultation document on its website, along with a summary of the appraisal committees consideration of comments received.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is required to take into account the availability of alternative treatment when publishing technology appraisal guidance that (a) limits and (b) does not enable prescription of a treatment on the NHS; and if she will make a statement. [99204]
Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)’s technology appraisal methodology involves an assessment of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of an intervention compared with alternative treatment options. Full information on NICE’s appraisal methodology is published on its website at www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=82117.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she issues to clinicians about compliance with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence when there are no licensed treatments available for treatment of their patients; and if she will make a statement. [99205]
Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is not responsible for the licensing of pharmaceutical products. It provides advice to the national health service on the clinicaland cost-effectiveness of specific technologies or interventions, including both drugs and devices.
The Department has issued guidance to the NHS in the form of Health Service Circular 1999/176 which sets out the action local NHS organisations should take in reaching decisions on the use of particular technologies, including new drugs, where NICE has not yet issued guidance. The Department’s guidance on this issue is under review and updated guidance will be published later in the year.
Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether intervention guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is mandatory. [100029]
Andy Burnham: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence interventional procedures guidance is incorporated into the core safety standards. Guidance to the national health service was published in Health Service Circular 2003/011 which is available in the Library.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been received by the health service from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in the last two years. [98126]
Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
The Energy Act 2004 provides for the NDA to give encouragement and other support to activities that benefit the social or economic lives of communities near their sites. In furtherance of this, the NDA have agreed to provide £18 million over three years to assist in providing gap funding for community hospitals in West Cumbria while plans for a new acute hospital in the area are developed. In the financial year 2005-06, £4 million was provided with two further payments of £7 million committed for 2006-07 and 2007-08. This is set out in the NDA’s Annual Report and Accounts 2005-06 which is available on the NDA’s website at www.nda.gov.uk.
Nurse and Physiotherapy Training
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely effect of cuts in the multi-professional education and training levy for the South Central strategic health authority on the training of (a) nurses and (b) physiotherapists. [99560]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Decisions on training commissions are for local determination by the strategic health authorities (SHA) and are based on service need. SHAs will be keeping a close watch to ensure there is a sufficient supply of nurses and physiotherapists to meet the needs of local communities.
Nurses
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the adequacy of maternity pay awarded to nurses who work in hospices; and if she will make a statement. [93438]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The terms and conditions of hospice staff are a matter for the individual employing organisations. However, many reflect national health service provisions. Current NHS provisions are published in the agenda for change terms and conditions handbook, maintained by NHS Employers and is available on their website.
Nursing Education
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the likely impact of the Government’s 10 year strategy for funding nursing education on the number of places available; and if she will make a statement. [90561]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The national health service plan target for 5,500 more nurses and midwives being trained each year by 2004 over a 1999 baseline has been achieved. In 2005-06, there were 24,789 nursing and midwifery training places, an increase of 6,082(32.5 per cent.) since the NHS plan baseline. Decisions on training commissions are for local determination by the strategic health authorities and are based on service need.
Organ Transplants
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for publicising organ donation was in 2005-06. [89377]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Responsibility for promoting organ donation and encouraging people to join the national health service organ donor register was given to UK Transplant (now NHS Blood and Transplant) from April 2003 by the Department. The budget allocated to UK Transplant for publicising organ donation in 2005-06 was £827,000. In addition, the Department provides section 64 grants to a number of charitable organisations to carry out specific organ donation awareness-based projects.
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many organ transplant operations were carried out on private patients in NHS hospitals in the last three years; [94047]
(2) how many organ transplant operations were carried out in non-NHS hospitals in the last three years; and how many were carried out in NHS hospitals. [94048]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Table 1 shows the number of transplants performed in non-national health service hospitals in the last three financial years 2003 to 2006.
| Table 1 | |
| Financial year | Transplant operations |
Table 2 shows the breakdown by group one (NHS entitled) and group two (non NHS entitled) of transplants performed at NHS hospitals in the last three financial years 2003 to 2006.
| Table 2 | |||
| Financial year | Group 1 (NHS entitled) | Group 2 (non NHS entitled) | Total |
Palliative Care
John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she intends to introduce the payment by results scheme for specialist palliative care services provided on behalf of the NHS by adult independent voluntary and charitable hospices. [98858]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There is currently no timetable for extending the scope of payment by results to specialist palliative care, whether provided by national health service organisations or independent, voluntary and charitable hospices.
Funding for services outside the scope of payment by results continues to be agreed locally with NHS commissioners.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she (a) has issued during 2006 and (b) plans to issue during the next 12 months to primary care trusts on the provision of palliative care services; and if she will make a statement. [99254]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have not issued any guidance to primary care trusts during 2006 on the provision of palliative care services. However, we have set out a clear direction for end of life care for all adult patients, irrespective of diagnosis, in the White Paper “Our health, our care, our say”. Ministers have charged the National Cancer Director, with support from the National Director for Older People and the other national clinical directors, to develop an end of life care strategy. This will deliver increased choice to all patients about where they live and die, and provide them with the support to make this possible, regardless of their condition.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received since July on the Palliative Care for the Terminally Ill Bill; how many of these (a) supported and (b) opposed the Bill; how many and what percentage were submitted by (i) hon. Members, (ii) organisations and (iii) members of the public; and if she will make a statement. [99255]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In relation to the Palliative Care for the Terminally Ill Bill, which was withdrawn before its second reading, we have received one letter since July 2006. This was forwarded by an hon. Member on behalf of his constituent and, whilst it did not explicitly state a position, could be inferred as being supportive of the Bill.
Payment by Results
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to announce the (a) next steps, (b) scope and (c) unbundling relating to payment by results. [99836]
Andy Burnham: The national tariff and draft guidance on payment by results for 2007-08 were published for testing on 31 October 2006 and are due to be finalised before Christmas. The Department intends to publish proposals, for consultation, in the new year on the future of payment by results in 2008-09 and beyond.
Primary Care Trusts
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account is taken of underfunding of primary care trusts (PCT) in relation to the capitation formula under departmental guidance when PCT deficits are calculated. [96232]
Andy Burnham: Revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) are made on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each PCT’s share of available funding so they can commission similar levels of health services for populations with similar need.
Independent Government auditors agree with the Department’s assessment that there is no single, simple cause of deficits, just as there are no single, simple solutions for eradicating them. More specifically, our analysis of the provisional outturn figures for 2005-06 shows that there is very little correlation between the size of deficits and any of the factors relating to funding, including allocations per head and allocation growth.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will place in the Library a copy of each savings plan of those London primary care trusts that have such a plan in place; [96234]
(2) if she will place in the Library a copy of each (a) turnaround and (b) savings plan for those London teaching hospitals that have such a plan in place. [96235]
Andy Burnham: Strategic health authorities are responsible for the local management of the national health service, including the agreement and monitoring of savings or turnaround plans with the NHS organisations in their locality.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the revenue allocations to each primary care trust are by (a) weighted and (b) unweighted head for (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; what current target allocations to each primary care trust are as given by the weighted capitation formula by (A) weighted head and (B) unweighted head. [97904]
Andy Burnham: The information requested has been placed in the Library. This shows allocations for the 303 primary care trusts (PCTs) to which the allocations were made. The number of PCTs reduced from 303 to 152 on 1 October 2006.
Pensions
Tim Loughton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the pension liabilities are in respectof former staff at (a) Royal Sussex county hospital,
(b) Southlands hospital in West Sussex and (c) Worthing hospital. [97827]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the (a) rate and (b) annual cost of employer contributions in each public sector pension scheme for which her Department has responsibility; and if she will make a statement. [96061]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Current employer contribution rates to the national health service pension scheme are 14 per cent. of pensionable payroll. Employer contributions for the year ending 31 March 2005, the last year that published accounts are available, were £3.881 billion.
Private Finance Initiative Hospitals
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what objectives have been set for the review of preferred private finance initiative hospitals; and if she will make a statement. [90289]
Andy Burnham: The purpose of the process is to ensure that all schemes properly take account of the current reforms to the national health service such as choice, a movement of services into primary and community settings and the new financial regime. The review will ensure that only schemes that have clearly demonstrated their long-term affordability and sustainability are allowed to proceed.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |