Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and
Public Safety
Question 109 (Mr Jenkins): You said you compared
your set-up with hospitals on the mainland in England that were
as bad or worse than this. Name them, please, with the operating
theatre times; and
Question 123 (Mr Bacon): I have no way of assessing
Mr Gowdy's statement that Northern Ireland is not out of kilter
other than this sample of 16 trusts which we have not got details
of. It would be very helpful to have that as soon as possible.
The sample of 16 Trusts, to which the DHSSPS
referred in its evidence to PAC, included the following organisations:
1. Aintree Hospitals NHS Trusts
2. County Durham & Darlington Acute
Hospitals NHS Trust:
— Darlington Memorial Hospital
— Bishop Auckland General Hospital
3. Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust
4. Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust
5. South Tyneside Health Care NHS Trust
6. Southport and Ormskirk Hospital
NHS Trust:
7. Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust
8. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust
9. Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust
10. NHS Lothian University Hospitals Division
11. NHS Tayside Acute Services Division
12. Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital
NHS Trust
13. North Glasgow University Hospital NHS
Trust
14. Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust
15. Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
16. United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust
Questions 142-143 (Mr Bacon): I would appreciate
a note with accurate information on the number of patients waiting
to be admitted to hospital.
The total number of patients waiting to be admitted
to hospital in Northern Ireland at the end of September 2004 stood
at 50,684. At the end of September 2002 it stood at 60,190.
In Northern Ireland, inpatient excess waiters
are defined as those having to wait 12 months or more for admission
to the Cardiac Surgery specialty and those having to wait 18 months
or more to other specialties.
The number of excess waiters at the end of September
2004 stood at 3,095 (6.1% of the total waiting). At the end of
September 2002 it stood at 9,158 (15.2% of the total waiting)
Source: Northern Ireland Waiting List Bulletins
September 2004 and September 2002
Questions 156-157 (Mr Bacon): How many doctors
have been disciplined?
There have been no cases in Northern Ireland
where a Trust has had to institute disciplinary proceedings against
any doctor for failing to fulfil their contractual commitments
as a consequence of "persistent non-compliance" with
local protocols for the notification of attendance at operating
sessions.
Question 183 (Mr Jenkins): I shall not ask you
about the bed blockers. I did not like the answer I got but I
do not think I will get much farther than Mr Allan did on that
one. Have you had any costs done for the non-attenders? If we
can look at page 74, 4.32, the National Booked Admissions Programme
that we have in parts of England where there are pilot schemes.
Have you worked out how much you would be saving if you had a
booked system as to how much it is costing for the non-attenders?
If you have not got a figure, could you let us have a note on
it, please?
In 2003-04 there were 1,663 cancelled sessions.
The Department does not routinely collect information on the split
between cancellations by the patient and cancellations by the
Trust.
However, an exercise undertaken in 2002 as part
of the Audit Commission's Acute Hospital Portfolio indicated that,
in Northern Ireland, approximately 60% of cancellations were attributable
to the patient. The equivalent rate in GB was 56%.
Assuming that this proportion has remained constant,
and that no alternative use can made of the resources that would
otherwise have been applied to these cancelled sessions, then,
with an estimated average cost per operating session of £2,500,
the maximum cost of non-attenders in 2003-04 was approximately
£2.5 million.
November 2004
| 
