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11 Dec 2006 : Column 859W—continued


Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will (a) place in the Library and (b) make available on her Department’s website a copy of “Avoidable Deaths” the five-year report of the national confidential inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness. [105276]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 7 December 2006]: “Avoidable Deaths” is a product of the centre for suicide prevention at the university of Manchester. The centre has been commissioned by the National Patient Safety Agency to investigate suicides, homicides and sudden unexplained deaths in mental health services and make recommendations on how they might be prevented.

I understand from the director of the national confidential inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness (NCI) that the full version of “Avoidable Deaths” is only available from the website at:

Copies of the full report are available in the Library.

A link to the NCI website can be found on the Department’s website at:


11 Dec 2006 : Column 860W

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many homicides have been attributed to people (a) diagnosed with schizophrenia and (b) receiving treatment for schizophrenia in each of the last 10 years. [108245]

Ms Rosie Winterton: According to the latest five-year report of the national confidential inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness, the number of homicides by people with schizophrenia is around 30 per year which represents 5 per cent. of all homicides. NCI’s findings show that half the perpetrators with schizophrenia were current or recent patients while one third had no previous contact with services.

NCI’s previous five-year report published in 2001 also found that the number of homicides by people with schizophrenia was around 5 per cent. of all homicides.

NHS Continuing Care

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were receiving NHS continuing care in England on 31 March in each primary care trust. [107396]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

NHS Finance

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the financial position of (a) primary care trusts and (b) hospital trusts in North Yorkshire in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [106928]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The following table shows the 2005-06 final audited accounts and the 2006-07 quarter one and two forecast outturn position for NHS trusts and primary care trusts in the North Yorkshire area.

£000
Organisation name 2005-06 final accounts surplus/(deficit) 2006-07 quarter 1 forecast outturn surplus/(deficit) 2006-07 quarter 2 forecast outturn surplus/(deficit)

Tees East and North Yorks Ambulance Service NHS Trust

0

(3,900)

n/a

Craven, Harrogate and Rural District PCT

(1,988)

0

(4,700)

Hambleton and Richmondshire PCT

(4,505)

(4,745)

0

Scarborough, Whitby and Rydale PCT

(5,932)

(5,932)

(5,257)

Selby and York PCT

(23,651)

0

(9,693)

Yorkshire Wolds and Coast PCT

(11,498)

0

(7,332)

Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust

(8,961)

(16,800)

(7,489)

York Hospitals NHS Trust

9

0

0

Sources: 1. 2005-06 audited summarisation schedules. 2. 2006-07 monthly financial monitoring returns.

11 Dec 2006 : Column 861W

NHS Funding Formula

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact on Northamptonshire's NHS of the capitation element of the NHS funding formula. [105022]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 7 December 2006]: The weighted capitation formula is one of four elements used to set allocations for primary care trusts. The other three elements are recurrent baselines (the previous year's allocation plus in-year adjustments), distances from targets (the difference between weighted capitation targets and recurrent baselines) and pace of change policy (which determines the level of increases given to PCTs).

The national formula is overseen by the independent advisory committee on resource allocation and is applied consistently to all PCTs. The impact on the 2006-07 and 2007-08 allocations to PCTs in Northamptonshire is shown in the table.

2006-07 and 2007-08 percentage increase in funding 2007-08 closing percentage distance from target

Cherwell Vale

24.1

-3.5

Daventry and South Northamptonshire

26.1

-3.5

Northampton

23.0

-3.5

Northamptonshire Heartlands

29.4

-3.5

South Peterborough

20.2

-2.2

England average

19.5

0.0

Note:
The table is based on allocations made to 303 PCTs before they were reduced to 152 PCTs on 1 October 2006. From 1 October 2006 there is one Northamptonshire PCT.

NHS Operating Framework

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to table 94a on page Ev249 of her Department's memorandum to the Health Committee, HC 1692-i, how the overall 2006-07 tariff uplift of4 per cent. may be reconciled with the figure of 1.5 per cent. published in paragraph 5.2, page 18, of her Department's document “The NHS in England: the Operating Framework for 2006-07”, published on26 January 2006. [106074]

Andy Burnham: The gross uplift to the 2006-07 tariff was 6.5 per cent., less 2.5 per cent, efficiency, resulting in a 4 per cent. net uplift.

There were however some technical adjustments to the tariff quantum that resulted in the overall increase in value of the tariff from one year to the next being 1.5 per cent. This information is contained in “Implementing Payment by Results: Technical Guidance 2006-07, Executive Summary”, which is available in the Library.

NHS Professionals

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for NHS Professionals was in each of the last five years for which records are available. [103951]


11 Dec 2006 : Column 862W

Mr. Ivan Lewis: NHS Professionals’ central budget allocations from the Department since its inception as a special health authority in 2004 were:

£ million

2004-05

31.5

2005-06

23

2006-07

19


Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what efficiency measures are in place within NHS Professionals to ensure a quick and simple process. [103953]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: NHS Professionals has now centralised its recruitment teams under a national head of recruitment. It has also implemented a bespoke recruitment administration system that is now delivering efficiencies, and reduced the average length of processing time because of faster links between recruitment, interview and training teams.

The new recruitment system has enabled NHS Professionals to link its recruitment activity directly to both its national booking system and will, in time, link directly to the national electronic staff records service.

The process complies with all employment legislation in the NHS, provides a genuine audit trail for all flexible workers joining NHS Professionals and helps ensure that trusts have people with appropriate skills and competencies working through NHS Professionals.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were received regarding NHS Professionals in each of the last five years for which records are available. [103954]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The number of complaints received, regarding recruitment issues, since records were kept are as follows:

Number

January 2005 to March 2005

23

April 2005 to March 2006

131

April 2006 to November 2006

41


NHS Reconfiguration

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for reconfiguration of NHS services in East Sussex. [104452]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the local NHS.

NHS Redundancies

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish NHS redundancy figures for the third quarter of 2006-07. [106141]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: National health service compulsory redundancy data for the third quarter of the current financial year will be published in the NHS financial performance report for quarter three of 2006-07.


11 Dec 2006 : Column 863W

NHS Vacancies

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of time was between the initial advertisement of a vacancy through NHS Professionals and the first working day of the successful applicant in each of the last five years for which information is available. [103950]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: NHS Professionals does not recruit to specific vacancies. It recruits to its bank of flexible workers and these staff are available to work in its partner trusts as and when required. The bank includes staff who hold substantive posts at NHS trusts and those staff who work only as bank staff through NHS Professionals. Staff who hold substantive roles and wish to work additional shifts at the same trust are recruited to the bank on average in seven working days. The average period of time for non-substantive post holders is 35 working days but this varies depending on Criminal Records Bureau checks and reference returns.

The process takes this length of time because NHSP recruitment operates within stringent guidelines published by the Department designed to protect staff and patients.

NICE

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect on her Department's expenditure of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's decision to withdraw eligibility of those suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease to have the drugs (a) Donepezil, (b) Rivastigmine and (c) Galantamine prescribed on the NHS. [101129]

Mrs. McGuire: I have been asked to reply.

Changes in the prescribing arrangements for people in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease are unlikely to have any effects on the Department's expenditure.

Nurses: Leicester

Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses are employed by the (a) Leicester Royal Infirmary hospital, (b) Glenfield hospital in Leicester and (c) Leicester general hospital; and how many were employed at each in 1997. [104257]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The latest available national health service workforce figures are for September 2005. At that time 3,645 qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff were employed by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. This trust was formed in 2000, through the merger of the three NHS trusts of Leicester Royal Infirmary, Glenfield hospital and Leicester general hospital. Figures for the three individual hospitals are not available post-2000.

In September 1997, the number of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed by the three hospitals is as follows:


11 Dec 2006 : Column 864W
Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed
Number

Leicester Royal Infirmary NHS Trust

1,435

Glenfield Hospital NHS Trust

578

Leicester General Hospital NHS Trust

832

Total

2,845

Source:
The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.

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