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3 Sep 2007 : Column 1878W—continued
Mr. Hoban:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) who the members are of the Steering Group set up by his Department to oversee the implementation of
the recommendations of the Audit Commission’s review of NHS financial management; [153369]
(2) on which dates the Steering Group set up by his Department to oversee the implementation of the recommendations of the Audit Commission’s review of NHS financial management (a) has met and (b) plans to meet. [153374]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has established a steering group to oversee the implementation of the recommendations made in the Audit Commission Review of the Financial Management and Accounting Regime in the National Health Service. The group held its inaugural meeting on 23 March 2007, to which the following representatives of the Department, Audit Commission, Treasury and NHS were invited:
Richard Douglas—Director General of Finance and Investment, Department of Health
Bill McCarthy—Director General of Policy and Strategy, Department of Health
Martin Foulds—NHS Financial Controller, Department of Health
Alastair MacLellan—Group Financial Controller, Department of Health
Andrew Stubbings—Head of Capital and Programme Investment, Department of Health
Andrew Laycock—Financial Head of Business Management, Department of Health
John Hall—Head of Health Team, HM Treasury
Andy McKeon—Managing Director Health, Audit Commission
Anna Simons—Private Finance Practice Leader, National Audit Office
Stephen Hay—Chief Operating Officer, Monitor
Peter Shanahan—Finance Director, West Midlands Strategic Health Authority
Colin Gentile—Finance Director, St. George’s NHS Trust, London
Alison Tonge—Finance Director and Deputy Chief Executive, Stockport PCT
Kevin Orford—Finance Director and Deputy Chief Executive, East Midlands SHA
Since that meeting, the group has continued discussions by correspondence. The future meeting structure is currently being reviewed in light of changes to responsibilities within the Department.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the budget of the NHS was reprofiled over the years covered by the 2004 Spending Review to reflect the reprofiling of his Department’s budget over the same period. [153371]
Mr. Bradshaw: The allocation of resources to primary care trusts (PCTs) have not been revised. PCT allocations for 2006-07 and 2007-08 were made in February 2005, and for 2005-06 were made in December 2002.
NHS: ICT
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what ex gratia payments the outgoing chief executive of Connecting for Health will receive. [153295]
Mr. Bradshaw: There are no plans to make any ex gratia payments to the Director General of NHS Connecting for Health.
NHS: Manpower
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the framework document, Securing and retaining staff for health and social care, in assisting NHS trusts in the redeployment and recruitment of staff. [150904]
Mr. Bradshaw: NHS Employers’ framework “Securing and retaining staff for health and social care—a partnership approach” sets out best practice to support local national health service employers to minimise the need to declare staff redundant.
NHS Employers will continue to review the programme of activities.
NHS: Procurement
Mr. Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007, Official Report, column 1929W, on NHS procurement, what mechanisms he plans to set up for patient groups and other stakeholders to make representations directly to NHS supply chain products councils. [153489]
Mr. Bradshaw: These representations would need to be made in writing to NHS Supply Chain’s Product Council Co-ordinator.
Mr. Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007, Official Report, column 372W, on NHS procurement, under what circumstances the NHS supply chain products councils would raise with NHS Business Services Agency (Supply Chain Management Division) requests for new products to be added to the lists of items to be supplied. [153490]
Mr. Bradshaw: NHS Supply Chain can contract for any product within all of the product categories currently in-scope and include them in their offer.
Any requests to add new product categories must be made to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) who would request NHS supply chain submit a proposal. The NHS BSA would consider the benefits to the national health service of including the new product category and would liaise with all relevant stakeholders including the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency and the Department prior to approving or denying any request.
Mr. Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms (a) his Department and (b) the NHS Supply Chain have in place to allow patients, clinicians and other stakeholders to appeal against decisions made by the NHS Supply Chain. [153623]
Mr. Bradshaw: NHS Supply Chain is governed by European Union procurement regulations and complaints can be made directly to the NHS Supply Chain should they be dissatisfied with selection or any other activity which forms part of the tender process.
Any appeal against a decision or issue can be escalated to the NHS Business Services Authority Supply Chain Management Division for resolution.
Nutrition
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dieticians were employed in each NHS trust in each of the last 10 years. [152254]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information has been placed in the Library.
Orthopaedics: Health Services
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of capacity in orthopaedic services to meet the 18 week target; [153342]
(2) what representations he has received on the impact of the 18 week target on the standard of orthopaedic treatment provided to patients. [153344]
Mr. Bradshaw: The British Orthopaedic Association and others are represented on the 18 weeks clinical advisory group which is developing advice to help local areas deliver high quality, safe treatment within 18 weeks for the most common conditions, including orthopaedics.
On capacity, the Department is satisfied with the assurance of strategic health authorities that local health services are planning adequate orthopaedic activity to make the necessary progress in 2007-08 towards the 18 weeks target.
Patients: Nutrition
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people (a) admitted to and (b) discharged from hospital were malnourished (i) in total and (ii) per 100,000 (A) for all ages and (B) broken down by age group in each year since 1997-98. [153397]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is shown in the following table for years where the information is available. It is not possible to provide information about the number of people discharged from hospital who were malnourished because it would be misleading to present the admissions/discharges per 100,000 of the English population when a proportion of these will represent people not resident in England.
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