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9 Oct 2007 : Column 512W—continued
Health
Care Homes: Dementia
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the decent homes standards are for late stage dementia sufferers in residential accommodation. [156584]
Mr. Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
In June 2006 the Department for Communities and Local Government published ‘A Decent Home: Definition and Guidance for implementation’. This publication makes it clear that:
“The decent homes standard does not apply to Care Homes providing nursing care and regulated by the Commission for Social Care” (paragraph 4.8).
However, the Department of Health has published national minimum standards under section 23 (1) of the Care Standards Act 2000 which form the basis on which the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) registers, inspects and reports on adult social care services, and councils who arrange these services, in England. These standards set out, among other things, the minimum level for residential accommodation for care homes regulated by the CSCI.
Care Homes: Fees and Charges
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many older people he expects to have to sell their homes to cover the cost of residential care in (a) 2010, (b) 2020, (c) 2030 and (d) 2040. [155732]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information about the sale of property to pay for residential care is not collected centrally. Nor is this information automatically collected locally where a person arranges their care privately. It is not, therefore, possible to estimate the number of homes that are, or may be, sold for this purpose.
It is the Government's policy to support people in their own homes for as long as possible, where it is safe to do so and when it accords with their wishes and assessed needs, which is where most people want to be.
For those people entering residential care, the Government have taken steps to help people avoid selling their homes to pay for residential care. Since October 2001, councils have been able to enter into deferred payments agreements with residents. Under this, the council place a legal charge on the resident's former home which is not collected until the end of the contract. This gives people more options for meeting care home fees.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Ms Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide Government support specialist NHS centres for those affected by chronic fatigue syndrome in England. [156702]
Ann Keen: We have no current Government plans to provide support for further specialist national health service centres for those living with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Chronically Sick: Health Services
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued on the implementation of the National Framework for Long-term Conditions. [155638]
Ann Keen: The Department has published a number of documents to support implementation of the national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions. These include an audit tool, evaluated examples of good practice, an information strategy, a summary of the evidence on savings and performance indicators within the better metrics project.
Primary care trusts are expected to work towards implementing the NSF over a 10-year period.
Community Hospitals
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been to recipient community hospitals of each scheme approved to date under the expenditure programme of up to £750 million in community hospitals and services announced in July 2006, broken down by constituency; and what the total cost of approved schemes under the programme is. [155737]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 8 October 2007]: Capital allocations from the community hospitals and services programme are made to primary care trusts. £94.5 million has been allocated for 14 schemes. The total estimated cost of these schemes is £140 million. No scheme has been allocated less than the amount requested. We do not hold figures broken down into parliamentary constituencies.
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many schemes and at what total cost had been approved by the end of financial year 2006-07 from the five-year expenditure programme of up to £750 million in community hospitals and services announced in July 2006. [155738]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 8 October 2007]: We announced four schemes in December 2006. A new primary care centre in Washington; the redevelopment of the Gosport War Memorial Hospital; the development of a new community health centre in Yate, Bristol; and the establishment of a Healthy Living Park in Minehead, West Somerset. The total amount allocated to these schemes is £44.6 million. All schemes are subject to the business case approval process.
Contraceptives
Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to increase access to advanced training in contraceptive services. [155925]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department is working with the Faculty of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, the Royal College of Nurses and others to look at improving access to training in contraception at all levels.
In particular the FPA, at the request of the Department, will hold a specialist working group on nurse training in contraception in November 2007.
Departments: Public Bodies
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2007, Official Report, columns 1630-4W, on Departments: public bodies, what changes were made to the NHS Information Centre's responsibilities in each year since 2004-05; to which bodies any such responsibilities were transferred; and what the budget of the Centre was in each year. [154014]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Health and Social Care Information Centre, now known as The Information Centre for health and social care (IC), was created by statutory instrument as a special health authority on 1 April 2005.
The Information Centre's revenue resource limit from the Department is set out in the following table.
Revenue resource limit for The Information Centre 2004-05 to 2007-08
| Revenue Resource Limit (£ million) | |
| (1) No funding allocated in 2004-05 because the IC was only established on 1 April 2005. (2) The 2007-08 figure is subject to change because the revenue resource limit for 2007-08 will only be finalised in January. | |
The IC took over some of the functions of the earlier NHS Information Authority, which it replaced, together with most of the activities of the former Department of Health Statistics Division and the Prescribing Support Unit of West Yorkshire Health Authority, from which staff were transferred into the IC. These areas of work have been reviewed, integrated and further developed within the remit of the IC.
There have been no changes to the responsibilities of the IC since its establishment in April 2005. As part of the process of integration and consolidation since this date, every opportunity has been taken to ensure that the work undertaken by the IC has been delivered in the most effective and efficient manner. Changes in processes and ways of working have ensured that the IC has delivered efficiencies since it was established, while ensuring that priorities are still delivered.
Doctors: Career Structure
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2007, Official Report, column 452W, on doctors’ training, how many junior doctors in the first round of applications were told in error that they had received a training place; and what actions were taken by deaneries to ensure that this did not occur. [154214]
Ann Keen: The number of applicants told in error is not held centrally. The Department understands that it was a small number and that deaneries contacted the doctors to notify them of the situation. It is a matter for deaneries to manage the appointment process.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors did not receive job offers in the first round of medical training applications; and what percentage of applicants this represented. [154275]
Ann Keen: In England, there were 27,800 eligible applicants for 15,554 training posts. At the end of Round 1, 85 per cent. of posts were filled. 13,168 applicants had accepted posts, leaving 14,632 who had either not received an offer or had not accepted an offer. The information held centrally does not distinguish between those who received an offer but did not accept it and those who did not receive any offer.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support will be offered to doctors who do not receive a training place in either the first or second round of recruitment in order to safeguard their future careers. [154276]
Ann Keen: We have prepared a package of support for those doctors who are appointable to a training post, but who are not successful in finding one by the end of round 2. This package of support includes additional training and educational opportunities. This comprises:
Access to career information about future training options via local deaneries. Applicants who are already in national health service employment will also be able to access career support from their employer.
About 1,000 extra one-year and general practitioner training posts which will become available for unsuccessful applicants at the end of round 2.
Educational bursaries, so that appointable but unsuccessful applicants who are in NHS service posts can pursue their clinical education and improve their chances of successfully applying for specialty training next year.
In addition, we have agreed that all foundation programme graduates (F2) who are unsuccessful at the end of round 2 will receive a formal career interview which will determine their eligibility for the extra one-year posts and educational grants offered in ‘clearing’.
Also, we have opened up discussions with the British Medical Association, the Academy of Royal Colleges and other representatives of the medical profession to discuss whether there is any risk that high academic achievers may be missed by the end of the recruitment process, and if so, how we can avoid that happening.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of junior doctor training posts, unfilled after the first round of job offers, have been temporarily filled by doctors on short-term contracts. [154318]
Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally. It is for the local national health service to fill any vacant posts appropriately.
Dr. Bhattacharyya
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the redundancy of Dr. Bhattacharyya. [156704]
Ann Keen: Staff redundancies in the local national health service is a local matter.
Fibromyalgia
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent steps his Department has taken to raise awareness of fibromyalgia among (a) the general public and (b) health professionals; [156505]
(2) what progress is being made in improving NHS (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of fibromyalgia; [156506]
(3) what recent representations he has had and received on fibromyalgia. [156544]
Ann Keen: We have made no assessment of the progress being made by the national health service into improving the diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia.
We have taken no recent steps to raise awareness of fibromyalgia among the general public and health professionals.
We have received three recent Downing Street e-petitions on fibromyalgia, as well as correspondence from individuals and their Members of Parliament.
Health Professions: Employment
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to assist newly qualified nurses to find employment; and what recent discussions there have been between his Department and the Health Ministers in (a) Wales and (b) Scotland on placing newly qualified (i) nurses, (ii) physiotherapists and (iii) consultant doctors in employment. [155613]
Ann Keen: In April 2007 the Social Partnership Forum, a partnership between the Department, unions and NHS employers, launched an action plan for maximising the opportunities for newly qualified health care professionals in England. This sets out actions to deliver a demonstrable improvement in graduate employment. NHS employers are undertaking a review of progress against the action plan.
Officials in the Department, the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly will continue to discuss issues affecting the national health service workforce.
Health Services: Bedfordshire
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on the funding of NHS primary care trusts in Bedfordshire and Luton; and if he will make a statement. [155633]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Ministers have answered letters from both the hon. Member for Luton, South (Margaret Moran) and the hon. Member for Luton, North (Kelvin Hopkins) about the allocations made to both Bedfordshire and Luton primary care trusts. There have also been a number of letters from the local patient and public involvement forums as well as members of the public on the same issue.
Horton Hospital: John Radcliffe Hospital
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at what times patients were admitted to the Horton general hospital from the John Radcliffe hospital on (a) 2 May, (b) 3 May, (c) 24 May, (d) 18 June, (e) 2 July, (f) 5 July, (g) 7 July, (h) 13 July, (i) 18 July, (j) 19 July, (k) 20 July and (l) 21 July. [156171]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This information is not held centrally.
Hospitals: Admissions
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospitals in England rapid screen elective admissions. [156455]
Ann Keen [holding answer 8 October 2007]: Information on rapid methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) screening is not available centrally but we believe that it is used in a small number of hospitals.
However, on 4 October, in his interim report ‘Our NHS, Our Future’, Lord Darzi announced the introduction of MRSA screening for all elective admissions from next year, and for all emergency admissions as soon as practicable within the next three years.
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