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15 Oct 2007 : Column 903Wcontinued
Mr. Bradshaw: Ambulance services across the country work with partner agencies to implement referral pathways and introduce telephone advice systems into their operations centres. Ambulance Trusts are also currently taking forward work on the delivery of a national competency framework, and of a performance management framework, for control rooms and these will be used to inform the development of nationally recognised education and training programmes for ambulance call handling staff.
With regard to NHS Direct, out-of-hours providers and other telephone access points, it is for the care providers to ensure that calls are handled efficiently and safely to ensure the right outcomes for patients. NHS Direct and out-of-hours providers work to nationally agreed standards, including response times, and the Royal College of General Practitioners has developed a toolkit which will assist primary care trusts, and help providers to monitor their performance against the out-of-hours quality requirements.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in increasing consistency in call handling across urgent care referred to in Taking Healthcare to the Patient: Transforming NHS Ambulance services, published on 30 June 2005. [156799]
Mr. Bradshaw: Ambulance trusts are working with other care providers to improve consistency in call handling. Measures include multi-agency agreed referral pathways between services, and the development of technical links between providers to minimise call waiting times and improve patient satisfaction.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has established the standard competency framework and core training syllabus for call-handling staff referred to in Taking Healthcare to the Patient: Transforming NHS Ambulance Services, published on 30 June 2005. [156802]
Mr. Bradshaw: Ambulance trusts are currently taking forward work on the delivery of a national competency framework, and of a performance management framework, for control rooms and these will be used to inform the development of nationally recognised education and training programmes for ambulance call handling staff.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned to establish the level of medical support necessary to maximise the effectiveness of clinical telephone advice following publication of Taking Healthcare to the Patient: Transforming NHS Ambulance Services on 30 June 2005. [156811]
Mr. Bradshaw: No research has been commissioned to establish the level of medical support necessary to maximise the effectiveness of clinical telephone advice. All services are, however, expected to have appropriate clinical governance arrangements in place to monitor safety and patient satisfaction with any clinical advice that is provided.
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requests he has received from ambulance trusts for additional funding for the purchase of stab proof vests. [155977]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department is not aware of having received any requests from ambulance trusts for additional funding for the purchase of stab proof vests.
Ambulance staff across the country can have stab vests if it is decided they are necessary by their local NHS ambulance trust, with some ambulance services already having introduced them.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to issue revised guidance or instructions to primary care trusts on optimum ambulance travel times to accident and emergency units. [157017]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has not issued guidance or recommendations on travelling times to accident and emergency (A and E) departments, and there are no plans to issue such guidance or instructions to primary care trust's.
The way the national health service responds to emergencies needs to focus not just on getting the patient to a location but also on taking care to the patient. This is why it is necessary to focus on a range of measures, including response times by the ambulance service, its ability to administer a wide range of treatment and provision of urgent and social care in the community.
It is a matter for the local NHS to ensure there is appropriate provision of urgent and emergency care services that are responsive to people's needs. This includes A and E provision. The aim should be to provide safe, high quality care as close to home as is compatible with clinical safety.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues on safe travel times for emergency admissions to hospitals in England. [157018]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has not issued guidance on travel times for emergency admissions to hospitals in England.
The way the national health service responds to emergencies needs to focus not just on getting the patient to a location but also on taking care of the patient. This is why it is necessary to focus on a range of measures, including response times by the ambulance service, its ability to administer a wide range of treatment and provision of urgent and social care in the community.
It is a matter for the local NHS to ensure there is appropriate provision of urgent and emergency care services that are responsive to people's needs. This includes accident and emergency provision. The aim should be to provide safe, high quality care as close to home as is compatible with clinical safety.
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the (a) methodology and (b) accuracy of the analysis conducted by the West Midlands Ambulance Service of responses to its consultation on reconfiguration of its emergency operations centres. [158227]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department is clear that arrangements for where ambulance service control rooms are situated, and how calls into the control rooms are received, are a matter for the ambulance services themselves.
The consultation on changes to emergency operations centres currently being held by the West Midlands Ambulance Service is locally led. Therefore, the West Midlands Ambulance Service would be in the best position to provide more details about the arrangements in place in this area.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been treated in each of the last three years by the Barlborough Independent Sector Treatment Centre. [156583]
Mr. Bradshaw: The number of procedures that have been carried out at Barlborough NHS Treatment Centre in each of the last three years since it opened on 1 April 2005 are shown in the following table.
Number of patients | |
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many private care homes are situated in Crewe and Nantwich; how many residents are in each unit; on what date each was last inspected; how many have contracts with the local primary care trust or social services departments for residences from Crewe and Nantwich; and what the average payment is for such contracts. [156064]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have been informed by the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that data on the numbers of homes in Crewe and Nantwich constituency are not available separately.
As at 10 September 2007, there were 124 privately-run care homes within the boundaries of Cheshire council area, which includes Crewe and Nantwich. The following table shows types of home, the number of beds registered at each and with the most recent inspection date. Information on occupancy levels and contracts with primary care trusts and local authorities and their value is not collected centrally.
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