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30 Oct 2007 : Column 1234W—continued


Neurology: Manpower

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are (a) national, (b) regional and (c) local targets for the number of (i) adult neurologists, (ii) paediatric neurologists, (iii) learning disability specialist and (iv) neuro-radiologist consultants in post; and whether any such targets have been set for the ratio of specialists to patients. [156283]

Mr. Bradshaw: No national or regional targets have been set for these staff groups and there are no targets for the ratio of these specialists to patients. We have no information on local targets, that is a matter for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities.

We are moving away from an emphasis on centrally prescribed national targets to a reliance on credible local plans to maximise work force capacity to support delivery.

Although we have moved away from setting national targets, we are continuing to ensure the frameworks are in place to enable effective local workforce planning.

There has been an increase of 11,310 (53 per cent.) medical specialists in neurological conditions since 1997.

NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement: Operating Costs

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual running costs were of the Institute in each year since its introduction; how many full-time employees the Institute has; what assessment he has made of its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement. [161576]

Dawn Primarolo: The annual running costs of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement in each year since its introduction have been: 2005-06—£42,406,000 (actual revenue), 2006-07—£53,014,000 (actual revenue) and 2007-08—£74,281,000 (forecast revenue funding).

The NHS Institute has 152 full time employees.

The NHS Institute is a relatively new organisation, having only been in existence for two years. To date it has identified a potential £2.2 billion productivity gain of which £360 million has already been realised with the aid of tools and techniques developed by it.

NHS Next Stage Review

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2007, Official Report, columns 672-3W, on NHS Next Stage Review, what the (a) names, (b) titles and (c) qualifications are of the members of each clinical pathway group to inform the work of the NHS Next Stage Review. [160804]

Ann Keen: Each strategic health authority (SHA) is responsible for establishing eight local clinical pathway groups. Lists of members and their qualifications should be sought directly from the SHAs themselves.

NHS: ICT

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2007, Official Report, column 1004W, on the NHS: ICT, if he will place in the Library the annual benefits report for the National Programme for IT; when the results of the annual survey of NHS information management and technology expenditure will be made available; and when the evidence-based development plans will be made available. [161757]

Mr. Bradshaw: A commitment to publish an annual statement outlining the costs and benefits of the national programme was made in the Department’s response to the Public Accounts Committee report on the matter. A copy will be placed in the Library.

Full results and analysis from the 2006 survey of NHS information management and technology expenditure were published in January 2007. Information from the 2007 survey is expected to be published in January 2008.

Consultation on proposals for various measures to improve the capability and capacity of the national health service to deliver information technology-enabled change is continuing to take place over the next few months. We intend to publish substantive plans arising from the consultation in the spring of next year.


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NHS: Redundancy Pay

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will institute a reassessment of policy in the NHS on severance packages. [161245]

Mr. Bradshaw: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before the Prorogation.

NHS: Reorganisation

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) hospitals, (b) parliamentary constituencies and (c) other NHS sites have been visited by Lord Darzi for the purposes of conducting his review of the NHS. [157024]

Ann Keen: Lord Darzi has visited the following national health service sites:

Site visited Parliamentary constituency

York Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (FT)

City of York

NHS Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA)

Leeds, Central

Meltham Road Surgery, Huddersfield

Colne Valley

NHS North East SHA

Newcastle upon Tyne, North

Bunny Hill Primary Care Centre, Sunderland Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT)

Sunderland, North

Gateshead Healthcare NHS FT

Gateshead, East and Washington, West

NHS North West SHA

Manchester, Central

Alexandra Group Medical Practice, Oldham

Oldham, East and Saddleworth

University Hospital of South Manchester NHS FT

Wythenshawe and Sale, East

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospitals NHS FT

North West Hampshire

Abingdon Community Hospital Marcham Road general practitioner Practice

Oxford, West and Abingdon

Derby Royal Infirmary

Derby, South

Tiverton District Hospital

Tiverton and Honiton

Royal Devon and Exeter NHS FT

Exeter

Conquest Hospital, Hastings Ore Clinic, Hastings

Hastings and Rye

West View Hospital, Tenterden

Ashford

NHS West Midlands SHA Karis Medical Centre, Birmingham

Birmingham, Edgbaston

City Hospital, Birmingham

Birmingham, Ladywood

Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow

Harlow

St. Margaret’s Hospital, Epping

Epping Forest

Tiverton District Hospital

Tiverton and Honiton

Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust

Exeter


Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 250 stakeholder groups were met by Lord Darzi as part of the Our NHS Our Future exercise. [158692]

Ann Keen: The information that has been requested has been placed in the Library.


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NHS: Standards

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of NHS organisations met core standard C15b of the Standards for Better Healthcare in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07; and which NHS organisations did not meet core standard C15b in (i) 2005-06 and (ii) 2006-07. [161713]

Mr. Bradshaw: The number and percentage of organisations meeting core standard C15b was:

The following 26 organisations were non compliant with core standard C15b in 2005-06:

The following 12 organisations were non compliant with core standard C15b in 2006-07:


30 Oct 2007 : Column 1237W

Northamptonshire Primary Care Trust: Finance

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding Northamptonshire Primary Care Trust received in 2006-07; and what that funding would have been had the national capitation formula been met in full. [161614]

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the revenue allocation made to Northamptonshire Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) for 2006-07 together with its target allocation for 2006-07.

£000
PCT name 2006-07 actual allocation 2006-07 target allocation

Northamptonshire Teaching PCT

730,405

768,750


Nurses: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were employed in each London primary care trust area in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [161550]

Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is not held in the format requested. Primary care trusts’ figures are only available from 2002, and figures are not broken down for individual health-related professions. Tables have been placed in the Library which provide the number of qualified nurses, midwifery and health visiting staff employed in all London national health service organisations since 1997.

Obesity

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the total cost to industry of illness, inactivity and premature death associated with overweight and obesity; what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with ministerial colleagues on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [161080]

Dawn Primarolo: The Foresight report, Tackling Obesities: Future Choices, published on 17 October 2007, says that the economic implications of obesity are substantial. A copy of the report is available in the Library. By 2050, without action, a seven-fold increase in the direct healthcare costs of overweight and obesity is anticipated, with wider costs to society and business reaching £45.5 billion (at today’s prices).


30 Oct 2007 : Column 1238W

The Secretary of State for Health made a statement in the House on 17 October 2007, Official Report, column 825, where he announced the development of a comprehensive cross Government strategy on obesity, to respond to the evidence in the Foresight Report. Because of the need for concerted action on a number of fronts, he will convene a cross- governmental ministerial group to guide our approach.

Officials in the former Department of Trade and Industry worked closely with officials in this Department throughout the Foresight Obesity Project. Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform continue to work with the Department on issues of the appropriateness of regulatory reform in combating obesity.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the (a) obesity and (b) smoking rate among (i) males and (ii) females in (A) Southend, (B) each borough in Essex, (C) each borough in Kent, (D) the Metropolitan Police area of London and (E) England and Wales, broken down by age group. [161099]

Mr. Bradshaw: The information is not available in the exact format requested. Data on prevalence of obesity by gender and age among adults aged 16 and over, in England in 2005, is available from the “Health Survey for England” 2005 and is presented in table 1.

Data on the percentage of adults aged 16 and over who smoke by gender and age, for England are available from the 2005 “General Household Survey”. This information is presented in table 2.

Information on smoking and obesity for Wales is available from the Welsh Health Survey 2005-06, available in tables 10 and 16 at:


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