| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
26 Nov 2007 : Column 241W—continued
General Practitioners: Older Workers
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many practising general practitioners are over (a) 80, (b) 75, (c) 70 and (d) 65 years of age; and what percentage of practising general practitioners each figure represents. [165082]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information is shown in the following table.
| General practitioners (GPs) by age band as at September 2006 | ||
| Headcount | Percentage | |
| Note: General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes GP Providers and GP Others. Source: The Information Centre for Health and Social Care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics | ||
Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust was disconnected from the combined emergency services STORM telephone system in the joint control room in Devizes; and what system has replaced it. [166513]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not hold this information centrally. It is a matter for the ambulance trust to decide locally what systems they use or discontinue using within their control rooms, and this extends to shared control rooms with other emergency services.
Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Manpower
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) required and (b) actual number of paramedics is in the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust. [166517]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not set specific requirements for numbers of paramedics. Work force planning is a matter for individual trusts to undertake, working with their commissioners and strategic health authorities. Plans need to be, and are, regularly reviewed as circumstances change.
Data are available for ambulance staff breakdown, as at September 2006, through the Information Centre for health and social care 2006 Non-Medical Workforce Census. There were 375 ambulance paramedics up until 30 September 2006, when the last work force census was taken.
Health Services: Equality
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to improve the compliance of primary care trusts with the public sector gender duties; and what support the Government will provide to NHS organisations to help them reduce gender inequalities in health outcomes. [163934]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department is committed to tackling gender inequalities within the health and social care sector by recognising the specific health needs of men and women. There has been increased awareness amongst healthcare professionals of the correlation between gender and health and its impact on access, quality of health care and medical treatment for men and women. The Department’s commitment to create a patient-centred service which extends choice and is responsive to all patients and users, especially with regards to the gender perspective will ensure that any gender differences in treatment and access are eliminated.
The Department commissioned the Men’s Health Forum to work with five primary care trusts (PCTs) to develop a tool to assist PCTs in providing gender sensitive services. PCTs will be able to identify where changes can be made and how to approach the implementation of the gender duty. The results of this project—the “Gender Equity Audit” report was launched on 6 November 2006 at the Men’s Health Forum Conference—Putting Gender on the NHS Agenda: Implementing the Gender Equality Duty in the NHS.
Research is currently being undertaken by the Department, on the different way men and women access health services and what difference this has on health outcomes. It is intended that the outcomes of this research will provide the evidence base to identify actions to take in tackling gender health inequalities. The research will target a range of national health service organisations, including PCTs, and will take account of overlapping inequality issues such as age, ethnicity, sexual orientation.
The Department has produced and disseminated guidance for the NHS by developing “Creating a Gender Equality Scheme: A practical guide for the NHS” and “10 Steps to Developing Your Single Equality Schemes” web guidance. A series of regional and national events recently disseminated guidance on developing Single Equality Schemes that incorporate the requirements of the gender equality duty. A further series of local events is currently under consideration.
The Department’s Equality and Human Rights Group has established the Gender Equality Advisory Group to bring together key stakeholders in developing and prioritising gender actions which will inform the prioritisation of departmental policy and initiatives to provide ongoing support for the NHS.
Health Services: EU Countries
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, prior to ratification of any European Reform Treaty, the Government will put forward and insist upon amendments designed to ensure that citizens of the United Kingdom domiciled in (a) France and (b) any member state of the European Union shall be entitled to the provisions for healthcare available to the domestic nationals of that country. [166005]
Dawn Primarolo: It is for each individual state to determine who and what is covered for health care.
Health Services: Newcastle upon Tyne
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what projections for the population of the City of Newcastle in 2006-07 and 2007-08 were used in allocating resources for health services; how those projections were calculated; and what methodology will be used to project the population of the city for 2008-09. [167213]
Mr. Bradshaw: The 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) used 2003 based Office for National Statistics (ONS) sub-national population projections for 2006 and 2007 respectively, adjusted for cross boundary flows of patients between PCTs using 2004 general practitioner practice lists. A detailed explanation of the methodology is contained in “Resource Allocation: Weighted Capitation Formula (Fifth Edition)” which is available in the Library and also at:
The population projections used for allocations to Newcastle PCT are shown in the following table.
| Allocation year | Population |
A one-year PCT revenue allocation has been announced for 2008-09. The funding formula will be frozen in 2008-09, this means that no data or formula changes, including population, will be implemented for that year. All PCTs will receive a flat-rate increase on their 2007-08 revenue allocation.
Health Services: Romford
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to establish a walk-in medical centre in Romford. [167441]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department no longer has responsibility for planning walk-in centres. It is for the local national health service organisations to plan and develop services for their local communities.
Hospices: Children
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding each primary care trust has provided to children’s hospices in each of the last five years. [163711]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: That information is not collected centrally.
Hospital Beds: Greater London
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government has taken to increase the number of hospital beds in London since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [166232]
Mr. Bradshaw: It is for the local national health service to provide appropriate levels of care to their local communities.
Hospital Beds: Intensive Care
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) high dependency and (b) intensive care beds there were in each Government region in each year since 1995; and if he will make a statement. [166233]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information on the number of high dependency beds was not collected before March 1999.
The bi-annual adult critical care provision census collects the number of high dependency and adult intensive care beds started in March 1999 with the latest census in July 2007. Tables have been placed in the Library which give the number of critical care beds broken down by the relevant national health service regional structure.
The KH03 collects the total number of days for all types of intensive care beds,(including paediatric and neonatal). Those data are available back to 1995. This information has also been provided.
Hospitals: Hotels
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by each hospital trust on hotel accommodation for families of patients in (a) their own trust area and (b) other trust areas in the last year for which such information is available. [166671]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 20 November 2007]: This information is not collected centrally. The arrangement and responsibility for any such provision is a local matter.
Influenza
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 17 October 2007, Official Report, column 1170W, on influenza, whether the public engagement programme has commenced; what workstreams are anticipated as part of that programme; whether it will seek to understand public attitudes with respect to the prioritisation of (a) intensive care beds, (b) vaccines and (c) antivirals; whether he intends to undertake the programme prior to publication of the national framework for responding to an influenza pandemic; and if he will make a statement. [166323]
Dawn Primarolo: The contract for the public engagement programme has been awarded. Public workshops are planned for early 2008.
The aim of the project is to engage with the public to understand how they might think and react in the event of an influenza pandemic; including seeking their views on prioritisation of intensive care beds, vaccines and antivirals. This will enable us to refine the communications strategy that supports the “National Framework for Responding to an Influenza Pandemic”, which has just been published.
Influenza: Vaccination
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the level of take up of influenza vaccine by pensioners over 65 years old in West Chelmsford constituency in each year since 1997. [166244]
Dawn Primarolo: Flu vaccine uptake data were collected for the first time on those aged 65 and over from 2000-01. Data are collected by primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority. Data are not collected by constituency. Due to geographical changes West Chelmsford fell within North Essex PCT, Essex Health Authority (HA), and Chelmsford PCT between 2000-01 to 2006-07.
The percentage uptake of those aged 65 and over who received a flu vaccine in North Essex in 2000-01 and 2001-02, Essex HA in 2002-03, Chelmsford PCT 2003-04 to 2005-06 and North Essex in 2006-07 is available in the Library.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to point (9) in his letter to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire of 2 October 2007, reference PO00000234668, whether any foreign Governments have arranged to purchase vaccine for use in the event of an influenza pandemic from manufacturers in the UK. [166459]
Dawn Primarolo: We do not have any information on this as it is a commercial decision between United Kingdom manufacturers and foreign Governments.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the take-up of influenza vaccinations by pensioners over 65 years old in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in each year since 1997. [167775]
Dawn Primarolo: Data are not collected by constituency. For data which are available, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 29 October 2007, Official Report, column 1035W.
Data are not available by county.
Influenza vaccine uptake data for those over 65 years of age were collected for the first time from 2000. The uptake of influenza vaccination in those over 65 years of age in England from 2000 is shown in the following table;
| Uptake in those aged 65 years and over (%) | |
Intensive Care
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care beds were available on average in each year since 1997; and what the average occupancy rates were. [166082]
Mr. Bradshaw: The requested information is in the following table.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |