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10 Dec 2007 : Column 320W—continued
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to enhance public and patient confidence in each of the seven Government Professional Health Reform Implementation Programme work streams. [169194]
Mr. Bradshaw: We are proposing an event specifically for patient and public representatives in new year 2008 once all of the working groups have met. The purpose of the event will be to present the programme as a whole to representatives and to seek their feedback. This is in addition to the continuing involvement of patient and public representatives in the working groups and the National Advisory Group meeting. We are also planning to increase the number of public and patient representatives at the next National Advisory Group meeting.
Health Services: Standards
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much additional funding his Department has provided for NHS communicators to support the End waiting, change lives campaign, broken down by financial year. [170191]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department provided each strategic health authority with an additional £50,000 during the 2007-08 financial year.
Hillingdon Hospital: Hospital Beds
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bed spaces there were on average at Hillingdon hospital in each year since 1997. [169679]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested can be found in the following table, which shows the number of average available and occupied beds at Hillingdon hospital NHS trust since 1997 to 2006.
| The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust | ||
| Total (available) | Total (occupied) | |
| Source: Department of Health form KH03 | ||
Hillingdon Primary Care Trust: Finance
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial position is of Hillingdon Primary Care Trust. [171094]
Mr. Bradshaw: The current financial position of Hillingdon Primary Care Trust (PCT) shows that at quarter two 2007-08 the PCT is forecasting a year-end breakeven position.
Hospital Wards: Closures
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many hospitals have closed wards since May 1997; and in which constituencies they are located; [170627]
(2) which hospitals have closed since May 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency. [170628]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information is not collected centrally.
National health service organisations will decide locally what constitutes the best configuration of health care services and facilities for their populations, working in conjunction with clinicians, patients and other stakeholders.
In some localities, services may be provided in large centralised hospitals, while others may offer the same services in a community setting. The number, type and configuration of wards will depend on the range and extent of services to be provided.
Hospitals: Housing
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether trusts are able to rent hospital accommodation to (a) persons who are not junior doctors and (b) persons who are not health professionals. [170567]
Mr. Bradshaw: National health service trusts may carry out property transactions that are linked to their ability to carry out their functions.
In addition, NHS trusts have income generation powers under the National Health Service Act 2006 allowing them to raise additional income by marketing any spare capacity provided it does not, to any significant extent, interfere with the performance by trusts of their functions. These powers include “supplying accommodation to any person”.
Hospitals: Parking
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance he has issued on NHS hospitals levying car parking charges on disabled parking bays; and if he will make a statement; [171867]
(2) how many NHS hospital trusts in England charge patients and visitors who are disabled badge holders for parking at their hospitals. [171887]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department issued revised guidance to the national health service in December 2006 entitled Income Generation: Car Parking Charges—Best Practice for Implementation on the issues to be considered when setting up a car parking scheme or when reviewing existing ones, including what charges to impose and what concessions to consider. This guidance strongly encourages the NHS to be sensitive to those patients who have to use their car parks regularly, by, for instance, offering them reduced price or free car parking. The guidance also stresses the importance of considering the needs of disabled users.
There is no statistical information collected on the number of NHS trusts in England which charge disabled badge holders for parking at their hospitals. It is therefore not possible to provide this information.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals in (a) England and (b) Teesside follow his Department’s guidance on providing car parking concessions for patients travelling regularly for treatment; and what steps he has taken in relation to hospitals which do not follow the guidance. [171966]
Mr. Bradshaw: There is no statistical information collected on the number of hospitals in England that provide car parking concessions for patients travelling regularly for treatment. It is therefore not possible to provide this information.
Guidance issued to the national health service in December 2006 entitled “Income Generation: Car Parking Charges—Best Practice for Implementation” strongly encourages national health service bodies to be sensitive to those patients who have to use their car parks regularly, by, for instance, offering them reduced price or free car parking. However, NHS bodies are autonomous organisations and are not statutorily obliged to implement this best practice. It is for individual NHS bodies to set the level of charges on their premises, taking account of all the relevant local factors.
Medical Equipment
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the evidential basis is for the statement on page 7 of the consultation document Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances—and related services—to Primary Care that there are indications that underlying manufacturing costs have gone down; [163866]
(2) which companies supplying products listed in Part IX of the Drug Tariff have provided information to his Department of a decline in manufacturing costs; [163867]
(3) which products were used to set the benchmark price in the proposed new pricing model for catheter, incontinence and stoma items; and when they were first listed on the Drug Tariff. [163870]
Mr. Bradshaw: About £200 million a year is spent on appliances listed in part IXA (catheter-related), part IXB (continence-related) and part IXC (stoma-related) of the Drug Tariff.
Arrangements for reimbursement of these remained largely unchanged for 20 years and information obtained through the consultation process to date indicates that efficiencies have been achieved in the manufacturing process. If this is not the case, the current consultation gives all parties the opportunity to provide evidence to the contrary.
The proposed levels of reimbursement for catheter, continence and stoma-related appliances was set by using a pricing model that is set out in annex C of the consultation document entitled “Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances—and related services—to Primary Care. Revised proposals”.
Within each subcategory, the market share for products is measured as a percentage of total annual net ingredient cost spend. To determine the pricing model benchmark price, products with very low market share are excluded—as they may not represent a valid benchmark for pricing comparison. In relation to stoma and incontinence appliances, the Department proposed that products of less than 0.1 per cent. of market share should be excluded for benchmarking purposes.
This model was applied to the 5,000 plus items that are listed in parts IXA, B and C. As proposed, these items have been classified into 228 categories. To identify the date that the items that were at the benchmark price were first listed in the Drug Tariff could be done only at disproportionate cost to the Department. Information provided during meetings and in correspondence and has been offered commercial in confidence.
Medical Records: Databases
Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances a patient's wishes expressed as a section 10 opt-out from the summary care record are expected to be overridden. [168955]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Data Protection Act 1998 makes it clear that a section 10 request should only be overridden where the purpose served by processing the data is sufficiently important to warrant doing so even where it is accepted that substantial harm or distress is being caused. We do not expect there to be many, if any, circumstances where this would arise in the case of an individual who is competent to make decisions. We are, however, taking legal advice, and consulting with the Department for Children, Families and Schools, about the position in respect of those that lack competence, where all decisions should be taken in the individual's best interests.
Jeremy Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it will be lawful for the secondary users
database to be searched at the request of the police and for the police to be provided with the identity of individuals whose medical records contain specific information. [168956]
Mr. Bradshaw: Data from the secondary uses service will only be disclosed to the police where it is in the overriding public interest, for example to prevent, or support detection of, extremely serious crimes, where there is statutory authority, or where the courts have made an order requiring disclosure.
Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the data controller will be in respect of the information stored on the secondary users database. [169023]
Mr. Bradshaw: The data controller for information held within the secondary users service is the Department. Other organisations lawfully permitted access to data held within the secondary users service will be data controllers in common for the subset of data that they can access.
Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances he may be designated the data controller in relation to personal data processed on a detailed care record. [169025]
Mr. Bradshaw: With regard to detailed care records provided as part of the national health service care records service, the Department is data controller in common with the NHS organisations providing health care to patients. Although key data controller responsibilities such as overall network and technical system security are managed through the Department's contracts, most data controller responsibilities will be discharged by local organisations. However, there may be occasions, for example due to an organisation ceasing to exist or function, where the Department is the sole data controller for the data concerned.
Midwives: Greater London
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives worked in each London primary care trust on the 1 July in each of the last 10 years. [169376]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is shown in the following table.
However, midwives are employed primarily by acute trusts, so the figures shown are for all organisations which employ midwives in the London Strategic Health Authority area. The non-medical workforce census, which the figures are taken from, is collected as at 30 September.
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