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12 Dec 2007 : Column 655W—continued
Earlier comparable figures are not available
Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dedicated beds were available for mental health patients in each year from 1997 to 2006; and if he will make a statement. [173281]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Data about the availability of mental health beds are shown in the following table. The year on year reduction in mental health bed numbers reflects the increasing provision by the national health service in England of treatment for patients with mental health conditions in primary care and community settings, without the need for hospital admissions.
| Average daily number of beds available for acute mental health services in the national health service in England | |
| Number | |
| Source: Department of Health form KH03 | |
Muscular Dystrophy
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the initial clinical trial related to the research project into Duchenne muscular dystrophy will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the Government's future support for the project. [172809]
Dawn Primarolo: We understand that the trial ‘Restoring Dystrophin Expression in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: a UK Consortium for Preclinical Optimisation and a Phase 1 Clinical Trial Using Antisense Oligonucleotides’ is likely to have been completed by the end of 2008.
The Government are funding the trial to that end point at a total cost of £2.2 million. The prospects for further investment of public funds will depend on the outcome of the trial and on the strength and suitability of any bid for such funds that might be made.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence: Cost Effectiveness
Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on how many occasions his Department has requested that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence review its economic model for determining cost-effectiveness in technology appraisals; [172397]
(2) what guidance his Department has issued to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the remit of its review of economic models for determining cost-effectiveness in technology appraisals; [173121]
(3) whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence proposes to review its economic model for determining cost-effectiveness in technology appraisals. [173122]
Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) methods in appraising health technologies are a matter for the Institute.
NICE'S guidance development processes are subject to periodic review, which includes public consultation. NICE is currently carrying out a scheduled review of its technology appraisal methods guide and has published a draft methods guide that has been developed following a series of workshops with stakeholders. The draft methods guide is now subject to a three-month public consultation closing on 29 February 2008.
These consultations are part of NICE'S routine process for ensuring that there is transparency in the way it conducts its work, and that stakeholders have a chance to feed in their views.
NHS: Reorganisation
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research has been (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned by his Department since May 2005 on the reconfiguration of NHS services; and if he will place copies of this research in the Library; [162836]
(2) what plans he has to undertake further research on the impact of NHS reorganisation on (a) access to healthcare for vulnerable populations and (b) local economies. [164561]
Ann Keen: Proposals for the reconfiguration of services are a matter for the national health service locally. The Department has not undertaken or commissioned any research on the reconfiguration of services and currently has no plans to undertake further research on the impact of NHS reorganisation.
NHS: Finance
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce further NHS Better Care Better Value indicators; which topics are being considered; and if he will make a statement. [165830]
Mr. Bradshaw: It is likely that the number of Better Care Better Value Indicators published by the NHS Institute will have increased to about 20 by the spring of 2008. A number of options for new indicators are being considered following consultation earlier this year and these are subject to an ongoing process of testing and development.
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 24 October 2007, Official Report, column 388W, on NHS: finance, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of part IX prescriptions dispensed since April 2006. [167655]
Dawn Primarolo:
No specific assessment has been made as to the reasons for the increase in the number of part IX prescriptions dispensed since April 2006. However, between June 2006 and June 2007 the volume of part IX prescriptions increased by 4.1 per cent.
compared with a general prescription growth of 4.6 per cent. for the same period.
NHS: Foreign Nationals
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) foreign and (b) French nationals used the NHS in each of the last 10 years. [172902]
Dawn Primarolo: Successive Governments have not required the national health service to submit statistics on the number of foreign nationals treated each year. Therefore, it is not possible to provide this information.
NHS: Managers
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average wage was for each NHS management grade in (a) the latest period for which figures are available and (b) 1997. [170595]
Ann Keen: Due to the very substantial modernisation of national health service pay systems since 1997 comparisons are not straightforward.
The average wage of each NHS management grade cannot be calculated because we do not have figures for the number of managers in each grade, only total number of NHS managers across a number of different pay grading systems.
Managers and senior managers in 1997 would generally have been on a variety of pay scales, including Whitley Council admin and clerical, typically on grade 6 and upward, and senior manger pay (SMP) grades, typically band 30 and upward. These are set out as follows:
| A and C grades 6 to 10 | |||||
| Grade | |||||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
National pay rates for general and senior managers in place during 1997 are set out in the tables:
| General and senior managers in regional and district health authorities | ||
| Group | Range (£) | |
| General and senior managers in post-graduate special health authorities | |
| Group | Range (£) |
| Family health services authority general manager | |
| Group | Range (£) |
| Senior managers pay grades | |
| Spine point | Flat rate salary (£) |
Managers and senior managers in 2007 would be on a combination of Agenda for Change, typically band 5 to 9, and Very Senior Managers Pay Framework rates. These are set out as follows.
Very Senior Managers’ Pay Framework only covers strategic health authorities, special health authorities, primary care trusts and ambulance trusts. NHS trusts, including mental health trusts and foundation trusts, are not covered by the framework.
| Agenda for Change grades 5 to 9 | |||||
| Grade | |||||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 (8A to 8D) | 9 | |
Very Senior Managers’ Pay Framework
There is a “Pay framework for Very Senior Managers in Strategic and Special Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts and Ambulance Trusts”. April 2007 rates of pay are published in the Framework, copies of which are available in the Library.
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