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22 Jan 2008 : Column 1938W—continued
NHS: Fees and Charges
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007, Official Report, column 723, if he will place in the Library a copy of the relevant part of each code of practice in which co-payment is ruled out. [181133]
Mr. Bradshaw: The relevant guidance are as follows:
Code of Conduct for Private Practice: Recommended Standards of Practice for NHS Consultants (2004), in particular paragraph 2.13;
The Code of Conduct for Private Practice - Guidance for NHS Medical Staff (2003), in particular paragraphs 3.22-3.23; and
Management of Private Practice in Health Service hospitals in England and Wales (1986), in particular paragraphs 22-27.
It is for national health service organisations to form policy in line with this guidance.
Copies of the codes have been placed in the Library.
NHS: Finance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the baseline cost pressure on the NHS in (a) cash terms and (b) percentage terms resulted from increases in private finance initiative revenue costs in each financial year from 2008-09 to 2010-11. [163370]
Mr. Bradshaw: The amount by which the national health service’s expenditure is expected to increase, as a result of further private finance initiative (PFI) schemes reaching completion, in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11, is included in the first line of the following table.
These annual PFI-related increases are then expressed as a percentage of the total anticipated annual increases in baseline costs in the second line.
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
|
PFI payments, increase on previous year (as percentage of total annual increase in the NHS’ baseline costs) |
NHS: Procurement
Mr. Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance his Department has issued to collaborative procurement hubs on the composition of procurement committees; [165947]
(2) what mechanisms are in place to externally audit cost savings made through the joint procurement practices of collaborative procurement hubs; [165949]
(3) what the methodology is for calculating cost savings made by collaborative procurement hubs; and upon which formulae this methodology is dependent; [165950]
(4) whether collaborative procurement hubs are required to publish minutes of their meetings; [166114]
(5) what procedures have been put in place by the Supply Chain Excellence Programme to regulate the procurement decisions of collaborative procurement hubs. [166119]
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the role of the collaborative procurement hubs is in procuring mental health services from the voluntary and independent sector on behalf of primary care trusts; and if he will make a statement; [165788]
(2) what the role of commissioning frameworks established by collaborative procurement hubs will be; and if he will make a statement. [165789]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Supply Chain Excellence Programme launched a recommended core design for collaborative procurement hubs together with a suggested governance structure. Each hub determines the respective scope and governance arrangements consistent with procurement regulations and good practice, together with the establishment of its own stakeholder board (made up of national health service stakeholders and trust executive directors).
No formal guidance has been issued by the Department on the composition of procurement committees. Each hub has established its own procurement committees where appropriate, according to the needs of its NHS stakeholder organisations.
Collaborative procurement hubs are subject to the audit principles of their host NHS organisation.
The methodology for calculating cost savings made by collaborative procurement hubs are determined by each hub in full agreement with their stakeholder trusts to ensure local accountability.
Collaborative procurement hubs are hosted by NHS organisations and hold regular trust stakeholder board meetings. Agreed actions are recorded in minutes and published in accordance with the host publication scheme.
Collaborative procurement hubs provide trusts with guidance and direct support in relation to legally compliant and good commercial and procurement practice, as required. If a trust asks for support in procuring mental health services then hubs can provide as appropriate.
Collaborative procurement hubs do not play a role in commissioning frameworks. The role of collaborative procurement hubs is to provide the primary care trusts with appropriate commercial and procurement advice and support, in establishing access to the most effective arrangements.
Noise: Health Hazards
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects of low level decibel sound on public health; and if he will make a statement. [180992]
Dawn Primarolo: A Departmental ad hoc advisory group is currently preparing a report on the effects of environmental noise on health, due to be completed early in 2008, which will examine a number of noise and health related issues, including low intensity and low frequency noise. The results of this work will feed into the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), ‘Noise Strategy for England’.
In addition, Departmental officials work closely with DEFRA on a number of noise and health related matters and a number of research projects have been carried out by DEFRA around noise, including low frequency noise.
Obesity: Young People
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to tackle obesity rates of people under the age of 21; and if he will make a statement. [179666]
Dawn Primarolo: The Secretary of State for Health, (Alan Johnson) announced, on 17 October, that the Department will be developing a comprehensive cross Government strategy on obesity, to reverse the rising tide of obesity and overweight in the population, by enabling everyone to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Our initial focus will be on children: by 2020, we aim to reduce the proportion of overweight and obese children to 2000 level. This new ambition also contributes to the new child health public service agreement (shared with Department for Children, Schools and Families). The Government will shortly be publishing a cross-Government strategy to tackle obesity and meet the new ambition. This will build on both existing work and new evidence from the Government office for Science Foresight Report.
Osteoporosis: Preventive Medicine
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Answer of 19 July 2007, Official Report, column 639W, to the hon. Member for Pudsey, on osteoporosis: preventive medicine, if his Department will take steps to assess the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. [180637]
Ann Keen [holding answer 21 January 2008]: We have no plans to assess the implementation of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance for osteoporosis prevention in postmenopausal women.
Primary care trusts have a legal obligation to provide funding for treatments recommended by NICE within three months of the guidance being issued.
NICE guidance is also included in “Standards for Better Health”, which sets out the Government’s high-level expectations for the health service. Adherence to NICE technology appraisals is one of the core standards against which national health service organisations are assessed in the Healthcare Commission’s annual health check.
Part IX Of The Drug Tariff
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2007 Official Report, column 1207W to the hon. Member for Eddisbury, on drugs: consultants, what the terms of consultancy contracts in relation to the review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff are, with particular reference to performance-related elements. [180912]
Mr. Bradshaw: The specific terms of any contract for services between the Department and its advisers are commercial in confidence.
However, in relation to the Part IX review, we can confirm that there are no performance-related elements in the contract.
Patient Choice Schemes: Barnet
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in the implementation of patient choice for hospital treatment for Barnet residents, with particular reference to ease of making appointments; and if he will make a statement. [178996]
Mr. Bradshaw: The latest published figures from the National Choice Survey (July 2007) show that 48 per cent. of patients in Barnet Primary Care Trust were aware of choice at referral (against a national figure of 38 per cent.) and 46 per cent. of patients were offered choice (against a national figure of 43 per cent.).
We do not hold data on the ease of making appointments. However, the number and percentage of Barnet Primary Care Trust’s general practitioner (GP) referrals to first out-patient appointments booked through the choose and book system was (a) 13,634 (20 per cent.) in 2006-07 and (b) 14,364 (25 per cent.) in the first nine months of 2007-08 (April to the end of December). This compares with national averages of 27 per cent. in 2006-07 and 39 per cent. in 2007-08 to date.
Patients: Barnet
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients from Barnet are waiting for treatment; how many there were at the end of (a) 2006-07 and (b) 1996-97; and if he will make a statement. [177901]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information on the total number of patients waiting for in-patient treatment and patients waiting more than 26 weeks in the Barnet primary care trust (PCT) area for 2006-07 and 1996-97 and the latest available figures for November 2007 can be found in the following table.
| Month | Area | In-patient waiting times for 26 weeks | Total number of people waiting for in-patient treatment | |
Today waiting times are at a record low; patients can expect a maximum 13 week wait for their first out-patient appointment and a maximum six month wait for an operation.
The latest data shows that over half of admitted patients (patients who require admission to hospital for treatment) and over three quarters of non-admitted patients are treated within 18 weeks.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients from Barnet had NHS operations and other treatment (a) overseas and (b) outside London (i) in each of the last two years and (ii) in 1997; and if he will make a statement. [179106]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is not held in the format requested. The following table shows the number of patients in Barnet Primary Care Trust area who received treatment outside of London for the years 2002-03, 2005-06 and 2006-07. These are the only years for which data is available.
Please note that the data is not collected in the format requested, as records only show operations that took place outside of London, and not necessarily overseas. Furthermore, 2002-03 are the latest records available.
| Count of finished consultant and admission episodes for Barnet PCT of residence where operations and other treatments were received outside of the London strategic health national health service hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS | ||
| Finished admission episodes | Finished consultant episodes | |
| Notes: Finished admission episodes (FAE) A FAE is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. Data Quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts, and PCTs in England. Data is also received from a number of Independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. Ungrossed Data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). Source: HES, The Information Centre for health and social care | ||
Pharmacy
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in providing additional services at pharmacies (a) in Barnet and (b) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement. [179072]
Dawn Primarolo: In 2006-07, 96 local enhanced services were provided by community pharmacies in contract with Barnet Primary Care Trust. Nationally, 20,996 such services were provided.
We will publish a pharmacy White Paper in due course. This will set out our future proposals for developing quality pharmacy services for national health service patients and consumers and any legislative reform necessary.
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