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30 Jan 2008 : Column 466W—continued
The number of doctors that the NHS requires to be recruited each year is a matter for determination by local NHS organisations, as they are best placed to assess the health needs of their local health community.
Medical Profession
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) nurses, (b) midwives and (c) doctors were working in the NHS three years after they qualified in each year since 1997. [180027]
Ann Keen: The Department does not collect centrally information on how many nurses, midwives or doctors were working in the national health service three years after they qualified in each year since 1997.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) destination of leavers survey asks United Kingdom and European Union-based graduates about their employment circumstances six months after graduation.
The percentage of newly-qualified nurses and midwives (combined) and doctors between 2003 and 2006 inclusive who found employment in their chosen profession six months after graduation is shown in the following tables.
| Employment circumstances of graduates six months after successfully completing a pre-registration course in medicine, England | ||||||||
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |||||
| Academic year of graduation | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage |
| (1) The survey response rates for graduates in medicine were as follows: 2002-03: 89 per cent., 2003-04: 91 per cent., 2004-05: 89 per cent., 2005-06: 93 per cent. Note The HESA Destination of Leavers Survey asks UK- and EU-based graduates about their employment circumstances approximately six months after graduation. Sources: HESA Destination of Leavers from Higher Education Survey The Information Centre for health and social care Student Database | ||||||||
Mental Health
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to extend (a) mental illness and (b) learning difficulties training programmes for GPs and community care staff. [177020]
Ann Keen: The educational and training curriculum of general practitioners (GPs) is set and managed by the Royal College of General Practitioners. The content of the GP training curriculum is agreed by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB). PMETB has recently approved a new curriculum for postgraduate general practice training.
Post-registration training needs for national health service staff are determined against local NHS priorities, through appraisal processes and training needs analyses informed by local delivery plans and the needs of the service.
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
Dr. Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects money allocated to the University hospital of North Durham to tackle MRSA to be spent. [178714]
Ann Keen: To support ongoing improvements in improving cleanliness and tackling infections, the comprehensive spending review (CSR) identified £270 million additional funding per year by 2010-11. For 2008-09, this additional funding is reflected in the 5.5 per cent. increase in primary care trust allocations and the 2.3 per cent. uplift to the national tariff—the latter specifically recognising the importance of tackling health care acquired infections and improving cleanliness. Ultimately spending decisions are taken by local trusts.
The information is not held centrally.
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of job retention or an early return to employment on patients with musculoskeletal disorders. [181912]
Ann Keen: We have made no assessment of the effect of job retention, or an early return to employment, on patients with musculoskeletal disorders.
NHS: Screening
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who will be screened for (a) heart disease, (b) stroke, (c) diabetes, (d) kidney disease and (e) aortic aneurysm in each of the next three years in each primary care trust. [180333]
Ann Keen: The Department is currently developing proposals for a screening programme. The purpose of the screening programme will be to identify people’s levels of risk for cardiac and vascular disease so that they can be offered preventive measures.
The number of people who will be screened is by its nature unpredictable, and will depend on the details of what is offered to whom, which will be worked out in part in discussions with stakeholders. However, a range of assumptions about likely take-up levels of a vascular risk assessment programme will be modelled into the analytical work being undertaken by the Department.
Assumptions about likely take-up will also form part of the discussions we will have with stakeholders about the development of the practical aspects of the programme.
With regard to screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm, information on estimated numbers of people who will be screened is not collected centrally.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to encourage high-risk groups to access screening for (a) heart disease, (b) stroke, (c) diabetes, (d) kidney disease and (e) aortic aneurysm. [180407]
Ann Keen: The Department is currently developing proposals for a screening programme. Any such programme will use an assessment of risk based on a range of known predictive factors including age, gender, smoking status, body mass index, high blood pressure, and cholesterol and glucose, as appropriate. The exact nature of a vascular risk assessment and management programme is still the subject of developmental work. It would be premature at this stage to set out specific details on advertising and education campaigns.
With regard to screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), a variety of information and support materials will be developed with stakeholders to enable men to make an informed choice about whether they wish to undergo AAA screening or possible surgery if an AAA is detected.
NHS: Standards
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the impact on trusts’ 18-week targets and two-week cancer treatment times of service and training post vacancies. [181172]
Ann Keen: Service transformation, supported by the significant increase in the work force since 1997, new ways of working and productivity gains will enable the 18-week targets and the cancer treatment times to be delivered and sustained.
Nurses: Manpower
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many matrons were employed in the NHS in each year since 1997-98. [181285]
Ann Keen: Modern matrons were identified separately for the first time in the 2005 annual National Health Service workforce census. Community matrons were identified separately for the first time in the 2006 annual NHS Workforce census. The number of both modern and community matrons employed is shown in the following table.
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