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21 Apr 2008 : Column 1790W—continued
A total of eight courses were attended by department staff at a cost of £7,008.00.
Departmental Video Conferencing
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set a target to increase the use of video-conferencing by his Department to reduce the need to travel to meetings. [195871]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department is committed to achieving the carbon reduction targets for the Government estate, published in June 2006. We encourage all our staff to use video conferencing where possible, to avoid the need for official travel. We have steadily increased our use of video conferencing, from a total of 6,679 conferences in 2004, to 10,526 in 2007, a 57 per cent. increase. We anticipate that usage in 2008 will be around 11,500, and we have plans to install a further 10 video conferencing suites in the coming months, to meet demand.
We have estimated that approximately 776 tonnes of CO2 will be saved in 2008 as a result of holding video conferences instead of requiring staff to travel to meetings.
Across the departmental estate, there are currently 36 video conference units. In May 2008, a further 11 units will be deployed in London and there are plans to increase the number in Leeds to accommodate the rise in London estate numbers.
We have made significant use of video conferencing for over 10 years and we continually review the number of systems and bandwidth needed, to meet both business requirements and the sustainable development agenda.
Dieticians: Prescriptions
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department’s non-medical prescribing board last considered a business case for dieticians to become supplementary or independent prescribers. [199309]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department’s Non-Medical Prescribing Programme Board has not received a business case for dieticians to become supplementary prescribers or independent prescribers.
Drugs: Finance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much a general practice is paid per patient per year for the management of a patient who is stable on warfarin; and how much is payable under the tariff to an NHS trust for the same service. [198507]
Mr. Bradshaw: Specific services provided in general practice for patients on Warfarin, are commissioned locally. Payments are agreed locally between the primary care trust and the practice.
There is no specific inpatient, or out-patient tariff relating to the management of a patient who is stable on Warfarin.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were transferred from secondary to primary care for their management on warfarin in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what evaluation has taken place of the implications of this for patients. [198508]
Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally. It is for local NHS providers to decide how to deliver services to patients.
Eyesight: Testing
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on notifying pensioners of their entitlement to an NHS sight test; and if he will make a statement. [199499]
Ann Keen: The Department has held no recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on notifying pensioners of their entitlement to national health service funded sight tests.
Family Practioner Services: Westminster Primary Care Trust
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which GP practices are funded by Westminster primary care trust; and what the location of each is. [196364]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 25 March 2008]: The information requested about general practitioners (GP) practices funded by Westminster primary care trust (PCT) is not held centrally.
However, information about GP practices located in the Westminster PCT area is available on the Department's National Health Service Choices website, and is provided as follows:
| List of GP practices located in the Westminster PCT area | |
| Name of doctor/GP practice | Address |
|
Brampton House, St. John’s and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, 60 Grove End Road, NWS 9NH | |
|
Cardinal Hume Centre (Homeless Patients Only) 3 Arneway Street, SW1P 2BG | |
| Source: www.nhs.uk/Pages/homepage.aspx | |
Fractures: Databases
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the national hip fracture database is to be implemented by all health trusts. [198338]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The National Hip Fracture Database was established in 2007 by the British Geriatric Society and the British Orthopaedic Association. It is a matter for individual national health service trusts to decide whether they wish to be registered on the database.
Health Services: Complaints
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008, Official Report, columns 1072-3W, on health services: complaints, if he will break down the number of complaints by category in each year. [188359]
Mr. Bradshaw: We understand that the Healthcare Commission uses over 100 categories to classify complaints. Information on the broad categories of issues raised in complaints upheld by the Commission is set out in the following table. As many of the complaints referred to the Commission raise more than one issue, the total number of issues is greater than the number of complaints upheld.
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| Number of upheld complaints raising issue by year closed | ||||
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