| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
1 Sep 2008 : Column 1748W—continued
Mental Health
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's definition of well-being is. [220695]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department's Commissioning Framework for Health and Wellbeing, 2007, defines wellbeing as:
“The subjective state of being healthy, happy, contented, comfortable and satisfied with one's quality of life. It includes physical, material, social, emotional (‘happiness’), and development and activity dimensions.”
MRSA
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates changes to the measurement of his Department's target to halve MRSA rates by March 2008 were agreed; and on each date (a) what change was made and (b) which Minister approved the change. [221009]
Ann Keen: The target to halve meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections by March 2008 was announced in November 2004. The measurement period was not set at that point. However, the Department worked with strategic health authorities from 2005 on the assumption that achievement of the target would be judged by performance in the first quarter after the target date, i.e. in the quarter April to June 2008. This position was formally agreed with Ministers in February 2007. At no point have we changed how we are measuring the target. It is being measured in the same way as other national targets.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2008, Official Report, column 1653W, on MRSA, what examples of where a deep clean has had a demonstrable effect in improving patient care and experience have now been drawn up; and how these have been disseminated across the NHS. [221158]
Ann Keen: A number of national health service trusts have sent the Department case studies, which identify a range of activities undertaken as part of the deep clean programme. Trusts have also sent details of some of the initial benefits they have seen as a result of their deep cleaning activities. The Department is compiling a compendium of these case studies which will be published on the Department's website in due course.
MRSA: Screening
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date he expects screening for MRSA for (a) elective and (b) emergency admissions to be introduced; and what assessment he has made of progress towards the objective in each case. [221010]
Ann Keen: We will introduce meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) screening for all elective admissions by March 2009 and for all emergency admissions by 2011.
The Operating Framework, which was published in December 2007, set out the priorities for the national health service for 2008-09. It put cleanliness and health care associated infections as one of five national priorities that require particular and sustained attention from primary care trusts, working with every organisation that provides care to national health service patients.
As part of our ongoing discussions with the NHS, we are ensuring that the commitments set out in the framework are delivered.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence: Finance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in (a) cash and (b) real terms at current prices (i) was in each year since 1999-2000 and (ii) will be in (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11. [221145]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested for the financial years between 1999-2000 and 2008-09 is shown in the table. Departmental funding for 2009-10 and 2010-11 has not yet been finalised.
| Departmental funding( 1) for National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) since 1999-2000 | ||
| Cash (£) | Real terms (£) | |
| (1) NICE has other sources of funding that are not included in the table. (2) NICE took over the functions of the Health Development Agency on 1 April 2005. The step change in the NICE budget reflects this. (3) Includes non-recurrent brokerage of £2.7 million from 2006-07. | ||
NHS
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Statement made by the Prime Minister on 14 May 2008, Official Report, column 1387, on the draft legislative programme, what minimum standards of (a) access, (b) quality and (c) safety he is considering incorporating in the NHS constitution; whether those minimum standards will differ from the registration requirements to be enforced by the Care Quality Commission; whether he plans to incorporate the minimum standards in legislation; and if he will make a statement. [216939]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The draft NHS Constitution sets out a range of rights and national health service pledges relating to access, quality and safety.
It is our intention to legislate to provide a legal duty on NHS organisations to take account of the Constitution in the decisions they make. Similarly, the government of the day will be obliged by law to renew the NHS Constitution every 10 years.
Registration requirements will be set in regulations and will list the essential safety and quality requirements that providers must meet in order to be registered to provide health and adult social care services. The registration system will sit as a key part of a wider quality improvement framework that encourages excellent care.
The draft NHS Constitution and the Government's proposals are open for public consultation until 17 October 2008. The details, including how to feed in views, may be found at www.dh.gov.uk/consultations.
NHS Foundation Trusts
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what ways he plans to accelerate the rate at which existing NHS trusts achieve NHS Foundation Trust status, as referred to on page 61 of High Quality Care for All, Cm 7432; and whether it is his policy that all hospital trusts should be able to apply for NHS Foundation Trust status by the end of 2008. [221070]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government want all acute and mental health trusts to attain the national health service foundation trust (NHSFT) standard at the earliest opportunity.
Good progress is being made. There are already 103 NHSFTs which account for over 45 per cent. of all eligible acute and mental health trusts. By the end of this financial year, we expect over half of all these trusts to become NHSFTs. Strategic health authorities are charged with delivering NHSFTs. Increasing the flow of strong applicants to Monitor (the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts) is a priority and we are considering options for accelerating the rate of NHSFT authorisations.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what powers strategic health authority medical directors, as referred to in paragraph 29 of High Quality Care for All, Cm 7432, will have to direct service planning in NHS foundation trusts. [221117]
Mr. Bradshaw: The appointment of strategic health authority (SHA) medical directors does not alter the existing relationship between SHAs and national health service foundation trusts (NHS FTs). SHAs have no powers of direction over NHS FTs. SHA medical directors will provide medical leadership and oversee on-going work by the SHAs to implement their local clinical visions.
NHS Leadership Board
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will establish the NHS Leadership Board, as referred to on page 67 of High Quality Care for All, Cm 7432; how many members the NHS Leadership Board will have; if he will place a copy of the terms of reference of the NHS Leadership Council in the Library; what powers the NHS Leadership Council will have; whether the NHS Leadership Council will have a role in determining the NHS Operating Framework; what the cost of the NHS Leadership Council will be in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [221060]
Ann Keen: We are in the early stages of developing this work. Further information will be available in due course.
NHS Pensions Agency: Resource Accounting and Budgeting
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the 2007-08 resource accounts for the NHS Pension Scheme. [221164]
Ann Keen: We expect the NHS pension scheme resource accounts for the 2007-08 financial year to be published after Parliament returns from the summer recess.
NHS Treatment Centres
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have used NHS walk-in centres in each region. [220576]
Mr. Bradshaw: Figures for attendances at NHS walk-in centres for the latest year for each strategic health authority are as follows:
| 2007-08 | |
| SHA | Number of attendances at NHS walk-in centres |
| Source: Department of Health QMAE dataset | |
NHS Trust Boards
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost will be of developing a new development programme for NHS Trust boards, as referred to in paragraph 39, page 67 of High Quality Care for All, Cm 7432, 2008. [221059]
Ann Keen: We are in early stages of developing this work. Further information will be available in due course.
NHS: Advisory Bodies
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to have established new professional advisory bodies, as referred to on page 73 of High Quality Care for All, Cm 7432; how many such bodies he plans to establish in total; what the (a) purpose and (b) function of each such body will be; what the cost of (i) establishing and (ii) running each body will be; and if he will make a statement. [221054]
Ann Keen: The Next Stage Review has recommended that three advisory functions are set up:
Medical Education England;
regional advisory boards; and
advisory boards for other professions.
Medical Education England will have the following core functions for doctors, dentists, health care scientists, pharmacists and low volume specialities:
bringing a coherent professional voice on matters relating to education and training and advising the Department on policy;
providing high level scrutiny of and advice on the quality of workforce planning at a national level;
providing professional scrutiny of and advice on the education and training commissioning plans developed at strategic health authority (SHA) level;
coordination of changes to postgraduate training pathways at a national level;
integration of service and professional perspectives into curricula development; and
liaison with other relevant bodies.
The main functions of the SHA advisory bodies are:
bringing a coherent professional perspective to advise the SHAs on education and training needs so that the workforce model that service providers need can be developed e.g. community based cardiology services;
engaging with higher education institutions to translate workforce models, based on clinical needs into training and education;
providing a professional high level overview and assurance of quality of the workforce plans created at SHA level; and
bringing a multi professional perspective and regional perspective in advising the national advisory boards on workforce plans.
The advisory boards for other professions have yet to be agreed. The Department will be working with professional bodies and other key stakeholders over the coming months to establish exactly which professional bodies should be set up. Consequently no timescale or specific costings have been prepared yet for this function.
We will also be working with SHAs to support the development of regional advisory groups. This will be funded from within existing budgets.
It is planned that Medical Education England will be in place by January 2009.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |