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23 Feb 2009 : Column 204W—continued


There was a peak in media activity, including stakeholder engagement exercises, in 2007-08 when external resources were procured to supplement in-house resources and to support local national health service organisations in press activity covering local deployments, particularly picture archiving and communications (digital imaging) systems, and to also help meet the Public Accounts Committee recommendation from June 2006 on increasing stakeholder engagement. These activities, in addition to supporting the public information programme in summary care record early adopter areas, accounted for an increase in costs.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Department has spent on legal fees relating to the NHS IT programme in the last 12 months. [256711]

Mr. Bradshaw: In the calendar year 1 January-31 December 2008 £3.969 million, excluding VAT, was paid to lawyers for services received by NHS Connecting for Health in relation to its role in delivering the NHS IT programme, and maintaining the critical business systems previously provided to the national health service by the former NHS Information Authority.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether special advisers in his Department count time taken in answering calls from
23 Feb 2009 : Column 205W
hon. Members as part of their contracted hours of work; [256552]

(2) what briefings special advisers in his Department have prepared using IT systems provided by his Department in the last six months; and to whom the briefings were distributed. [256558]

Mr. Bradshaw: Special advisers carry out all elements of their role in accordance with the code of conduct for special advisers.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from which budget his Department's £100 million Privacy and Dignity Fund will be provided; and upon what criteria such funding will be allocated. [255301]

Ann Keen: The £100 million Privacy and Dignity Fund is being made available from the Department's unallocated central contingency for 2009-10. It is expected that the funding will be allocated based on plans received from strategic health authorities.

Departmental Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2009 , Official Report, column 1370W, on redundancy, what estimate he has made of the annual payroll savings resulting from staff exit schemes in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08 and (d) 2008-09 excluding the cost of severance packages; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for 2009-10. [254462]

Mr. Bradshaw: The actual cost of the salaries of staff leaving the Department through exit schemes is set out in the following table:

Total actual salaries cost (£)

2005-06

1,658,281

2006-07

2,186,516

2007-08

2,880,630

2008-09

(1)674,372

(1) To date.

No estimate has been made for 2009-10.

Departmental Sick Leave

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in his Department were on sick leave for (a) over 30 days, (b) over 50 days and (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years. [256326]

Mr. Bradshaw: The number of staff on sick leave for the periods requested are presented in the following table.

Calendar year 31 to 50 days sick leave 51 to 100 days sick leave Over 100 days sick leave

2008

54

35

41

2007

25

57

48

2006

43

42

56

2005

46

51

60

2004

51

57

112


23 Feb 2009 : Column 206W

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in his Department were recorded as having been on sick leave for over 12 months on 31 December in each of the last five years. [256628]

Mr. Bradshaw: The number of employees in the Department recorded as having been on sick leave for over 12 months on 31 December in each of the last five years is presented in the following table:

Number of employees on sick leave for over 12 months on 31 December

2008

2007

2

2006

2005

1

2004

1


Departmental Translation Services

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many language translators are employed in (a) each of his Department's executive agencies and (b) its non-ministerial department; and what the cost of translating services provided by such people was in the latest period for which information is available. [257158]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Department: and its agencies do not employ language translators. The Department and its agencies purchase translation services from the Central Office of Information and approved suppliers. These services are purchased locally by directorates where required.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of patient drug treatment programmes which had the capacity to treat (a) nationwide, (b) in each region and (c) in each of the five smallest geographical areas for which figures are available in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [251248]

Dawn Primarolo: We do not centrally collect information on the capacity of drug misuse treatment services.

However, as part of their remit to improve the availability and effectiveness of drug treatment, the national treatment agency for substance misuse through the annual drug treatment planning process ensures that all 149 local drug partnerships are commissioning and providing a comprehensive range of drug treatment services that meets the needs of their drug misusing populations.

General Practitioners

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what accountability provisions there are for GPs in the new contract; what requirements there are for GPs to provide explanations for instances where (a) misdiagnosis and (b) other forms of mistreatment have occurred; and who is responsible for ensuring that such requirements are met. [254217]


23 Feb 2009 : Column 207W

Mr. Bradshaw: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to ensure that those providing NHS primary medical services meet the terms of their contract. There are requirements for those contracts set out in the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2004, the National Health Service (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations 2004 and the National Health Service Act 2006: Alternative Provider Medical Services Directions 2008. Where a contractor fails to comply with the terms of their contract, the PCT may issue a remedial notice giving the contractor a specified time within which the concerns should be remedied. Where the contractor takes no steps to remedy the matter, the PCT may terminate the contract. In certain circumstances, the PCT may impose sanctions on the contractor.

There are no contractual requirements for general practitioners (GPs) or GP practices to provide explanation for instances where misdiagnosis and other forms of mistreatment have occurred.

Under the terms of their contract, GPs are obliged to operate a complaints procedure which allows patients to raise concerns about any matter connected to the provision of services under the contract. Under this procedure, all complaints must be properly investigated and the complainant given a written summary of the investigation and its conclusions. There are also requirements set out in the regulations and directions referred to regarding the qualification of persons who perform services, conditions for employment and engagement of those persons, training, level of skill, appraisal and assessment.

Professional guidance published by the General Medical Council (GMC) includes an obligation for doctors to share with patients, in a way they can understand, the information they want or need to know about their condition, its likely progression, and the treatment options available to them, including associated risks and uncertainties and to respond to patients’ questions and keep them informed about the progress of their care.


23 Feb 2009 : Column 208W

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), which rewards GP practices for achieving quality indicators, includes an indicator (Education 4) to reward practices for undertaking a minimum of 12 significant event reviews in the last three years. A significant event occurs when a patient may have been subjected to harm, had the circumstances/outcome been different (near miss). Each review case must consist of a short commentary setting out the relevant history, the circumstances of the episode and an analysis of the conclusions to be drawn. The practice is required to report to the PCT on its analysis and the PCT is expected to discuss the reviews as part of its QOF assessment visit.

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has developed a form to help health care staff report patient safety incidents. These are any unintended or unexpected incidents which could have or did lead to harm for one or more patients receiving NHS-funded health care. NPSA recommend that it should be used as soon as possible after the incident has happened.

Subject to the outcome of consultation, it is planned that the Care Quality Commission will register all GP practices to a consistent set of essential quality and safety criteria. Registration of primary care practices would help both to drive up the quality of practice-level clinical governance and to enable PCTs to concentrate on overseeing a small number of poor-quality practices.

General Practitioners: Finance

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009, Official Report, columns 144-45W, on general practitioners: finance, in which practices the minimum practice income guarantee comprises more than 25 per cent. of total NHS income. [254160]

Mr. Bradshaw: The list of all those practices with General Medical Services minimum practice income guarantee comprising more than 25 per cent. of their total income is as follows.


23 Feb 2009 : Column 209W

23 Feb 2009 : Column 210W
Practices with correction factor greater than 25 per cent. of estimated NHS income( 1)
Market forces factor
Practice identifier Primary care organisation code PCO name Pr (patients over 65) Weighted population New registrations index Staff marked forces factor index

5E1A81066

50

North Tees PCT

0.15

3,684

0.98

0.98

5A3L81639

5A3

South Gloucestershire PCT

0.14

1,025

0.97

1.01

5A4F82639

5A4

Havering PCT

0.11

2,524

1.00

1.01

5A8G83068

5A8

Greenwich PCT

0.03

1,582

1.01

1.04

5ANB81671

5AN

North East Lincolnshire PCT

0.08

368

0.98

0.96

5C3F84033

5C3

City and Hackney Primary Care Team

0.07

9,777

1.01

1.11

5C3F84119

5C3

City and Hackney Primary Care Team

0.05

7,831

1.02

1.11

5C3F84694

5C3

City and Hackney Primary Care Team

0.04

2,925

0.98

1.11

5C4F84031

5C4

Tower Hamlets Primary Care Team

0.12

10,492

1.00

1.12

5C4F84107

5C4

Tower Hamlets Primary Care Team

0.09

2,604

0.99

1.12

5C5F84671

5C5

Newham Primary Care Team

0.05

1,708

1.01

1.06

5C5F84673

5C5

Newham Primary Care Team

0.03

2,766

1.00

1.06

5F1L83117

5F1

Plymouth Primary Care Trust

0.17

980

1.00

0.96

5GCE81633

5GC

Luton

0.06

1,826

1.02

1.02

5HXE85687

5HX

Ealing PCT

0.05

1,254

1.04

1.06

5J5P85024

5J5

Oldham Primary Care Trust

0.05

3,406

0.99

0.96

5J5P85622

5J5

Oldham Primary Care Trust

0.04

2,448

0.99

0.96

5K5E84696

5K5

Brent PCT

0.03

1,756

1.02

1.07

5K7F83044

5K7

Camden Primary Care Trust

0.10

4,669

1.04

1.13

5K9H83030

5K9

Croydon Primary Care Trust

0.09

3,147

1.00

1.05

5KLA89012

5KL

Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust

0.09

4,563

0.98

0.96

5L1J82663

5L1

Southampton City Primary Care Trust

0.02

2,801

1.07

1.01

5LCE87677

5LC

Westminster PCT

0.02

5,647

1.11

1.13

5LCE87691

5LC

Westminster PCT

0.00

131

1.09

1.13

5LCE87694

5LC

Westminster PCT

0.05

258

1.03

1.13

5LEG85705

5LE

Southwark PCT

0.08

4,176

1.06

1.11

5LEY00454

5LE

Southwark PCT

0.05

2,285

1.03

1.11

5LFG85711

5LF

Lewisham PCT

0.11

1,479

0.99

1.06

5LGH85685

5LG

Wandsworth PCT

0.04

1,349

0.99

1.09

5LQG81694

5LQ

Brighton and Hove City Teaching PCT

0.03

2,239

1.07

1.01

5M1M85782

5M1

South Birmingham PCT

0.09

1,294

1.04

1.01

5M3Y00228

5M3

Walsall Teaching PCT

0.03

2,327

1.00

0.96

5MKM82607

5MK

Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust

0.07

2,504

1.01

0.96

5LJB85634

5N2

Kirklees PCT

0.07

2,273

1.00

0.97

5EXC81112

5N7

Derby City PCT

0.14

2,204

0.97

0.96

5EVC84112

5N8

Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT

0.20

2,866

0.99

0.97

5D5A82038

5NE

Cumbria PCT

0.16

3,965

0.99

0.96

5DDA82622

5NE

Cumbria PCT

0.01

270

1.09

0.96

5G7P81620

5NH

East Lancs PCT

0.18

1,165

0.99

0.95

5E2B82617

5NV

North Yorkshire and York PCT

0.29

615

0.97

0.97

5KKB82062

5NV

North Yorkshire and York PCT

0.20

2,555

0.98

0.97

5E6B81032

5NX

Hull PCT

0.12

3,088

1.00

0.96

5GJE82627

5P3

East and North Hertfordshire PCT

0.09

2,351

1.00

1.02

5GVE82655

5P4

West Hertfordshire PCT

0.08

1,344

1.01

1.05

5L2G82030

5P9

West Kent PCT

0.17

5,544

0.99

1.00

5L2G82234

5P9

West Kent PCT

0.13

4,056

0.99

1.00

5JCC82111

5PA

Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT

0.00

8,029

1.09

0.98

5EJC82114

5PC

Leicester City PCT

0.17

1,908

1.01

0.98

5EYC82659

5PC

Leicester City PCT

0.04

2,785

1.01

0.98

5HTM87613

5PE

Dudley Primary Care Trust

0.07

847

0.99

0.97

5HTM87628

5PE

Dudley Primary Care Trust

0.06

1,634

0.99

0.97

5HVM87634

5PE

Dudley Primary Care Trust

0.04

1,019

1.02

0.96

5HWM83670

5PH

North Staffordshire PCT

0.02

3,297

1.12

0.95

5DQM83732

5PK

South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust

0.11

992

1.00

0.97

5AGD81629

5PN

Peterborough PCT

0.09

3,256

1.01

0.99

5JHD81005

5PP

Cambridgeshire PCT

0.07

7,750

1.05

1.05

5JHD81017

5PP

Cambridgeshire PCT

0.10

4,631

1.03

1.05

5JHD81037

5PP

Cambridgeshire PCT

0.06

6,111

1.04

1.05

5JJD81033

5PP

Cambridgeshire PCT

0.13

4,105

0.99

1.03

5GMF81141

5PW

North East Essex PCT

0.05

7,641

1.08

0.98

5GMF81746

5PW

North East Essex PCT

0.06

1,544

1.01

0.98

5GMY00484

5PW

North East Essex PCT

0.10

3,494

1.04

0.98

5GRF81709

5PY

South West Essex PCT

0.07

612

1.02

1.02

5DTK84613

5QE

Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust

0.04

6,525

1.01

1.03

5DTK84621

5QE

Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust

0.05

3,149

1.00

1.03

5FPJ81623

5QM

Dorset Primary Care Trust

0.32

1,166

0.99

0.95

5FML82017

5QP

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT

0.17

2,133

1.02

0.93

National average

0.15

6,380

1.00

1.00


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