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2 Mar 2009 : Column 1290W—continued
Health Authorities: Manpower
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by (a) NHS hospital trusts, (b) ambulance trusts and (c) primary care trusts on temporary administrative staff in each of the last five years. [259179]
Ann Keen: The expenditure in national health service hospital trusts, ambulance trusts and primary care trusts on non-NHS staff under the ‘administrative and clerical’ heading are shown in the following table.
| £ | |||
| NHS Hospital Trusts | Ambulance Trusts | Primary Care Trusts | |
| Note: These figures do not include bank staff (either organised by the organisation itself or via NHS Professionals). Figures also do not include foundation trusts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data calculated are only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust. Source: NHS Trust and PCT Financial Returns | |||
Maternity Services
Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many babies were born in stand-alone, midwife-led units in each of the last 10 years; [260190]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the clinical safety of stand-alone, midwife-led units; [260191]
(3) how many midwife-led maternity units there are; and how many of these units are (a) co-located with consultant-led maternity services and (d) stand-alone. [260192]
Ann Keen: Midwifery led care may take place in the home, in a freestanding midwifery facility, an alongside midwifery facility or within a hospital delivery suite. Information of birth in midwifery facilities is not collected centrally. We have commissioned the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) to undertake an integrated programme of research entitled ‘Birthplace’, which is designed to compare outcomes of births planned at home, in different types of midwifery units, and in hospital units with obstetric services—the NPEU are expected to report at the end of the year.
We do not routinely collect details of numbers of maternity units although a one-off survey by the Healthcare Commission suggested that in March 2007, there were 382 maternity units, of which 101 were midwifery-led. We do not know how many were stand-alone and how many co-located with consultant-led units.
NHS Foundation Trusts: Land
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS funding allocations to NHS foundation trust hospitals take into account the income each trust receives from land sales. [259737]
Mr. Bradshaw: Revenue allocations are made directly to primary care trusts, not NHS foundation trusts. Capital allocations from the Department require a demonstration of need, and proceeds from land sales are taken into account when agreeing the financing of a project.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS Hospital foundation trusts have sold land since their establishment; how much was sold in each case; and how much each trust received from the sale. [259739]
Mr. Bradshaw: We are informed by the chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the independent regulator for NHS foundation trusts (NHS FTs) that his organisation does not receive details or maintain a register of all land disposals by NHS FTs.
If an NHS FT intends to dispose of land, Monitor will be involved if the land is defined as a protected asset—one required for the delivery of a service commissioned by a primary care trust, or if the disposal qualifies as a major investment.
NHS: Equality
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken in co-operation with voluntary sector organisations on (a) developing gender-sensitive policies and (b) reducing gender inequalities in the NHS in the last five years. [259644]
Phil Hope: The Department is committed to ensuring that health and social care services promote gender equality. This is set out as a core principle in the NHS Constitution for England, which was developed in consultation with a range of voluntary sector organisations and was published on 21 January 2009.
Over the past five years the Department has continued to work in co-operation with voluntary sector organisations on gender equality, including:
convening a Gender Equality Advisory Group (GEAG), including voluntary sector organisations, to advise the Department on current health inequality trends and providing a consultative forum on outward-facing policy initiatives that impact on the NHS;
issuing guidance, developed with GEAG and published in March 2007 on “Creating a Gender Equality Scheme: A practical guide for the NHS” to ensure that all NHS organisations understand their gender equality duties. A copy has already been placed in the Library. Similar guidance was published in November 2008 specifically on transgender issues: “Trans: A practical guide for the NHS” and a copy has been placed in the Library; and
commissioning research into the different ways in which men and women access health services.
As we move forward, gender inequalities will be a key area for our new third sector Strategic Partner Programme where we are investing in 11 third sector organisations, including the Men’s Health Forum, to develop the capability of the sector and ensure they have an informed and coherent voice influencing health and social care policy.
We are also supporting a new ‘Women’s health and equalities consortium’ which includes six national women’s organisations led by YWCA, the establishment of this consortium offers a new opportunity to ensure that the women’s voluntary sector are able to inform policy and affect change particularly gender inequalities.
NHS: Finance
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what proportion of the budget of each London (a) health authority and (b) foundation trust is expected to be top-sliced to fund debt in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [258262]
Mr. Bradshaw: The boards of all 31 primary care trusts (PCTs) in London have agreed in principle to support NHS London’s medium term financial strategy, to address long term deficits within some national health service organisations in London. All PCTs, with the exception of those repaying historical deficits, will be contributing on average 0.8 per cent. of their resource baseline in 2009-10 and 0.75 per cent. in 2010-11 as part of the plan.
This is in line with the 2009-10 operating framework which states that strategic health authorities (SHAs) may determine and agree arrangements locally with their PCTs for the transfer and lodging of resources with the SHA, provided this is within the overall limits of the SHA planned surplus. SHAs will be accountable for the management of this flexibility.
London NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts will not be contributing any of their income towards NHS London’s medium term financial plan.
NHS: Publications
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were received by his Department on the accuracy of its literature relating to the provision of NHS services in the latest period for which figures are available. [259172]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information that the hon. Member requires about complaints received by the Department on the accuracy of literature relating to the provision of NHS services can be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
NHS: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS is recorded in Estates Return Information Collection data as spending on the reduction of backlog maintenance in each year since 2000-01. [259377]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information is not available in the precise format requested. The amount invested by national health service trusts specially to reduce backlog maintenance costs was first collected through the Estates Return Information Collection in 2001-02.
The information which is available is shown in the following table.
| Total amount of investment to reduce backlog maintenance costs, by NHS trusts in England | |
| £ million | |
| (1) Data collected on a non-compulsory basis. | |
From 2001-02 to 2003-04 the data were provided on a mandatory basis. However, since 2004-05, NHS trusts have provided the data on a non-compulsory basis, and may therefore not be complete.
Investment to reduce backlog maintenance will be prioritised locally based on risk assessment, reconfiguration planning and available resources. In addition to the investment specifically to reduce backlog maintenance in buildings which are to remain in NHS use, the major hospital building programme has replaced many existing NHS buildings that had significant levels of backlog maintenance.
The data are as provided by the NHS and have not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of those data is the responsibility of the provider organisation.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each NHS organisation in England is recorded in Estates Return Information Collection data as spending on reducing its backlog of maintenance in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08; and what organisation code was provided on each occasion that such expenditure was incurred in the period. [259378]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information has been placed in the Library.
The amount invested by national health service trusts specifically to reduce backlog maintenance costs is collected through the Estates Return Information Collection. Since 2004-05, NHS trusts have provided the data on a non-compulsory basis and it may therefore not be complete.
Investment to reduce backlog maintenance will be prioritised locally based on risk assessment, reconfiguration planning and available resources. In addition to the investment specifically to reduce backlog maintenance in buildings which are to remain in NHS use, the major hospital building programme has replaced many existing NHS buildings that had significant levels of backlog maintenance.
The data are as provided by the NHS and have not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of those data is the responsibility of the provider organisation.
NHS: Waiting lists
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what each measured waiting list time in each NHS institution serving North Wiltshire constituency was in each of the last 10 years. [258292]
Mr. Bradshaw: The available data are for inpatient and outpatient waiting times for the national health service trusts and primary care trusts serving North Wiltshire, as at March for each specified year, and are given in the following tables.
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