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Health Services: Complaints

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many responses his Department received to its consultation on proposed changes to the legislative framework for health and social care complaints; [258322]

(2) in what ways the proposed new social care complaints procedure for adults will differ from the procedure for complaints in social care for children; [258469]

(3) what mechanisms there are in the proposed new social care complaints procedure to enable a director of adult care to highlight faults in the system; [258470]

(4) whether complainants will retain their right to independent scrutiny of their complaint under the proposed new social care complaints procedure; and if he will make a statement; [258471]

(5) what assessment he has made of the merits of the proposed changes to the social care complaints system whereby complaints would be dealt with by front line staff who provide the complainant’s care. [258474]

Ann Keen: There were 191 responses to the consultation on “Reform of health and social care complaints: Proposed changes to the legislative framework”. Prior to this the Department ran a consultation on the policy and principles of the new approach to complaints handling in the national health service and social care in 2007, entitled “Making experiences count: a new approach to responding to complaints”. There were 376 written responses to this earlier consultation, the majority of which were positive and supportive of the new approach.

Under the new approach as provided for in the forthcoming legislative framework the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 laid before Parliament on the 27 February and coming into force on 1 April 2009, every local authority, NHS body, and primary care provider must designate a complaints manager to be responsible for managing the procedures for handling and considering complaints in accordance with the complaints regulations. Front line staff who provide the complainant’s care may be required to contribute to investigations of complaints and provide explanations or reports as necessary, but not to take responsibility for managing complaints.

Under the new system, complainants will retain the same rights as now to take their complaints either to the parliamentary and health service ombudsman for NHS complaints, or to the local government ombudsman for
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social care complaints for independent investigation, where they are dissatisfied with the response they have received from the local organisation. In addition the flexibility of the new system allows for local independent investigation of complaints where appropriate.

In social care this will give adult social care complaints managers greater freedom to determine whether their handling will contain a single response, or stages, and at what point senior managers will become involved in considering the complaint. They will also decide whether and how independent consideration of the complaint will be addressed (i.e. whether there will be investigating officers conducting an investigation, and whether these will be independent of the organisation, and also whether there will be independent advocacy).

The procedures for complaints about social care for children are remaining separate and unchanged under the Children Act 1989, and complainants will continue to receive a three stage procedure. This features an automatic right to advocacy for any young person, independent consideration of all stage 2 complaints through an independent person, and also a review panel (with a minimum of two independent people on it) for all stage 3 complaints. The director of children’s services will normally become involved with complaints that reach stage 3 (though s/he will be briefed on complaints in general and all significant cases by the complaints manager).

Under the Children Act, the complaints manager must be a direct employee of the local authority; this is no longer a feature of the reforms for adult services.

The new system for the NHS and adult social care will require chief executives of local authorities and NHS bodies to be responsible for ensuring compliance with the new arrangements and in particular ensuring that action is taken if necessary in the light of the outcome of a complaint. It is envisaged that in local authorities chief executives may delegate this role to directors of adult social services.

Health Visitors: Manpower

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trained health visitors there are in each primary care trust in England. [260267]

Ann Keen: The number of health visitors employed by each primary care trust is outlined in the following table.

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NHS hospital and community health services: qualified health visiting staff in England by strategic health authority area and by organisation as at 30 September 2007
		Headcount	Full-time equivalent
England		11,569	9,056
North East Strategic Health Authority area		698	575
County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	RXP	2	1
County Durham PCT	5ND	130	109
Darlington PCT	5J9	28	21
Gateshead PCT	5KF	47	40
Hartlepool PCT	5D9	15	13
Middlesbrough PCT	5KM	19	18
Newcastle PCT	5D7	86	69
North Tees PCT	5E1	41	37
North Tyneside PCT	5D8	63	51
Northumberland Care Trust	TAC	112	83
Redcar and Cleveland PCT	5QR	31	27
South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust	RE9	0	0
South Tyneside PCT	5KG	46	39
Sunderland Teaching PCT	5KL	78	68
North West Strategic Health Authority area		1,897	1,516
Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT	5HG	104	82
Blackburn with Darwen PCT	5CC	53	44
Blackpool PCT	5HP	54	48
Bolton PCT	5HQ	80	67
Bury PCT	5JX	46	40
Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT	5NP	97	68
Central Lancashire PCT	5NG	115	96
Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust	RW3	4	3
Cumbria PCT	5NE	111	87
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust	RXR	3	2
East Lancashire PCT	5NH	107	89
Halton and St. Helens PCT	5NM	64	49
Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT	5NQ	61	54
Knowsley PCT	5J4	69	59
Lancashire Care NHS Trust	RW5	0	0
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	RXN	2	2
Liverpool PCT	5NL	108	93
Manchester PCT	5NT	138	116
North Lancashire PCT	5NF	61	49
Oldham PCT	5J5	60	50
Salford PCT	5F5	59	46
Sefton PCT	5NJ	66	53
Stockport NHS Trust	RWJ	2	2
Stockport PCT	5F7	99	61
Tameside and Glossop PCT	5LH	75	58
Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust	RM4	6	5
Trafford PCT	5NR	56	44
Warrington PCT	5J2	45	34
West Cheshire PCT	5NN	63	47
Wirral PCT	5NK	89	67
Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority area		1,301	1,022
Barnsley PCT	5JE	52	44
Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT	5NY	158	123
Bradford District Care Trust	TAD	0	0
Calderdale PCT	5J6	65	48
Doncaster PCT	5N5	92	74
East Riding of Yorkshire PCT	5NW	70	56
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust	RCD	1	0
Hull Teaching PCT	5NX	78	65
Humber Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust	RV9	3	3
Kirklees PCT	5N2	77	64
Leeds PCT	5N1	166	131
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	RR8	1	1
North East Lincolnshire PCT	5AN	43	36
North Lincolnshire PCT	5EF	44	37
North Yorkshire and York PCT	5NV	168	123
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust	RJL	0	0
Rotherham PCT	5H8	66	54
Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Trust	RCU	1	1
Sheffield PCT	5N4	126	92
Wakefield District PCT	5N3	90	72
East Midlands Strategic Health Authority area		925	716
Bassetlaw PCT	5ET	23	16
Derby City PCT	5N7	61	45
Derbyshire County PCT	5N6	177	139
Leicester City Teaching PCT	5PC	85	69
Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT	5PA	104	76
Lincolnshire Teaching PCT	5N9	135	107
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust	RNS	4	3
Northamptonshire Teaching PCT	5PD	133	108
Nottingham City PCT	5EM	83	63
Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT	5N8	120	91
West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area		1,269	994
Birmingham East and North PCT	5PG	110	77
Coventry Teaching PCT	5MD	52	37
Dudley PCT	5PE	67	50
Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT	5MX	80	72
Herefordshire PCT	5CN	32	25
North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust	RLY	1	1
North Staffordshire PCT	5PH	48	39
Sandwell PCT	5PF	72	64
Shropshire County PCT	5M2	58	46
Solihull Care Trust	TAM	68	49
South Birmingham PCT	5M1	63	53
South Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Trust	RRE	3	2
South Staffordshire PCT	5PK	141	107
Stoke on Trent Teaching PCT	5PJ	70	57
Telford and Wrekin PCT	5MK	42	31
Walsall Teaching PCT	5M3	52	47
Warwickshire PCT	5PM	108	78
Wolverhampton City PCT	5MV	62	48
Worcestershire PCT	5PL	140	108
East of England Strategic Health Authority area		1,095	847
Bedfordshire PCT	5P2	84	66
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust	RT1	1	1
Cambridgeshire PCT	5PP	77	61
East and North Hertfordshire PCT	5P3	103	75
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust	RWH	9	7
Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust	RDE	4	3
Great Yarmouth and Waveny Teaching PCT	5PR	48	39
Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust	RWR	0	0
James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust	RGP	1	1
Luton PCT	5GC	34	29
Mid Essex PCT	5PX	60	46
Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust	RM1	1	1
Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust	RMY	1	1
Norfolk PCT	5PQ	129	106
North East Essex PCT	5PW	47	39
Peterborough PCT	5PN	53	41
South East Essex PCT	5P1	73	63
South West Essex Teaching PCT	SPY	92	73
Suffolk PCT	5PT	103	71
West Essex PCT	5PV	50	38
West Hertfordshire PCT	5P4	125	89
London Strategic Health Authority area		1,613	1,335
Barking and Dagenham PCT	5C2	36	30
Barnet PCT	5A9	31	23
Bexley Care Trust	TAK	52	40
Brent Teaching PCT	5K5	48	43
Bromley PCT	5A7	88	59
Camden PCT	5K7	27	22
City and Hackney PCT	5C3	49	40
Croydon PCT	5K9	71	57
Ealing PCT	5HX	67	57
Enfield PCT	5C1	50	41
Great Ormond Street Hospital For Sick Children NHS Trust	RP4	0	0
Greenwich Teaching PCT	5A8	57	49
Hammersmith and Fulham PCT	5H1	59	48
Haringey Teaching PCT	5C9	46	38
Harrow PCT	5K6	41	31
Havering PCT	5A4	41	33
Hillingdon PCT	5AT	57	40
Hounslow PCT	5HY	31	27
Islington PCT	5K8	35	32
Kensington and Chelsea PCT	5LA	37	28
Kingston Hospital NHS Trust	RAX	1	1
Kingston PCT	5A5	30	23
Lambeth PCT	5LD	40	39
Lewisham PCT	5LF	79	68
Newham PCT	5C5	46	42
North East London Mental Health NHS Trust	RAT	1	1
North West London Hospitals NHS Trust	RV8	4	4
Redbridge PCT	5NA	36	32
Richmond and Twickenham PCT	5M6	42	35
Southwark PCT	5LE	82	73
St. Mary’s NHS Trust	RJ5	1	1
Sutton and Merton PCT	5M7	105	81
Tower Hamlets PCT	5C4	53	49
Waltham Forest PCT	5NC	45	37
Wandsworth PCT	5LG	60	52
Westminster PCT	5LC	65	57
South East Coast Strategic Health Authority area		778	583
East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT	5P7	72	53
Eastern and Coastal Kent Teaching PCT	5QA	146	112
Hastings and Rother PCT	5P8	40	33
Medway NHS Trust	RPA	1	1
Medway PCT	5L3	65	53
South Downs Health NHS Trust	RDR	81	57
Surrey PCT	5P5	179	131
West Kent PCT	5P9	49	39
West Sussex Teaching PCT	5P6	145	105
South Central Strategic Health Authority area		856	626
Berkshire East Teaching PCT	5QG	94	66
Berkshire West PCT	5QF	109	75
Buckinghamshire PCT	5QD	106	82
Hampshire PCT	5QC	217	158
Isle of Wight Healthcare PCT	5QT	16	13
Milton Keynes PCT	5CQ	64	53
Oxfordshire PCT	5QE	149	109
Portsmouth City Teaching PCT	5FE	53	36
Southampton City PCT	5L1	48	34
South West Strategic Health Authority area		1,137	843
Bath and North East Somerset PCT	5FL	46	33
Bournemouth and Poole PCT	5QN	73	53
Bristol Teaching PCT	5QJ	122	89
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT	5QP	107	87
Devon Partnership NHS Trust	RWV	2	1
Devon PCT	5QQ	125	97
Dorset PCT	5QM	91	64
Gloucestershire PCT	5QH	129	98
North Somerset PCT	5M8	38	28
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust	RK9	3	2
Plymouth Teaching PCT	5F1	65	47
Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	RDZ	1	1
Somerset PCT	5QL	112	83
South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust	RA9	2	1
South Gloucestershire PCT	5A3	55	38
Swindon PCT	5K3	43	36
Torbay Care Trust	TAL	26	20
Weston Area Health NHS Trust	RA3	2	2
Wiltshire PCT	5QK	95	65
Note: Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.

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