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20 Apr 2009 : Column 454W—continued
Departmental Training
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on the practice of holding departmental away days outside the Department's buildings. [268539]
Mr. Bradshaw: Departmental awaydays are held at buildings other than those on the Department's estate when this is justified by business need.
The Department's ‘Code of Business Conduct’, which all staff must comply with, makes it clear that departmental officials should avoid providing hospitality at non-business locations unless there is a clear need to do so. The code also stresses that any hospitality provided should be modest and necessary for the effective discharge of the Department's business.
Doctors: Working Hours
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of a national audit to assess the adequacy of arrangements made by hospital trusts to fill NHS doctor rotas; and if he will make a statement. [269152]
Ann Keen: Strategic health authorities are assessing the adequacy of arrangements made by hospital trusts to fill national health service doctor rotas as part of their quality assurance monitoring for the implementation of the European Working Time Directive.
The UK Government’s assessment of the national position was submitted to the European Commission at the end of January 2009.
This information is contained in the notification to the European Commission which has been placed in the Library.
Domestic Visits
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times each of the Ministers in his Department visited (a) a hospital, (b) a dental practice, (c) an accident and emergency department, (d) a GP practice, (e) an ambulance service trust and (f) an independent sector treatment centre in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [258319]
Mr. Bradshaw: As part of their official duties, departmental Ministers visit a variety of hospitals, dental practices, accident and emergency departments, general practitioner (GP) practices, ambulance service trusts and independent sector treatment centres. The following visits occurred during the period 18 February 2008 to 20 February 2009.
Visits by each Minister in the last 12 months were:
| Alan Johnson | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 18 February 2008 to 20 February 2009 |
| Lord Darzi | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 18 February 2008 to 20 February 2009 |
| Ben Bradshaw | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 18 February 2008 to 20 February 2009 |
| Ann Keen | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 18 February 2008 to 20 February 2009 |
| Dawn Primarolo | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 18 February 2008 to 20 February 2009 |
| Ivan Lewis (until October 2008) | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 18 February 2008 to 20 February 2009 |
| Phil Hope (from October 2008 onwards) | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 18 February 2008 to 20 February 2009 |
General Practitioners: Standards
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of general practitioners' premises were above all minimum standards set by his Department in each primary care trust area at the most recent date for which figures are available; and what percentage in each primary care trust area did not meet minimum standards through not complying with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [267441]
Mr. Bradshaw: Details of the minimum standards for general practitioner practice premises are set out in Schedule 1 of The National Health Service (General Medical Services - Premises Costs) (England) Directions 2004, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. Compliance with these standards is a matter for local primary care trusts (PCT) and each make their own arrangements for undertaking this assessment.
The most recent relevant data collected centrally was a snapshot return as at 31 March 2005 which was provided by PCTs. It has not been collected centrally since then. A copy was placed in the Library on 12 May 2006. The data is now four years out of date and does not reflect the investment in primary care premises that has taken place in the intervening period.
New premises that fully satisfy minimum standards are being provided under the NHS Local Finance Investment Trust (NHS LIFT) initiative. Over £1.5 billion in private sector capital has already been injected into GP premises and community facilities across the country with 48 NHS LIFT schemes established and another one in procurement. This has, to date, delivered 205 new buildings open to patients with another 25 under construction. Private sector capital has also been invested by third party developers who specialise in the primary care estate.
The NHS ProCure21 initiative has also provided premises that fully satisfy minimum standards. Of a total of £3.5 billion invested through that investment programme, over £400 million has been invested in primary care and community facilities across England. Of that amount, 36 projects with a value of £143 million have been completed and 33 projects with a value of £260 million are currently in the earlier stages of development.
General Practitioners: Tamworth
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner surgeries in Tamworth constituency have been (a) refurbished and (b) rebuilt in each of the last 11 years. [268000]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested.
The only data collected centrally relates to a target in the Department’s NHS Plan published on 1 July 2000. The target was to substantially refurbish or replace up to 3,000 family doctors’ premises by 2004. This national target was achieved with a total of 2,848 by December 2004.
The data were not collected at constituency level but by strategic health authority (SHA); and also by primary care trust (PCT) from 2002-03. The PCT for Tamworth between 2000 and 2004 was Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT, for which three premises were recorded as refurbished or replaced. However, as the data for this exercise was only collected on a PCT level from 2002-03, other premises may have been refurbished or replaced before this date. The total number of premises refurbished or replaced in the former Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA between 2000 and 2004 was 79.
Health Professions: Training
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what benchmark cost his Department uses for the training of a (a) midwife, (b) health visitor and (c) nurse. [269211]
Ann Keen: The national benchmark price for pre-registration training for both degree and diploma nursing students in the financial year 2008-09 was £7,273 outside London, and the average benchmark price for London was £7,746.
The national benchmark price for pre-registration training for both degree and diploma midwifery students in the financial year 2008-09 was £8,363 outside London, and the average benchmark price for London was £8,907.
There is no current benchmark cost for a health visitor as these are post-registration courses and the benchmark prices only apply to pre-registration courses.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average cost of (a) tuition, (b) bursary, (c) salary support and (d) other training costs for a (i) doctor, (ii) nurse, (iii) midwife and (iv) health visitor between entry onto a degree or diploma course and full registration in the latest period for which figures are available. [269214]
Ann Keen: The average cost of tuition, bursary, salary support and other training costs for a doctor, nurse and midwife between entry onto a degree or diploma course and full registration are shown in the following table. Information for health visitors is not held centrally.
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