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13 May 2009 : Column 790W—continued
Departmental Training
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years. [274217]
Mr. Bradshaw: Spending on information technology (IT) training by the Department over the last five years is as follows:
| £ | |
The information is based on the provision of IT training and guidance delivered by the in-house training team. It does not include information about courses run and paid for locally within Departmental directorates nor for training delivered during the implementation of new projects, neither of which is held centrally, and would incur disproportionate costs to establish.
Health Services: Crosby
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department provided for (a) primary care and (b) other health services in Crosby constituency in each of the last five years; and what infrastructural improvements have been made to healthcare facilities in the constituency in that time. [273607]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the Crosby constituency is served by the Sefton Primary Care Trust (PCT). The following table shows the revenue allocations for Sefton PCT for each of the last five years.
| Sefton PCT revenue allocations (£ million) | |
| Note: Sefton PCT was formed on 1 October 2006 following the merger of South Sefton and Southport and Formby PCTs. Allocations in 2004-05 to 2007-08 were made to the former 303 PCTs. The table shows estimates for the current configuration of 152 PCTs. The scope of services covered by allocations has increased over time. In particular, before 2006-07 most primary medical services funding was not included in PCT allocations. | |
There is currently one general practitioner (GP)-led health centre open in Sefton PCT, as well as two additional GP practices commissioned as part of the Equitable Access to Primary Care initiative. These services opened to patients in April 2009.
It is the responsibility of PCTs to plan, develop and improve health services according to the needs of their local populations. The Department does not collect information on what infrastructural improvements have been made to health care facilities by particular PCTs. This information should be obtained from the PCT directly.
Hospitals: Mobile Telephones
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 20 hospitals were asked to provide copies of their policies governing the use of mobile telephones in hospitals as part of the consultation on the liberalisation of mobile telephone use. [275503]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information was collected on mobile phone usage policies from national health service trusts This information helped inform the Department’s publication—Using mobile phones in NHS hospitals January 2009.
The information requested is as follows.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust;
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust;
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust;
East Sussex hospitals NHS Trust;
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust;
Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust;
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust;
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust;
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust;
Poole Hospital NHS Trust;
Portsmouth City NHS Teaching Primary Care Trust;
Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust;
South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust;
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust;
The Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust;
University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; and
West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations (a) were invited to participate in and (b) responded to the consultation on liberalisation of mobile telephone use in hospitals. [275504]
Mr. Bradshaw: A wide range of organisations was consulted to inform the Department’s new mobile phone usage guidance. This was done in order to address the legal, safety, privacy and dignity issues arising from mobile phone use in hospitals. Each national health service trust has responsibility for formulating its own mobile phone usage policy, after conducting a full risk assessment, as stated in the Department’s publication—Using mobile phones in NHS hospitals January 2009.
The information requested is as follows.
The Department of Health’s Legal Services;
National Health Service Trusts;
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency;
National Patient Safety Agency;
Chief Nursing Office;
European Healthcare Organisations; and
Hospital Bedside Television and Telephones providers.
Industrial Health and Safety
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [274541]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has a health and safety policy, which recognises its responsibilities, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. We also employ a health and safety policy manager and secure specialist advice through our facilities management supplier, which enables us to ensure compliance.
We cannot separately identify those costs associated solely with compliance in these roles nor for individual maintenance or improvement work as legislative compliance is an integral requirement.
We can separately identify the costs incurred in undertaking workstation assessments, fire warden and manual handling training for 2008-09, because we procured these separately, and those costs amounted to £17,598 in 2008-09.
Lincolnshire Teaching Primary Care Trust
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust has made discretionary dispensations in the last 12 months. [274046]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information requested is not held centrally. The Department does not break down primary care trust (PCT) allocations by policies, at either national or local level. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment taking into account both local priorities and the national health service operating framework. This information can be obtained by contacting Lincolnshire Teaching PCT directly.
Mental Health Services: Ex-servicemen
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treatment of veterans with psychological wounding. [275183]
Phil Hope: It is not possible to quantify the costs of providing psychological help to veterans because they are not separately identified as such from the rest of the population, nor do they receive treatment in distinct facilities.
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidance his Department has issued to Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust on the involvement of (a) patients and (b) the public in the preparation of its action plan; and if he will make a statement. [274914]
Mr. Bradshaw: The trust’s board is responsible for developing and implementing an action plan to address the issues raised by the Healthcare Commission and subsequently in the reports from Professor Sir George Alberti and Doctor David Colin-Thome. In doing this, the board will work closely with the trust’s members and governors, who represent the needs and wishes of their local communities.
NHS: Equality
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has allocated to Pacesetters programmes in each primary care trust for 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. [273386]
Dawn Primarolo:
The Department runs the Pacesetters programme in conjunction with six strategic health authorities (SHAs). The programme is designed to improve the equality performance of the national health service through a range of innovative projects based within trusts located within these SHAs. In total 34 trusts are participating in Pacesetters. These projects are being evaluated independently, and good practice and learning will be disseminated widely throughout the NHS. The Department provides funding and other support to the SHAs, and intends to do so in 2009-10. Final levels of funding in the current financial year have yet to be
determined. Once the funding is delivered to the SHAs, in large part it is the responsibility of the SHAs to determine the allocations to individual trusts.
Nutrition
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to ensure that the nutrition action plan is effectively communicated to (a) healthcare and (b) social care providers. [274362]
Phil Hope: The joint 'Nutrition Action Plan' from the Department of Health and Nutrition Summit stakeholders was published on 30 October 2007. A press release was issued giving details of the Plan and the Plan was placed on the Department's website at:
A copy has been placed in the Library.
A delivery board of key stakeholders was set up to oversee implementation of the five priority areas identified in the nutrition action plan. The board are due to submit its final report in the summer, setting out the progress made and the issues that still need to be addressed.
The Department and 28 stakeholder organisations involved in developing the plan have pledged to use their own communications mechanisms, including conferences, events, newsletters and guidance to ensure that the messages and best practice reach the widest possible health and social care audiences.
Nutrition: Children
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for the development of policy on nutrition for children between the ages of one and three years; and what guidance on nutrition for such children the Government provide. [274592]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department is responsible for the development of policy on nutrition for children between the ages of one and three years. This is evidence based, drawing on the recommendations from the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA). Also, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is currently reviewing evidence on the influence of maternal, foetal and child nutrition status, including growth and development in utero and early childhood, on the development of disease later in life. In taking this work forward, the Committee is considering the evidence around maternal, fetal and early life factors, including infant diet and growth. SACN aims to publish their final report later this year.
As part of its on going work, the Committee's Sub-group on Maternal and Child Nutrition is also planning to update the COMA report Weaning and The Weaning Diet.
Primary Healthcare: Finance
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the primary care provided by the NHS in each of the last five years in England was publicly funded. [274363]
Mr. Bradshaw: All primary medical care provided by the national health service in the last five years is publicly funded.
While the major proportion of the cost of NHS primary dental care is publicly funded from resources allocated to the NHS, an element of gross costs is also met from NHS dental charges by patients who are not otherwise eligible for free treatment or remission of charges. The proportion of gross costs met from dental charges is set out in the following table:
| Percentage proportion of gross cost of NHS primary dental services met from NHS dental charges | |
All NHS primary eye services are publicly funded from NHS resources; eligibility for NHS sight tests and optical vouchers is restricted to certain population groups, mainly children, adults on low incomes and, in the case of sight tests, those aged 60 and over.
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