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14 May 2009 : Column 988W—continued
Maternity Services: East of England
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the adequacy of maternity services in (a) Peterborough and (b) Cambridgeshire. [275264]
Ann Keen: It is for primary care trusts working with national health service trusts locally to decide how to configure maternity services.
Mental Health Services: Prisons
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is made for the care and treatment of prisoners with (a) suspected and (b) diagnosed mental health disorders. [274624]
Phil Hope: The responsibility for prison mental health care transferred fully to primary care trusts in 2006. All prison mental health services are now mainstreamed within the national health service, where the reception screening tool can assess quickly all prisoners with health concerns, including mental illness, and, where appropriate, refer them to mental health in-reach teams.
NHS prison mental health services are provided through 102 in-reach teams, to which all prisons have access. Most mental health treatment and care is delivered in prison primary care settings, as is other NHS treatment (e.g. for prisoners with diabetes or heart disease) unless urgent treatment is needed, when prisoners can be transferred to secure NHS facilities outside of the prison service for treatment under the Mental Health Act.
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will provide funding for ( a) voluntary and (b) faith counselling services to support relatives of patients of Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust who have requested an independent review of case notes; and if he will make a statement. [274920]
Mr. Bradshaw: Counselling services will be offered to all those requesting an independent review of clinical records by the clinician leading the process.
Individuals will be signposted to the counselling services most appropriate to their needs. Where there is demand, these will include services provided by the voluntary sector and specialist faith counselling services.
All services will be provided by external counsellors at a location to suit the individual and will be funded by the trust.
A written ministerial statement on Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was issued on 30 April 2009, Official Report, columns 63-64WS, in response to the reports of the independent reviews undertaken by Professor Sir George Alberti and Dr. David Colin-Thomé.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether appointments have been made to the position of (a) additional night matron and (b) professional development nurse at Stafford Hospital in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [274921]
Ann Keen: Appointments to individual national health service organisations are a local matter.
However, the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority has confirmed that the posts of night matron and professional development nurse at Stafford Hospital are being advertised in national nursing journals and on the NHS jobs website. The closing date for applications for the posts is 20 May 2009.
A written ministerial statement on Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was issued on 30 April 2009, Official Report, columns 63-64WS, in response to the reports of the independent reviews undertaken by Professor Sir George Alberti and Dr. David Colin-Thomé.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many temporary nurses have been recruited to work at Stafford Hospital pending substantive appointments by Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [274922]
Mr. Bradshaw: Appointments to individual national health service organisations, whether temporary or substantive, are a local matter.
The West Midlands Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has advised that the number of temporary nurses being used at Stafford Hospital fluctuates in line with the requirements of the Trust. The SHA has confirmed that at the start of week commencing 11 March 2009, 74 per cent. of the 39 shift vacancies had been filled by agency nurses, with arrangements in place by the end of the week to bring this up to 92 per cent. The Trust is going to a wide range of agencies to ensure all remaining shifts are taken up and continues working to recruit to all vacant posts permanently.
A written ministerial statement on Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was issued on 30 April 2009, Official Report, columns 63-64WS, in response to the reports of the independent reviews undertaken by Professor Sir George Alberti and Dr. David Colin-Thomé.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidance his Department has issued to the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust on (a) the implementation of the recommendations Lord Darzi's report, High Quality Care for All and (b) the preparation of quality accounts; and if he will make a statement. [274923]
Mr. Bradshaw: The implementation of High Quality Care for All (HQCfA) requires action at national, regional and local levels. Trusts have and will continue to receive a range of guidance on implementation of the report's recommendations. The operating framework for the NHS in England 2009-10 sets out the national priorities for the national health service, including the wide range of enablers to support the NHS in delivering HQCfA.
Quality Accounts will be produced in 2010, subject to the successful passage of the current Health Bill. Quality reporting is being tested by NHS Foundation trusts and by providers in the East of England in 2009. Guidance on this has been issued jointly by Monitor, the Department, the Care Quality Commission and NHS East of England, and is available on Monitor's website.
NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2009, Official Report, column 208W, on NHS treatment centres: private sector, by what mechanisms his Department assesses the comparative cost-effectiveness of independent sector treatment centres. [275272]
Mr. Bradshaw: The mechanism used to assess the comparative cost-effectiveness of independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) is a Value for Money analysis performed during the procurement of all Wave One and Phase Two ISTC contracts.
In evidence to the Health Select Committee in 2006, the Department stated that: Value for Money (VfM) in the ISTC programme comprises two key components: the cost of the programme compared to the "NHS equivalent cost"; and the value of the additional benefits brought by the IS programmes.
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methodology his Department used to make the estimate that operations carried out by independent sector treatment centres cost on average 11 per cent. more than operations in NHS hospitals. [275273]
Mr. Bradshaw: The figure of 11.2 per cent., provided in evidence by the Department to the Health Select Committee in 2006, was a calculation of the average premium for operational Wave One schemes derived by comparing contracted independent sector treatment centre provider prices against an estimated national health service equivalent cost.
NHS: Negligence
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many completed cases have been brought against the NHS for incidents of negligence involving malnutrition and effects of hunger in each year since 1997; and at what cost to the public purse. [273546]
Ann Keen: We cannot provide the information requested because the number of incidents by year may result in identification of a patient. However, the NHS Litigation Authority has provided the following table, which covers claims made against national health service trusts, NHS foundation trusts and primary care trusts across the period since 1997:
| Number of settled claims where the claim was made between 1997 and 2009 and where one of the injuries is recorded as malnutrition as at 30 April 2009 | ||
| Settled—nil damages | Settled with damages | |
| Note: The damages paid for these claims may include damages for other injuries within the claim, and not just damages for malnutrition. | ||
NHS: Public Participation
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent additional financial support his Department has provided to Staffordshire local involvement network (LINk); whether his Department has plans for a national publicity campaign to promote awareness of LINks; and if he will make a statement. [274918]
Ann Keen: The Department has no current plans to allocate additional funding to Staffordshire local involvement network (LINk) although we are working to help the responsible local organisations to provide support for the LINk that is consistent with local authorities' duties in relation to LINks.
A written ministerial statement was issued on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust on 30 April in response to the reports of the independent reviews undertaken by Professor Sir George Alberti and Dr. David Colin-Thomé. The statement sets out a commitment to give extra support to all LINks including a ‘how to be heard’ guide for the public, and a national publicity campaign to promote awareness of the role of LINks in influencing local decision making around national health service services.
Nurses: Foreign Workers
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what protocol governs the employment of foreign nationals by strategic health authorities and primary care trusts. [275132]
Ann Keen: “The Code of Practice for the International recruitment of healthcare professionals” (2004) is available to view on the Department’s website and a copy has been placed in the Library. NHS Employers are responsible for the implementation of the code of practice and managing the list of commercial agencies that adhere to the code.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions has he had with the Home Department on residency arrangements for foreign-born nurses. [275133]
Ann Keen: The Department continues to work closely with the UK Border Agency to ensure that a suitable route is available to allow international nurses to work in the United Kingdom when a suitable UK or European economic area candidate cannot be found.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidelines his Department has issued to (a) strategic health authorities and (b) primary care trusts on their employment of foreign nationals as nurses. [275134]
Ann Keen: NHS Employers is responsible for promotion, advice and guidance on international recruitment.
Palliative Care: Children
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses working in the NHS are trained in the care of children on long-term ventilation. [272753]
Ann Keen: The Department does not collect information on the number of nurses trained in the care of children on long-term ventilation. The skills required within local services and the accompanying training is a matter for NHS organisations.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Apprentices
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2009, Official Report, column 741W, on apprentices, how many people undertaking apprenticeship training as part of the Government Skills National Apprenticeship Pathfinder Scheme in 2008-09 are (a) new employees hired as apprentices and (b) existing employees converting to apprenticeships. [263889]
Mr. Simon: The Government Skills National Apprenticeship Pathfinder scheme brought 16 Government Departments together to increase the numbers of apprenticeships in the civil service starting in 2008-09. The original target of 500 apprenticeship starts has been more than doubled, with 1,395 starts to the period ending 31 March 2009.
Civil servant numbers have declined since 2004, so the Pathfinder scheme was designed to primarily focus on offering high quality apprenticeships to existing members of staff. It is a standard route for apprentices to be in a job before they begin their apprenticeship, in both the public and private sector. For 2008-09 the number of apprentices entering the Pathfinder scheme at the point of recruitment has been 30.
Many of those undertaking apprenticeships work in operational delivery roles in the Department for Work and Pensions, the UK Border Agency, HM Revenue and Customs, the Driving Standards Agency and the Ministry of Justice.
Government Skills is now working with Departments to help embed apprenticeships in their recruitment processes.
Basic Skills
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many Learning and Skills Council-funded adult learners aged over 16 years were eligible for inclusion in statistics used to measure progress against the Skills for Life Public Service Agreement target in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04, (c) 2004-05, (d) 2005-06 and (e) 2006-07. [274010]
Mr. Simon: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 26 February 2009, Official Report, column 1015W.
Building Colleges for the Future Programme: Greater London
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many colleges in Greater London are awaiting a decision on an application for approval of schemes under the Building Colleges for the Future programme; and if he will make a statement. [275430]
Mr. Simon: Capital funding for further education colleges is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested is with regard to an operational matter for the Council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the LSC acting chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Libraries.
Departmental Pay
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many staff employed in London on work contracted out by his Department earn less than £7.45 per hour. [275176]
Mr. Simon [holding answer 13 May 2009]: None. Contracts for facilities management at Kingsgate House in London are a matter for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, which manages the building.
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