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1 July 2009 : Column 348W—continued
NHS: Manpower
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what central agreements the NHS has entered into for the supply of temporary workers to NHS organisations; what rates of pay have been set through such central agreements; and how many temporary staff have been employed through them. [282772]
Ann Keen: The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) has negotiated the following national framework agreements on behalf of the national health service:
Medical Locums;
Nursing;
Allied Health Professionals and Health Science Service staff;
Professional and Administrative Services; and
Ancillary
All agreements for temporary staffing negotiated by NHS PASA are subject to national conditions and terms of contract, which are designed to protect the NHS. All participating national framework suppliers are required to commit to and sign up to the national terms negotiated.
NHS PASA framework agreements are not mandated for use within the NHS and trusts at their own discretion can elect to establish their own local contractual arrangements for the supply of temporary staff.
Due to the NHS being the predominant purchaser of clinical temporary staff, these central agreements are not able to set the rates of pay for such temporary staff. However, Framework Agencies have undergone a public procurement process that encourages ensures that the hourly pay rates awarded are:
cost effective and best value for money for the NHS;
competitive within the marketplace; and that they are
sustainable, in terms of Framework Agency resilience during challenging economic climates and attractiveness to the temporary staff employed.
There is therefore a range of hourly pay rates available through these central agreements and it is the choice of the NHS body to determine which Framework Agency or other temporary staff provider used to meet their local requirements. These rates do not contravene any Minimum Wage Act or Equal Pay Act legislative compliance.
Information on the number of staff supplied through the framework agreements is not collected centrally but the number of hours supplied to the NHS through the frameworks over a 12 month period from 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 (data provided is an extrapolation of data provided from 1 April 2008 to 31 December 2008) is in the following table.
| Number | |
NHS PASA do not collect data from non-framework agencies, so the data do not provide coverage of NHS trusts electing not to use their framework agreements or local procurement arrangements.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when NHS Employers entered into an agreement with Solace Enterprises to provide the NHS Flexible Resourcing Service; how much has been spent by each NHS organisation on interim staff employed through the service; and how many interim staff have been employed by each NHS organisation through the service. [282776]
Ann Keen: The Department does not collect these data centrally. This is a matter for NHS Employers.
NHS: Reserve Forces
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support the NHS provides to staff who wish to volunteer for the Reserve Forces; and what guidance his Department provides to the NHS on the matter. [283079]
Ann Keen: “The Healthy Workplaces Handbook” published by NHS Employers in 2007 includes advice for employers and employees on issues that should be considered in respect of staff who wish to undertake voluntary activities that may impact on their national health service work. A copy of the relevant section has been placed in the Library. In 2004, the Department published “Improving Working Lives: The Value of supporting staff who volunteer” which was designed to persuade NHS employers to encourage volunteering by their staff and includes a section on the volunteer reserve forces. A copy of this has been placed in the Library.
NHS: Standards
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to reduce the number of central targets which the NHS has to meet. [282774]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: “The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2009-10” set no new national targets. On 30 June 2009, my noble Friend (Lord Darzi) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State published “High Quality Care for All: Our journey so far”, which confirmed our intention to minimise the burden on frontline staff by reducing unnecessary data collection and removing obsolete targets and commitments.
Nurses: Schools
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department’s target for the number of school nurses is; what his most recent assessment is of progress in meeting that target; and if he will make a statement. [282382]
Ann Keen: The Public Health White Paper, “Choosing Health: Making healthy choices easier”, published in November 2004, included the commitment to provide new funding so that by 2010 every primary care trust, working with children’s trusts and local authorities, will be resourced to have at least one full-time, year-round, qualified school nurse working with each cluster or group of primary schools and the related secondary school, taking account of health needs and school populations.
There are around 3,000 state secondary schools in England. The 2008 NHS Workforce Census showed there were 3,643 qualified nurses in school nursing areas, an increase of 51 per cent. since 2004. Of these, there were 1,447 school nurses with a post registration school nurse qualification. This is an increase of 591 or 69 per cent. since 2004.
Parliamentary Bulletins
Mr. Stephen O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what amendments (a) he has and (b) officials in his Department have proposed to draft
parliamentary bulletins to be issued by the (i) agencies and (ii) non-Ministerial department overseen by his Department in the last 12 months. [280992]
Phil Hope: No changes have been requested by departmental Ministers to draft parliamentary bulletins to be issued by its agencies and arms length bodies. Departmental officials proposed one amendment to a draft bulletin from the Appointments Commission: an amendment was requested to the first edition of Westminster (issue 1 Winter 08/09), and a reference to chairs' remuneration was removed from the bulletin prior to publication.
The Food Standards Agency, a non-ministerial Government Department, produces regular parliamentary bulletins. The Secretary of State, Ministers and departmental officials have on occasion proposed minor amendments but no records are kept of such requests.
Primary Care Trusts: Aiming High
Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to involve parents in the (a) planning and (b) delivery of Aiming High commissioning by primary care trusts; [283059]
(2) what mechanisms are in place to ensure that funding allocated to primary care trusts for Aiming High short breaks is spent on short break services. [283060]
Phil Hope: We are putting in place a number of measures to encourage primary care trusts (PCTs) and local authorities (LA) to involve parents in the planning and delivery of services for disabled children. This includes £500,000 in 2008-09, rising to £1.5 million in 2009-10, available to LAs for the support for parent forums. Parent forums give an opportunity to parents of disabled children to express their views on the services they receive.
We have also introduced an indicator to measure parental satisfaction with services for disabled children. This will reflect results for each PCT and LA against all five of the Aiming High for Disabled Children core offer standards.
In “Healthy lives, brighter futures—the strategy for children and young people’s health” a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, we confirmed £340 million NHS funding over three years for services for disabled children, including short breaks. The funding is in included in PCT baselines. The 2009-10 NHS Operating Framework challenges PCTs to review their service offer in line with “Healthy lives, brighter futures” (published February 2009) and reflect any amendments in their Operational Plans. Following publication of “Healthy lives, brighter futures” we have mandated a local statement by PCTs setting out their actions on services for disabled children, either alone or in partnership with the local strategic partnership, alongside their performance against the full set of vital signs in 2008-09.
Primary Care Trusts: North West
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the change in the tariff of (a) NHS East Lancashire Primary Care
Trust and (b) other primary care trusts in the North West needed to pay for hospital services in 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. [282520]
Ann Keen: The Department has estimated the change in hospital national tariff income and the resulting change in primary care trust (PCT) expenditure between 2008-09 and 2009-10 that is due to changes to the tariff in 2009-10. This is shown in the following table for the East Lancashire Teaching PCT and other PCTs in the North West Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area.
As the analysis uses historical activity data from 2006-07 and 2007-08, national assumptions which may vary locally, and historical estimates of PCT commissioning patterns, it can only be an estimate of the changes to PCT expenditure in 2009-10 for services covered by the national tariff.
| Impact analysis of change in expenditure due to national tariff changes in 2009-10 for PCTs in the North West SHA area | |
| PCT | Estimated change in expenditure in 2009-10 (£ million) |
| Notes: 1. Figures are in 2008-09 prices. 2. A positive figure represents an increase in expenditure. A negative figure represents a decrease in expenditure. 3. Figures include the effect of the introduction of the new market forces factor. 4. Based on historical activity from 2007-08 (in-patients and day cases) and 2006-07 (out-patients). 5. Based on scope of 2009-10 tariff on a like-for-like activity basis. 6. Some activity data has been removed from the analysis due to issues with data quality. 7. Assumes no change in income for accident and emergency between 2008-09 and 2009-10. 8. Uses national assumptions, in particular on the effect of non-mandatory out-patient procedures. 9. 2009-10 income does not include top-ups applied to long stay—excess bed days. 10. Costs for unbundled outpatients diagnostic imaging have been added into 2009-10 figures by provider. 11. Change in national health service provider income mapped to PCTs using a purchaser provider matrix based on 2007-08 admitted patient care tariff applied to 2005-06 converted hospital episode statistics (HES). | |
Screening
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 50 of his Department's report, Vascular checks: risk assessment and management, when he expects (a) to publish guidance to primary care trusts on health inequalities and (b) the test bed sites in Spearhead primary care trusts to become operational. [280412]
Ann Keen: Since the publication of the report referred to by the hon. Member the Department has published two guidance documents for primary care trusts on the implementation of the NHS Health Check Programme. 'Next Steps' Guidance for Primary Care Trusts was published in November 2008. The NHS Health Check: Vascular Risk Assessment and Management Best Practice Guidance was published in April 2009. Both guidance documents contain material relevant to health inequalities and copies have already been placed in the Library. Next Steps outlines how the Health Checks Programme (at that stage still referred to as Vascular Checks) fits the Department's wider aims on tackling health inequalities.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 32 of his Department's report, Vascular checks: risk assessment and management, when he expects his Department's call and recall system to become operational. [280413]
Ann Keen: We are currently working on the development of a call and recall system with a view to having it in place during 2012-13.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 27 of his Department's report, Vascular checks: risk assessment and management, what guidance has been issued to primary care trusts on providing training in order that staff can most effectively convey an understanding of the risks revealed by the NHS health check. [280414]
Ann Keen: The NHS Health Check: Vascular Risk Assessment and Management Best Practice Guidance, published in April 2009, addresses workforce and training issues. A copy has already been placed in the Library. In addition, we have made training available, at no cost to primary care trusts (PCTs), to support the delivery of the programme. This training includes how to communicate a person's risk of vascular disease in a way that is understandable. In addition, PCTs are developing their own materials to support those conducting the risk assessment element of the NHS Health Check and help explain to people what their risk score means. We are sharing examples of these approaches through the Learning Network.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis is for deciding that 40 years will be the lower age limit for the NHS health check. [280416]
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