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15 July 2009 : Column 544W—continued

Nursing suppliers on NHS PASA Multi Regional Framework Agreement


15 July 2009 : Column 545W

Nursing suppliers on NHS PASA London Framework Agreement

NHS: Procurement

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what efficiency savings were (a) anticipated and (b) generated under the Framework for Procuring
15 July 2009 : Column 546W
External Support for Commissioning programme in each year of the programme. [286633]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Efficiency savings could not be anticipated in advance of national health service use of the framework. These will be determined on a case-by-case basis, dependent upon type of support required by each individual commissioning authority.

Some commissioning authorities stipulate a requirement for Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners (FESC) suppliers to commit to the generation of a degree of savings. This differs from procurement to procurement, and will be dependent upon the type of commissioning service being procured. To date, in those contracts where this stipulation has been made, FESC suppliers have committed to guaranteed savings totalling £18 million. This figure does not include any additional incremental savings subsequently achieved during the course of a contract.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the net cost of the Framework for Procuring External Support for Commissioning programme has been to date. [286634]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: To date, the total net cost to the national health service for procurements through the Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners (FESC) is £15 million. In some cases, dependent upon the type of services being procured, there are likely to be additional incremental savings, which will be shared between the commissioning authority and the FESC supplier.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has paid to KPMG as part of the Framework for Procuring External Support for Commissioning programme to date. [286635]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: To date, no contracts have been signed with KPMG by commissioning authorities through the Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners (FESC). Therefore, to date, the amount paid to KPMG in relation to provision of services through FESC is £0.00. KPMG did provide the central FESC team with some assistance in developing some elements of the generic template documentation. This was a short-term consultancy arrangement to a total value of approximately £25,000.

NHS: Working Hours

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2009, Official Report, column 590W, for what reasons he has not yet published the information requested; and if he will publish the information before the House rises for the summer adjournment. [286927]

Ann Keen: We will publish the information when we communicate to the European Commission on the provisions of the Working Time (Amendment) Regulations, (Statutory Instrument 2009 No 1567 Terms and Conditions of Employment) which is currently before Parliament.


15 July 2009 : Column 547W

Nutrition

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the criteria are for entitlement to access a nutritionist on the NHS. [283933]

Gillian Merron: There are no nationally prescribed criteria for entitlement to see a nutritionist on the national health service, rather it is a matter for each individual health practitioner to make a clinical decision to refer a patient if they think it advisable, in line with any locally determined guidelines that may apply.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidelines on Nutrition Support in Adults covers the care of those patients with malnutrition or at risk of malnutrition at hospital and at home.

Patients: Discharges

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bed nights in each hospital trust were spent by patients who were ready for discharge but remained in hospital in the financial year (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of such delayed discharges in each such year. [286348]

Phil Hope: The requested information has been placed in the Library.

No estimate has been made of the costs to the national health service of delayed discharges.

Radon Gas: Houses

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number and location of households liable to be affected by high levels of radon gas; and if he will make a statement. [284406]

Gillian Merron: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) estimate that approximately 100,000 homes in the UK exceed the action level of 200 Bequerels/m(3) and the location of houses above the action level is shown in a map taken from the 2008 HPA Indicative Atlas of Radon in England and Wales (see following web link). The complete atlas has more detailed information if needed. Only 0.2 per cent. of houses are above the action level.

The HPA is currently carrying out a public consultation exercise on whether the action level should be reduced, among other questions.

Householders and employers are able to find out the risk of a high radon gas level in a property from the radon probability maps of the United Kingdom published by the HPA and, for England and Wales, the British Geological Survey.

Safeguarding Patients and Trust Assurance and Safety

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what programmes his Department has initiated to deliver policies outlined in "Trust, Assurance, Safety and Safeguarding Patients" since 2007; and what further such programmes are planned for the period to 2012. [286731]


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Ann Keen: The Government have established the Professional Standards Programme to take forward the recommendations contained in "Trust, Assurance, Safety and Safeguarding Patients".

Between now and 2012 the Government plan to continue with this programme of reform. Elements of the programme that are planned to be implemented in this period include establishing the Office of the Healthcare Professions Adjudicator and designing and introducing systems of revalidation for regulated health care professionals, starting with doctors.

Social Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have received care packages part-funded by the NHS following an assessment by social services in each local authority in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [286989]

Phil Hope: Information on the number of people receiving care packages part-funded by the national health service following a social services assessment is not collected.

Suffolk NHS Trust: Manpower

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) dentists and (d) non-medical staff Suffolk NHS Trust employed in each of the last five years. [286563]

Ann Keen: Information as to how many doctors, nurses, dentists and non-medical staff Suffolk NHS trust employed in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.


15 July 2009 : Column 549W
NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS): NHS staff in the West Suffolk hospitals NHS trust by specified staff group , as at 30 September each year
Headcount

 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

West Suffolk NHS Trust

3,140

3,068

2,825

2,805

2,928

Medical and Dental staff

274

283

285

274

284

Medical staff

266

273

281

268

280

Dental staff

8

10

4

6

4

Professionally qualified clinical staff

1,296

1,307

1,228

1,237

1,305

Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff

1,013

986

919

932

984

Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff

283

321

309

305

321

Qualified Allied Health Professions

143

141

130

122

125

Qualified Healthcare Scientists

62

67

70

74

72

Other Qualified Scientific, therapeutic and technical staff

78

113

109

109

124

Support to clinical staff

1,005

971

863

845

870

Support to doctors and nursing staff

839

835

745

731

754

Support to ST&T staff

166

136

118

114

116

NHS infrastructure support

565

507

449

449

469

Central functions

111

99

100

109

116

Hotel, property and estates

381

332

297

285

291

Managers and senior managers

73

76

52

55

62

Notes:
Data Quality
Workforce statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.
Sources:
The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census and The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.
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