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28 Oct 2009 : Column 444W—continued
Hospitals: Food
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what surveys of patient satisfaction with hospital food the NHS has undertaken in the last 12 months; [295301]
(2) what recent progress his Department has made in improving the quality of food served in NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement. [295302]
Ann Keen: National health service acute trusts have undertaken the Care Quality Commission's annual in-patient survey of patients (2008), which includes questions relating to patients' rating of the food, whether they were offered a choice and whether they received help to eat meals. The most recent survey (2008 national adult inpatients survey [published May 2009]) results show a positive improvement in patient satisfaction with hospital food, i.e. a two-percentage point increase in food rated "very good", and a fall in the number who rate the food as "poor". Also, it shows a three-percentage point increase in patients stating that they always received "enough help from staff to eat meals". The Care Quality Commission's mental health acute inpatient service users' survey (2009), also asks respondents how they rate the hospital food.
The importance of good quality food for patients is recognised both in terms of improving their health and in relation to their overall experience of services.
The Better Hospital Food programme focused on ensuring the consistent delivery of high quality food and food services to patients and its key outputs include best practice guidance and detailed information to support the delivery of food in the NHS. Although the Better Hospital Food programme has now closed, the resource is still available via the Hospital Caterers' Association website:
The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), is also working with stakeholders in the development of a toolkit to assist NHS organisations in the implementation of the "10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care". The factsheets support good nutritional care and were published by the NPSA earlier this year.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was allocated in NHS hospitals for food on average per in-patient per day in the last 12 months. [296226]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: There is no national health service daily allocation as such so this information is not collected in the precise format requested. However, information provided to the Department shows that in 2008-09 the average cost of feeding one patient per day was £7.53.
This cost relates to the average daily cost for the provision of all meals and beverages fed to one patient per day, across all NHS trusts in England. The cost should include all pay and non-pay costs, including provisions, ward issues, disposables, equipment and its maintenance.
The information has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.
Kidney Patients: Dialysis Machines
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a system to ensure that NHS patients requiring kidney dialysis may receive dialysis through the NHS while staying temporarily outside their primary health care area in the UK without additional charge. [295163]
Ann Keen: The National Service Framework for Renal Services emphasised that for reasons such as work, education, holidays and family visits, it is important that patients can dialyse away from home. We are working with specialised renal commissioners to identify ways in which we can improve the availability of dialysis for patients away from home.
The introduction of a standard tariff for dialysis, initially on a non-mandatory basis, will help to reduce the variations in the charges for people who wish to dialyse away from home.
Mental Health Services
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any NHS counselling services have been discontinued as a result of the implementation of his Department's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme. [296286]
Phil Hope: Primary care trust (PCT) commissioners are responsible for assessing local need and deciding the types and amounts of various national health service psychological therapy services required in their area.
However, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme envisages a long term need for counselling services and has, therefore, not issued guidance encouraging decommissioning of counselling services or recommending that counsellors should retrain.
The funding committed for IAPT services by the Government is in addition to those counselling and talking therapy services locally funded and delivered. Some PCTs have moved to invest further in IAPT services and to use IAPT as a method of broadening the range of therapies offered to local people.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase access to NHS counselling services during the economic downturn. [296287]
Phil Hope: In March 2009 a package of measures to help people who are experiencing emotional problems linked to employment or debt issues linked to the downturn was announced by the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Specifically the aim was to help people overcome the negative psychological impact of job loss or debt, so that they can better tackle their financial issues. The package also included greater provision of talking therapies and a new network of employment support workers.
Investment of an extra £13 million has been made available to fund:
a faster roll-out of talking therapy services around the country throughout 2009 with services beginning to be available in every area by 2010;
employment support workers linked to every talking therapy services, providing job support for people with common mental health problems to help people back to work;
health advisers on a dedicated NHS Direct phone line being trained to spot people who might be experiencing depression because of economic problems and refer them to help; and
better online advice and information about the availability of services near to people's homes through NHS Choices.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timescale his Department proposes for the introduction of statutory regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists. [296288]
Ann Keen:
The Health Professions Council (HPC) has recently been consulting on its proposals for the regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors. It is
envisaged that the HPC will deliver its recommendations to the Government by the end of this year. Following this, the Government will consider next steps, including timescales. Full consideration will be given to the outcome of the HPC consultation in taking forward any proposals for regulation.
NHS Connecting for Health: Marketing
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) public relations for Connecting for Health in the last five years. [295499]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Expenditure information for the last five financial years is in the following table.
| £ | ||
| Public Relations | Advertising | |
| Note: Accounting information does not permit differentiation of public relations and press-related expenditure. The figures cover both, and exclude VAT. | ||
NHS: Finance
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of central Government funding to primary care trusts in (a) Bolton and (b) England which is spent on management costs. [295306]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The management costs of Bolton Primary Care Trust (PCT), as published in its 2008-09 audited accounts, represent approximately 1.7 per cent. of its net operating costs. This excludes any management costs incurred by the providers of the health care that is commissioned by the PCT.
Bolton PCT's main provider is Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. NHS foundation trusts have independent status in the national health service and are free from the Department's powers of direction. They are not required to complete information data requests that do not fit with mandatory requirements, which includes management costs.
The management costs of the NHS organisations that report to the Department represent approximately 3 per cent. of the overall NHS expenditure.
NHS: Information and Communications Technology
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the most recent annual benefits statement for the National Programme for IT; and for what reasons he has not yet published it. [295498]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
In response to a recommendation of the Public Accounts Committee in its report on the National Programme published in January 2009, the Department has agreed to consider producing an annual report of the Programme's progress against published
timetables and expenditure forecasts. Consideration is being given to publication, from 2009-10, of a single document combining the annual report with a restructured statement of the costs and benefits of the programme.
NHS: Pensions
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to amend the NHS Pension scheme entitlements of NHS employees on high salaries. [295680]
Ann Keen: Pension scheme provisions are kept under review to ensure they are appropriate and sustainable at all levels.
NHS: Procurement
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, columns 126-7W, on NHS procurement, if he will place in the Library a copy of the procurement capability review team's report on his Department. [295651]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The report and associated documents are entitled:
Procurement Capability Review Programme-Department of Health
Procurement Capability Review Programme Improvement Plan-Department of Health
OGC Procurement Capability Reviews Tranche Three Overview report
Copies of these have been placed in the Library.
NHS: Public Holidays
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional expenditure the NHS incurred in ensuring continuous staffing levels (a) over bank holidays and (b) over the Christmas period in the last 12 months. [296227]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
Nurses: Pay
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average starting salary of an NHS nurse was in (a) cash and (b) real terms in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available. [295229]
Ann Keen: The average estimated starting salary of an NHS nurse in cash and real terms in 1996-97 and 2008-09, the latest year for which figures are available, is shown in following the table.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average pay of an NHS nurse was in (a) cash and (b) real terms in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available. [295230]
Ann Keen: The average pay of an NHS nurse in cash and real terms in 1998-99 and 2008-09 the latest year for which figures are available is in the table. No comparable figures are available prior to 1998-99 as this was the first year in which the NHS staff earnings survey was undertaken.
| Average earnings (£) | ||
| Qualified Nurse | Cash | 2008-09 prices |
| Notes: 1. In the context of this answer the term "NHS Nurse" has been interpreted as a qualified nurse. 2. 1998-99 figures-Source: NHS Earnings Survey 1998-99 (available at www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Pressreleases/DH_4005045). 3. Figures have been expressed in 2008-09 prices using the HM Treasury gross domestic product deflator index where appropriate. 4. 2008-09 figures-Source: NHS Information Centre NHS Staff Earnings January to March 2009 (available at www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/workforce/nhs-staff-earnings/nhs-staff-earnings-january-march-2009). The figure for April to June 2009 is available (£30,900) but the deflator index is unavailable for a comparison in real terms. 5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £100. | ||
Nurses: Training
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many student nurses there are in (a) England and (b) Bassetlaw constituency. [295655]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected in the manner requested.
In 2008-09 there were 20,664 nurse training places commissioned for the whole of England. Due to the length of nurse training and attrition rates, this does not give a true picture of the exact number of student nurses currently in training across England and represents only the number of places commissioned for one year.
It is not possible to report on the number of student nurses in the Bassetlaw constituency.
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