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17 Mar 2010 : Column 922W—continued
The number of NHS general practitioners (GPs), practice nurses and HCHS qualified nursing staff employed by Wolverhampton City Primary Care Trust (PCT) as at 30 September, for 2002 and the latest date available, is shown in the following table:
| Number of GPs | Number of practice nurses | Number of HCHS qualified nursing staff | |
| Note: It is not possible to map accurate workforce figures for this organisation prior to the formation of the PCTs in 2002. Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care-General and Personal Medical Services Statistics | |||
Doctors: Vacancies
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies for junior doctors there have been in each month since May 1997. [322236]
Ann Keen: Junior doctor posts are not included in the NHS Information Centre Medical and Dental vacancy publication.
Ealing
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Ealing Southall constituency, the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies since 1997. [322444]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. 93 per cent. of people nationally now rate the NHS as good or excellent. The NHS Constitution contains 25 rights and 14 pledges for patients and the public including new rights to be treated within 18 weeks, or be seen by a cancer specialist within two weeks and an NHS health check every five years for those aged 40-74 years.
There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Ealing Southall constituency.
Figures for December 2009 show that in Ealing Primary Care Trust (PCT):
96 per cent. of patients whose treatment involved admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks.
98 per cent. of patients whose treatment did not involve admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks.
Between September 2001 and September 2008 the number of general practitioners (GPs) per 100,000 people within Ealing PCT has increased from 61.2 to 66.8.
In December 2009, at Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, 97.7 per cent. of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.
Between September 1997 and September 2008 the number of consultants at Ealing Hospital NHS Trust increased from 49 to 67. Between September 1997 and September 2008 the estimated number of nurses increased from 550 to 726.
96.9 per cent. of urgent GP referrals to Ealing Hospital NHS Trust with suspected cancer are seen by a specialist within two weeks of the referral.
Although statistical information is not available at a local level, Ealing Southall will have also benefited from national policies in other areas. For example:
Since 1997, gross current expenditure on personal social services has increased by around 70 per cent. in real terms with around 105,000 households now receiving intensive home care and 3,076 new extra care housing units-exceeding the original target of 1,500 new extra care units.
Other strategies currently being implemented are:
Subject to parliamentary approval, the Personal Care at Home Bill will guarantee free personal care for 280,000 people with the highest needs and help around 130,000 people who need home care for the first time to regain their independence;
Shaping the Future of Care Together Green Paper, published in July 2009, sets out a vision for a National Care Service for all adults in England which is fair, simple and affordable. The
Department has consulted widely on this reform and is currently analysing the responses, which will feed into a White Paper later this year;
The National Carer's Strategy-(Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities)-launched in 2008;
The first National Dementia Strategy was published in February 2009;
Valuing People Now-a three year strategy for people with learning disabilities published in January 2009; and
New Horizons: A Shared Vision for Mental Health-launched in December 2009-to maintain improvements in mental health services combined with a new cross-Government approach to promoting public mental health.
Since 1998, there are now 2.4 million fewer smokers in England as a result of the Government's comprehensive tobacco control strategy which has had a measurable impact on reducing smoking prevalence.
Child obesity levels are reducing due to the efforts of families across England, supported by the Government's obesity strategy. In 2008, 13.9 per cent. of children (aged 2 to 10) in England were classified as obese, compared with 17.3 per cent. in 2005.
Overall, life expectancy at birth for men has increased from 74.5 years (1995-1997 data) to 77.7 years (2006-08 data) while for women, life expectancy at birth has increased from 79.6 years (1995-97 data) to 81.9 years (2006-08 data).
General Practitioners and Dental Services: Pendle
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) GPs and (b) dentists were practising in Pendle in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2009. [322224]
Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the data are available set out in the following table.
| All general practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) by primary care trust (PCT) area in England, as at 30 September 2002-08 | |||||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Notes: 1. East Lancashire PCT was created on 1 October 2006 from a complete merger of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT, Hyndbum and Ribble Valley PCT and a part merger of Preston PCT (various wards and parishes). Due to this part merger it is not possible to provide figures which are consistent over a time series prior to 2006. The area of Pendle was serviced by Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT in 2002-05 and by East Lancashire PCT in 2006-08. 2. The Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care-general and personal medical services statistics. | |||||||
The numbers of national health service dentists, in Pendle, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 are available in Annex E and Annex G of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006". Annex E provides information by strategic health authority (SHA) and by PCT. Annex G provides information by constituency.
This information is based on the old contractual arrangements, which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report, published on 23 August 2006, has already been placed in the Library and is available on the website of the Information Centre for health and social care at:
The numbers of dentists with NHS activity during the years ending 31 March, 2007, 2008 and 2009 are available in Table G1 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2008-09" report. Information is provided for England and by SHA and PCT but is not available by constituency. This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. This report, published on 19 August 2009, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the website of the Information Centre for health and social care at:
Following a recent consultation exercise, this measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes any previously published workforce figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March.
These published figures relate to a headcount and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
Health Services: Disadvantaged
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS spending has been spent in (a) Spearhead and (b) non-Spearhead primary care trusts in each year since the start of the Spearhead Programme. [322325]
Gillian Merron: There are currently 62 PCTs that cover Spearhead areas and 90 that do not. It is worth noting that the Spearhead does not refer to PCTs, but to local authority areas, which do not correspond exactly to each other
The information is in the following table.
Home Care Services
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who (a) was invited to and (b) attended his Department's care and support conference in February 2010. [322237]
Phil Hope: Members of the Care and Support Alliance and a limited number of additional organisations which have a cross-cutting leadership role in the care and support sector, were invited to the Care and Support Conference on 19 February to give their views to politicians and help build a consensus on the reform of the system.
A full list of attendees is included in the Conference Report, a copy of which has been placed in the Library and which can also be viewed online at:
Motor Neurone Disease: Health Services
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to publish a national strategy on motor neurone disease; and if he will make a statement. [322342]
Ann Keen: There are no current plans to publish a national strategy on motor neurone disease.
NHS: Medical Treatments
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Evidence Review Groups are required to complete their assessments within the timetables set by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for (a) multiple and (b) single technology appraisals. [322514]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Under the contract between the Department and the Technology Assessment Review (TAR) teams which support the work of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), Evidence Review Group reports for single technology appraisals are produced within eight weeks from the date of the industry submission and assessment reports for multiple technology appraisals are produced within 28 weeks from the TAR team's receipt: of the final scope from NICE. This assumes that preceding stages have been completed according to the stipulated guidance.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to publish its response to the consultation on its response to Sir Ian Kennedy's report on Appraising the Value of Innovation. [322594]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Publication of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) final response to Sir Ian Kennedy's report on Appraising the Value of Innovation is a matter for NICE as an independent body. We understand that a draft response to Sir Ian's report was discussed at NICE'S board meeting on 17 March 2010 and NICE will confirm its plans for publication in due course.
Trade Unions
Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days staff of his Department and its agencies spent on trade union activity in the latest year for which figures are available; and what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of such activity. [320614]
Phil Hope: Information about the number of days that staff in the Department and its agencies spent on trade union activity is not held centrally. To collect this information would incur disproportionate cost. It is not possible therefore to make an estimate of the cost of these activities.
Through our facilities agreement, the Department makes available certain facilities to the three recognised trades unions in order to conduct their business effectively.
The Department and trades unions place high value on fostering and maintaining good industrial relations. We work in partnership to achieve shared aims, objectives and outcomes. The granting of reasonable facilities and facility time by the Department make an important contribution to the success of the organisation.
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