National Commissioning Board
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to enable the expertise of allied health professionals to be available to the National Commissioning Board. [57969]
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Mr Simon Burns: As part of the NHS listening exercise, we are considering clinical input to commissioning at all levels, including the NHS Commissioning Board. Both the report of the Future Forum and the Government response will be published in due course.
Neuromuscular Services
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made by the NHS South East Coast Specialised Commissioning Group in reviewing neuromuscular services in the region; and if he will make a statement. [57513]
Paul Burstow: This is a matter for the national health service locally. We have been advised by the South East Coast strategic health authority that the South East Coast Specialised Commissioning Group (SECSCG), which commissions neuromuscular services on behalf of the region, has now completed its review. The review's findings have been published in a report entitled “Better Co-ordination; Better Care—A review of services for people with Neuromuscular Conditions in the South East Coast” which is available on the SECSCG's website at:
www.secscg.nhs.uk/home/news
Following the review, initiatives are underway throughout the South East Coast region to implement its recommendations. These include programmes to improve access to, and join up, services for people with neuromuscular disease. Work is also underway to provide a care pathway coordinator post to provide advice and information for patients and carers, by September 2011.
NHS: Negligence
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS Litigation Authority paid (a) on average to successful claimants (i) in total and (ii) for medical reports in cases of clinical negligence in each of the last three years and (b) on average in respect of its own costs (A) in total and (B) in respect of medical reports in each such year. [58019]
Mr Simon Burns: The information to show how much the National Health Service Litigation Authority (NHSLA) paid on average to successful claimants in total in cases of clinical negligence in each of the last three years and on average in respect of its own costs in total is in the following table.
| Number of clinical negligence claims closed with damages 2008-09 to 2010-11 | ||||||
| £ | ||||||
| Year of closure | Damages paid | Average damages | Defence costs paid | Average defence costs | Clamant costs paid | Average claimant costs |
| Number of clinical negligence claims settled as periodical payments 2008-09 to 2010-11 | ||||||
| £ | ||||||
| Year of settlement | Total damages | Average damages | Defence costs paid | Average defence costs | Clamant costs paid | Average claimant costs |
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| Notes: 1. Periodical payment orders (PPOs) that have ongoing payments have been included separately and the figure provided is as though they were settled on a lump sum basis. 2. Some of the defence costs and claimant costs not have been finalised yet and so the costs, payment figures and average costs payment figures may be understated. 3. It is not possible to show specific costs for medical records as the NHSLA does not record costs in this level of detail. Source: National Health Service Litigation Authority (May 2011) | ||||||
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many settled claims funded by legal aid and brought against the NHS Litigation Authority were brought on behalf of a minor in each of the last three years; what proportion of all legally-aided claims that figure represents in each such year; and how much was paid out (a) in total and (b) on average in each such year. [58020]
Mr Simon Burns: The information to show how many settled claims funded by legal aid and brought against the NHS Litigation Authority that were brought on behalf of a minor in each of the last three years is in the following tables:
| Number of clinical negligence claims funded by legal aid closed 2008-09 to 2010-11 | |||||||||
| Legally aided claims on behalf of a minor | All legally aided claims | Legally aided claims on behalf of a minor as % of all legally aided claims | |||||||
| Year of closure | Settled nil damages | Settled with damages | Total | Settled nil damages | Settled with damages | Total | Settled nil damages | Settled with damages | Total |
| Number of clinical negligence claims funded by legal aid and settled as periodical payments 2008-09 to 2010-11 | |||
| Year of settlement | Legally aided claims on behalf of a minor | All legally aided claims | Legally aided claims on behalf of a minor as % of all legally aided claims |
| Total value of clinical negligence claims funded by legal aid closed 2008-09 to 2010-11 | ||||||
| Legally aided claims on behalf of a minor | All legally aided claims | |||||
| Year of closure | Number settled with damages | Total payments (damages + costs) (£) | Average total payments (£) | Number settled with damages | Total payments (damages + costs) (£) | Average total payments (£) |
| Total value of clinical negligence claims funded by legal aid and settled as periodical payments 2008-09 to 2010-11 | ||||||
| Legally aided claims on behalf of a minor | All legally aided claims | |||||
| Year of settlement | Number of claims | Total damages + costs paid (£) | Average total damages + costs paid (£) | Number of claims | Total damages + costs paid (£) | Average total damages + costs paid (£) |
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| Note: For periodical payment orders (PPOs) total damages have been added as if the claim had settled on a lump sum basis to the actual costs payments. Source: National Health Service Litigation Authority (May 2011) | ||||||
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS Litigation Authority paid in damages to successful claimants in each of the last three years; and how many and what proportion of cases in which the authority paid damages to claimants in each such year were settled or lost (a) at trial and (b) within six weeks of trial. [58021]
Mr Simon Burns: The information to show how much the NHS Litigation Authority paid in damages to successful claimants in each of the last three years is in the following tables.
| Number of clinical negligence claims closed with damages 2008-09 to 2010-11 | ||
| Year of closure | Number of claims | Damages paid (£) |
| Number of clinical negligence claims settled as periodical payments 2008-09 to 2010-11 | ||
| Year of settlement | Number of claims | Total d amages(£ ) |
| Notes: 1. Data in relation to how many and what proportion of cases in which the authority paid damages to claimants in each year were settled or lost (a) at trial and (b) within six weeks of trial can be provided only at disproportionate cost. 2. Data on damages pertaining to date of settlement can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Source: NHS Litigation Authority May 2011 | ||
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of (a) all legally aided claims and (b) all claims brought by minors were made to the NHS Litigation Authority on behalf of a minor and funded through legal aid in each of the last three years. [58022]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on legally aided claims brought by minors as a percentage of all legally aided claims received by year is shown in the following table provided by the NHS Litigation Authority.
| Number of clinical negligence claims funded by legal aid received 2008-09 to 2010-11 | |||
| Legally aided claims on behalf of a minor | All legally aided claims | Legally aided claims on behalf of a minor as percentage of all legally aided claims | |
| Source: National Health Service Litigation Authority (May 2011) | |||
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid in legal costs by the NHS Litigation Authority to successful claimants in each of the last three years; what proportion of such payments were in respect of (a) base claimants' costs, (b) success fees and (c) disbursements in each such year; and in respect of the cases in which claimants costs were paid in each of the last three years, what the number and proportion of cases that were settled or lost (i) at trial and (ii) within six weeks of trial as a proportion of cases in which the Authority paid costs to claimants in each of those years. [58023]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
NHS: Personal Injury Claims
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total recovered by the NHS was in respect of recovery of treatment costs in personal injury claims for each case type in each of the last three financial years; how many cases this represented in each case type in each such year; and what the total costs were that were not recovered as a result of the maximum cap on recovery. [58002]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is in the following tables:
| 1: NHS Recoveries by liability type | |||
| £ | |||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
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| 2: Volume of NHS Recovery payments by liability type | |||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| 3: Total costs not recovered as a result of the maximum cap on recovery | |
| £ | |
| Notes: 1. and 2. The data reflect the total value of NHS Recoveries (including Ambulance Charges) received by the Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) relating to the NHS Injury Costs Recovery scheme for Trusts in England between 1 April 2008—31 March 2011 and the volume of cases these recoveries relate to. More than one payment may be received per case and each is counted separately. Cases where no payment was made are not included. Data are shown by year of payment. 3. The data reflect the total In Patient costs that were not recovered as a result of the maximum cap on recovery relating to Trusts in England. This reflects cases where a final settlement has been received within the relevant financial year, the NHS charges have been fully recovered, the maximum cap has been reached and the difference between the overall treatment costs and recovery value calculated. | |
NHS Chaplaincy Services
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future of NHS chaplaincy services. [57959]
Paul Burstow:
The Department recognises the important role played by chaplains in supporting the national health service to deliver patient-centred services. The second phase of the independent Palliative Care Funding
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Review has asked for views on which core components of dedicated palliative care, including spiritual care, should be funded, wholly or partly, by the NHS as a statutory responsibility and which by society. Ministers will consider the recommendations of the review when they receive its final report, which is expected this summer.
Passive Smoking: Children
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to protect children from exposure to passive smoke. [57996]
Anne Milton: The Government's Tobacco Control Plan for England, “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England”, published on 9 March 2011, sets out a range of Government action, including action to protect children from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke.
Although the exposure of children to second-hand tobacco smoke has come down in recent years, we want this to reduce further. We want smokers to change their behaviour so as to make sure that they do not harm those around them, particularly children exposed to second-hand in the home or in family cars. We will work with national media to raise awareness of the risks in exposing children to second-hand smoke.
The Department's new marketing strategy for tobacco control, which will be published this summer, will set out further details of how we will support efforts to encourage people to recognise the risks of second-hand smoke and to make their homes and private cars smokefree.
A copy of the Tobacco Control Plan has already been placed in the Library.
Primary Care Trusts: Manpower
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed in each primary care trust in (a) administrative and (b) frontline service posts in (i) May 2010 and (ii) May 2011; and if he will make a statement. [57857]
Mr Simon Burns: The following table gives the number of staff in the groups requested in 2010 and 2011. The information was taken from the NHS Information Centres annual workforce census for the years requested.
| NHS hospital and community health services: NHS staff in England and in primary care trusts (PCTs) by main staff group as at 30 September each specified year (1) | |||||||
| Headcount | |||||||
| 2009 | 2010 | ||||||
| All NHS Staff | All frontline staff | NHS infrastructure support | All NHS Staff | All frontline staff | NHS infrastructure support | ||
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| (1 )The new headcount methodology for 2010 data is not fully comparable with previous years data due to improvements that make it a more stringent count of absolute staff numbers. Further information on the headcount methodology is available in the Census publication here: www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/010_Workforce/nhsstaff0010/Census_Bulletin_March_2011_Final.pdf Data are from the annual September Census. Comparable May data are not available for the requested years. Notes: 1. Frontline NHS staff (Including medical and dental staff, nursing staff, ambulance staff and support staff) have some significant contact with patients. Frontline staff excludes NHS infrastructure support staff, who have little significant or no patient contact. A small number of staff whose classification is unknown have also been excluded. 2. NHS infrastructure support staff includes administrative senior managers, managers, clerical staff, human resources, finance, information technology, and other areas of work which do not involve patient contact. Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. The NH5 Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census. | |||||||
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many former primary care trust employees have been re-employed or redeployed in preparation for the implementation of GP commissioning in each primary care trust area; and if he will make a statement. [57858]
Mr Simon Burns: Primary care trust (PCT) staff numbers are reducing in accordance with our administrative efficiency targets and the expectation is that these staff will not be re-employed. The impact assessment published alongside the Health and Social Care Bill estimated the numbers of staff likely to be made redundant, the upfront cost of this and the cost-saving in the longer term.
Should it be necessary to re-employ PCT staff in the interests of service continuity during the transition to general practitioner consortia, any moneys paid under the Mutually Agreed Resignation scheme will be clawed back in accordance with the terms of that scheme.
Special Needs: Health Services
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that new GP consortia will provide annual health checks for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; what arrangements he plans to put in place to consider the specific health needs of such people; and if he will make a statement; [58063]
(2) what arrangements his Department has put in place to ensure that the boards of NHS trusts consider the specific health needs of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement; [58064]
(3) how services will be commissioned for people with complex needs under his Department's proposals for the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [58065]
Paul Burstow:
Subject to the NHS Listening Exercise and the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, the NHS Commissioning Board will commission national
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and regional specialised services with commissioning consortia responsible for commissioning other complex services. Through consortia, general practitioners (GPs) and other clinicians will have new opportunities to shape the way that health services are designed and delivered. Taking into account the increasing range of NICE Quality Standards, consortia will work closely with secondary care and other health care professionals, and with community partners, to design joined-up services, and optimal care pathways, that make sense to patients, families and the public. They will have the freedom to seek the commissioning support they need to do this.
We will ensure that there is particular emphasis within the ‘pathfinder’ programme on testing ways of ensuring that consortia quickly develop knowledge and expertise in relation to more complex and specialist services. We will also ensure that the NHS Commissioning Board has a particular focus on promoting quality improvement in relation to more complex or specialist services. This will include exploring joint commissioning with local authorities, for instance in relation to care and support for children (including looked after children and children living in families with multiple problems), people with long-term mental health conditions, and people with learning disabilities.
In addition, local authorities and commissioning consortia will be required to prepare a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). This is to ensure that each area develops a comprehensive analysis of the current and future needs of their area (including those relevant to health, social care, public health). Based on the JSNA, the members of the Health and Wellbeing Board will be required to develop a joint health and well-being strategy for their area.
Arrangements for annual health checks for people with learning disabilities are currently covered by a Directed Enhanced Service, which forms part of the overall contractual framework for GP practices. Under the future commissioning arrangements proposed in the Health and Social Care Bill, the NHS Commissioning Board would be responsible for commissioning services from GP practices and for negotiating any changes to GP contracts.