Care Quality Commission: Manpower
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the Care Quality Commission has (a) reduced its staffing levels and (b) removed its learning disability experts. [59693]
Mr Simon Burns: The following information has been provided by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Reductions in the CQC's staffing levels have focused mainly on management posts and headquarter functions rather than frontline posts, 2,078 employees transferred to the CQC from its legacy commissions. The current establishment of the CQC is 1,924.
To manage the new registration system the CQC restructured its field force in the summer of 2010. This restructure allowed the CQC to focus its resource towards the frontline and resulted in the CQC removing a layer of middle management and increasing inspector autonomy and accountability.
The CQC has not reduced its frontline headcount.
The CQC has also advised it never had a dedicated learning disability expert post. However, the CQC has a learning disability committee to advise it. This committee will include learning disability experts.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what strategic framework his Department has developed for the delivery of its core functions during the comprehensive spending review period. [59727]
Mr Simon Burns: Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, the Department's functions will change as a result of the modernisation process. We will be reviewing the Department's Operating Model to determine which functions the Department should continue to fulfil, and which should be moved to other organisations. It is therefore likely that some functions will be transferred to other organisations and the Department will take on some new ones. The exact timing and nature of these changes will not be confirmed until decisions have been taken about the precise role and structures of all the organisations in the new system.
Diabetes: Eyesight
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has any plans to develop a NHS outcomes indicator for diabetic macular oedema. [59262]
Mr Simon Burns:
We have no current plans to develop an indicator for diabetic macular oedema. In developing “The NHS Outcomes Framework 2011-12”, we selected outcomes and indicators with a view to creating a balanced set of national outcome goals, which reflect the breadth of treatment activity for which the national
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health service is responsible. It is therefore not possible to include outcome indicators for all specific diseases and long-term conditions.
Although there is not a specific outcome indicator for diabetic macular oedema in the NHS Outcomes Framework, we would expect progress to be captured under Domain 2: Enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term conditions. This domain of the framework seeks to capture those outcomes that an individual with any long-term condition would consider important. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Quality Standard for Diabetes in adults will help to improve outcomes for people with diabetic macular oedema.
Diabetes: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diabetes specialist nurses were practising in the Peterborough Primary Care Trust area in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [59365]
Mr Simon Burns: The employment of diabetic specialist nurses is a matter for the national health service locally and as such, the information requested is not centrally collected.
The hon. Member may wish to contact Peterborough Primary Care Trust direct.
General Practitioners
Mr Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the monetary value to GP practices of (a) smoking cessation services, (b) contraceptive services and (c) other locally-enhanced services commissioned by primary care trusts was in (i) the first quarter of 2011 and (ii) the last quarter of 2010. [59486]
Paul Burstow: Pricing of individual local enhanced services is a local matter for determination and no detailed information is collected or held centrally. However, aggregated financial returns from primary care trusts (PCTs) from the 2009-10 final accounts show total expenditure on local enhanced services by PCTs was £339 million.
Final audit returns for 2010-11 will be available later this summer, and is expected to continue to show overall increased expenditure by PCTs on local enhanced services. The position for this year (2011-12) is too early to predict and will not be definitively known until after the close of the financial year when audited accounts are submitted by PCTs.
Health Services: Ex-servicemen
Mrs Mensch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the rate of travel and subsistence reclaimable by war pensioners from the NHS is; and on what date the rates were most recently changed; [59362]
(2) whether he has considered the merits of increasing the rate of subsistence reclaimable by war pensioners from the NHS. [59363]
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Paul Burstow: Patient transport and healthcare travel cost support from the national health service is available to all eligible NHS patients and is not a specific allowance for war pensioners or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme recipients. The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) has a scheme to reimburse hospital travelling expenses to war pensioners.
NHS non-urgent transport is provided via Patient Transport Services (PTS) that are maintained by NHS Commissioners (primary care trusts). These are generally booked by relevant secondary or community services medical professionals. Eligibility for non-urgent transport is based upon clinical need and is available free to all NHS patients.
The Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme (HTCS) is designed to help with travel costs and arrangements for all NHS patients on low incomes. The HTCS is for those who do not medically require PTS but require help in meeting the cost of travel to and from NHS medical care. The HTCS is means tested for low-income earners, with those on a range of low-income benefits automatically entitled. This scheme is constituted under the National Health Service (Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges) Regulations 1988 as amended.
The HTCS will reimburse all or some of the travel costs depending on eligibility. If the patient is entitled to qualifying benefits or allowances they will get back the full travel costs by using the cheapest form of public transport available, including any concessions or promotions. If the patient uses a private car, a claim for petrol and car parking charges where unavoidable, can be made at the mileage rate specified under the local HTCS. Rates are determined locally.
The HTCS will apply for war pensioners receiving treatment for conditions other than those for which they receive a war pension. It does not apply in cases where war pensioners obtain treatment for conditions caused by service for which they are in receipt of a war pension. In those cases, expenses may be met by the SPVA who will apply their eligibility criteria to individual cases. The SPVA align their travel allowances with those of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The HMRC have not changed these allowances since 2007 and therefore the SPVA allowances have also remained constant.
Hospitals: North West England
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with (a) the North West Strategic Health Authority, (b) Warrington and Halton NHS Trust and (c) others on potential hospital mergers in the North West. [59345]
Mr Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to her on 23 May 2011, Official Report, columns 428-41W, by the Minister of State, Department of Health, the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow).
No formal discussions have taken place between Ministers and the North West Strategic Health Authority, Warrington and Halton NHS Trust and others focusing on potential hospital mergers in the North West of England.
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However, in relation to NHS trusts in the north-west seeking to obtain foundation trust status, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health met my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale West (Mr Brady) on 8 June 2011 about Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust.
Additionally, I met the hon. Members for Copeland (Mr Reed) and Workington (Tony Cunningham) on 5 April 2011 and my hon. Friend the Member for Penrith and The Border (Rory Stewart) on 17 May 2011 about North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Maternity Services: Manpower
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the shortfall in maternity-related health workers and professionals nationally; and if he will make a statement. [59406]
Anne Milton: It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to plan and deliver a workforce appropriate to the needs of their local population, based on clinical need and sound evidence.
The Centre for Workforce Intelligence, which was established to provide advice and information to the NHS on workforce matters, has been commissioned to report on the maternity workforce during 2011-12 to inform future local workforce planning and commissioning decisions.
Meat Hygiene
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has made an assessment for benchmarking purposes of the level of charges to abattoirs for regulation of meat hygiene controls in other European countries. [59317]
Anne Milton: Policy responsibility for meat hygiene controls lies with the Food Standards Agency (FSA). We are advised by the FSA that a recent study undertaken for the European Commission on fees collected by the member states to cover the costs of official food controls, including meat hygiene controls, identified significant variation in the charging systems and charging rates across the European Union (EU). The Commission subsequently started a review of EU charging rules, to which the FSA is actively contributing. The Commission is expected to reach a conclusion in the first quarter of 2012.
Mental Illness: Health Education
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve public understanding of mental health issues. [59628]
Paul Burstow: One of the key objectives of the cross-Government mental health strategy “No Health Without Mental Health”, is that fewer people will experience stigma and discrimination and that public understanding of mental health will improve. As a result, negative attitudes and behaviours to people with mental health problems will decrease.
Comic Relief and The Big Lottery have funded a major anti-stigma campaign, “Time to Change”, led by Mind and Rethink and evaluated by the Institute of
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Psychiatry. The programme of 35 projects aims to inspire people to work together to end the discrimination surrounding mental health.
We know, from discussions with voluntary and private sector organisations, that there is an appetite for an even more ambitious programme. We will give this ‘social movement’ our full support, and active participation and are in discussion now with Mind to decide how the “Time to Change” programme may evolve in the future.
NHS: Redundancy
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people employed by (a) Warrington Primary Care Trust and (b) the North West Strategic Health Authority have taken voluntary redundancy in the last 12 months; and what the total cost to the public purse of these redundancies was. [59344]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on the number of voluntary redundancies for Warrington Primary Care Trust and the North West Strategic Health Authority is only available for the period June 2010 to March 2011. Data from the electronic staff record show there have been no voluntary redundancies in either organisation over this period.
NHS: Reorganisation
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse of his listening exercise on NHS reform has been. [59825]
Paul Burstow: Up to 13 June 2011 the costs invoiced for the NHS Listening Exercise was £36,640.97. This includes costs relating to the expenses incurred by the 45 NHS Future Forum members and to the rest of the Listening exercise, for example national, regional and local listening events and Future Forum meetings.
The sums have been met from the Department's allocated budget.
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he plans to publish a revised estimate of the likely cost of his proposals for NHS reorganisation; [59826]
(2) what plans he has to reexamine the cost of the proposed reorganisation of the NHS. [59827]
Paul Burstow: The Government will publish a revised impact assessment for the Health and Social Care Bill in due course, reflecting the changes we propose to make in response to the NHS Future Forum.
Organ Donor Register Review
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made in implementing each of the recommendations in Professor Sir Gordon Duff's review of the organ donor register. [59368]
Anne Milton:
Professor Sir Gordon Duff made a number of recommendations addressed to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), which were designed to ensure that the Organ Donor Register (ODR) reflects more clearly the wishes of those registered and that confidence
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in the system is maintained. NHSBT has been taking action to implement the recommendations and good progress has been made. For example, NHSBT is in the process of scoping and costing a new future operating model for the ODR as recommended. NHSBT will issue a formal response to Professor Sir Gordon Duff’s report in the autumn.
Organs: Donors
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the reasons next of kin do not consent to organ donation. [59370]
Anne Milton: Following the publication of the Organ Donation Taskforce report in 2008, the Department convened an Organ Donation Commissioning Research Group to explore where there remained gaps in knowledge in relation to organ donation. The Group concluded that there would be benefits in commissioning further research into factors that influence a bereaved family's decision regarding organ donation.
The Department has worked in partnership with the national health service and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to fund studies into these issues. This includes:
the Donation, Transplantation and Ethnic Minorities (DonaTE) programme. This work is being undertaken by Kings College London and funded through a NIHR Programme Grant for four years from October 2009 (£863,000). The programme aims to increase the rates of donation among South Asian and African-Caribbean ethnic minorities, through researching attitudes and barriers to organ donation within these communities. This will then help to inform the development of a training programme which will increase health care professionals' confidence and competence in conducting consent conditions with ethnic minority families; and
the Family Attitudes Towards Donation programme. This work is being undertaken by the University of Wolverhampton and aims to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence a family's decision regarding organ donation from a United Kingdom population perspective. The Department has provided £182,000 to support this work, which we anticipate will be completed by spring 2013. The findings will further help inform training for healthcare professionals in approaching families and the organ donation service design.
Osteopathy
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the standardisation of collection of data on osteopathic treatments; and if he will make a statement. [59263]
Anne Milton: It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to make decisions on the commissioning and funding of complementary and alternative therapies, including osteopathy treatments, taking account of issues to do with safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness and the availability of suitably qualified/regulated practitioners. A search of the Department’s database has not shown any recent parliamentary questions or correspondence on the standardisation of collection of data on osteopathic treatments.
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Pharmacy
Mr Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the monetary value to community pharmacists of (a) smoking cessation services, (b) contraceptive services and (c) other locally-enhanced services commissioned by primary care trusts was in (i) the first quarter of 2011 and (b) the last quarter of 2010. [59485]
Paul Burstow: Enhanced services such as stop smoking and sexual health services are commissioned from community pharmacies by primary care trusts to meet local need. The level of payment for such services is determined locally and information on the value of these contracts is not collected centrally.
Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure the future of the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine as an NHS centre for research into the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicines. [59688]
Mr Simon Burns: Researchers at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine can apply to the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for research funding. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including complementary therapies. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made.
Scarborough Hospital: Television
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information his Department holds on the NHS facilities which have been made available for the purpose of making television programmes at Scarborough hospital; what fee has been paid to the Hospital Trust by the television company or companies concerned; and how many members of staff are involved in supporting or appearing on television in respect of this programme; [59710]
(2) which (a) rooms, (b) wards and (c) other facilities at Scarborough hospital are being used by a television company for the purposes of recording television programmes; and if he will make a statement; [59711]
(3) what information his Department holds on the number of hours spent by staff employed at Scarborough hospital on assisting in the production of television programmes; and if he will make a statement. [59712]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not routinely collect information on filming arrangements made between national health service trusts and television companies. Agreements of this nature are a matter for the NHS locally and as such, my right hon. Friend may wish to approach the chief executive of Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which may hold some relevant information.
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Social Services: Finance
Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are in place to monitor expenditure by local authorities on social care. [59742]
Paul Burstow: Local government expenditure on social care is collected annually by the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care, through the personal social services expenditure (PSS EX1) return.
Social Services: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Peterborough constituency were in receipt of local authority funded (a) domiciliary social care, (b) professional support, (c) day care and (d) short-term residential placements in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [59352]
Paul Burstow: Information for the Peterborough constituency is not collected centrally.
The NHS Information Centre collects and publishes information on the number of adults (aged 18 and over) in receipt of local authority funded community based services.
The following table shows information for Peterborough council. We are informed by the Information Centre that data have been collected on a consistent basis between 2004-05 and 2009-10, but is not available for the years prior to this.
| Numbers of people aged 18 and over in receipt of local authority funded services from Peterborough council by type of service, 2004-05 to 2009-10 | ||||||
|
|
2004-05 (1) | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 (2) |
| (1 )In 2004-05 the guidance was restated so that only people receiving services following an assessment were recorded, and therefore information prior to this is not comparable. (2) In 2009-10 the way that service users who were receiving council commissioned services via a personal budget or direct payment changed and they were only included under the personal budget and/or existing direct payments column and not under the specific service received. (3) The total number of people receiving services is the number of people receiving one or more services in the year and therefore will not be the sum of the figures as double counting across service types may occur. The breakdown of services is provided for those stated in the question and is not a complete list of services provided. (4) Short term residential care is defined as the provision of short term residential care for the client for any purpose other than respite care of a carer. It includes the provision of rehabilitation services. In 2007-08 the guidance regarding the definitions of ‘short term residential—not respite’ was restated to ensure that respite was not included in this column, this may have impacted on the data for this category. Source: Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care, form P2f | ||||||
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Southern Cross Healthcare
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of (a) residents and (b) members of staff in Scotland who may be affected by any failure of Southern Cross to meet its financial obligations; [59245]
(2) what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the financial situation of Southern Cross; [59246]
(3) what criteria he plans to adopt in determining whether the Government will intervene in the financial situation of Southern Cross; [59247]
(4) whether he plans to take steps to resolve the financial situation of Southern Cross; [59248]
(5) what contingency plans he has put in place to minimise disruption to residents and staff should Southern Cross enter administration. [59249]
Paul Burstow: Departmental officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in the Scottish Assembly Government and I spoke to Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Scotland, on 14 June 2011, regarding this matter.
No estimate has been made of the numbers of residents and members of staff of Southern Cross care homes who might be affected if the company could not meet its financial obligations.
This is a sensitive issue, which is currently the subject of commercial negotiations. It would not be appropriate or helpful to speculate on what might happen. We consider this issue should be fully capable of resolution by the private sector and look to Southern Cross, its landlords and those with a stake in the business to put in place a plan to ensure the company is placed on a sound footing.
We are ensuring, through our discussions with Southern Cross, landlords and the banks, that everyone involved understands their collective responsibility towards the residents.
Nevertheless, all parties involved are ready to take decisive action if the current plans do not create a viable platform for the future. In England, we have been working closely with the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to ensure arrangements are in place in the event of any need.
Tobacco
Philip Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet tobacco manufacturers to discuss his
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Department's publication Healthy Lives, Healthy People: a Tobacco Control Plan for England; and if he will publish a note of the discussions at each such meeting. [59741]
Anne Milton: The Government takes very seriously the United Kingdom's obligations as a Party to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The FCTC places obligations on parties to protect the development of public health policy from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. We have made our commitment to this very clear in Chapter 10 of “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: a Tobacco Control Plan for England” our Tobacco Control Plan for England.
A copy of the plan has already been placed in the Library.
Transplant Surgery
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) with reference to the NHS Blood and Transplant Strategic Plan 2011-2014, what plans his Department has to integrate the commissioning and funding of retrieval and transplantation teams across the UK; [59366]
(2) what consideration his Department has given to the merits of including in provider contracts for NHS acute services a requirement for the provider to demonstrate a commitment to increasing organ donation; [59371]
(3) whether his Department plans to include organ donation in (a) the commissioning for quality and innovation payment framework and (b) quality accounts. [59372]
Anne Milton: The Department will make sure that measures to increase organ donation are appropriately incorporated into the new arrangements for the Department and the national health service as this is established.
Deputy Prime Minister
Diamond Jubilee 2012
Pete Wishart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to announce the outcome of the Diamond Jubilee city status competition. [59575]
Mr Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 1 December 2010, Official Report, column 77WS.