Science: Skilled Workers
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what (a) correspondence and (b) evidence he has received from businesses and organisations in the life sciences industry on skills shortages; [78784]
(2) what progress he has made in tackling the skills gap in the life sciences industry; and what external organisations and individuals he has involved in this work. [78787]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 7 November 2011]: The Department has received a range of correspondence that touches on skills in the life sciences sector. The main evidence we have received in this area was as a result of extensive consultation with stakeholders including business organisations and individual companies for the Growth Review, published in March. This highlighted a number of concerns relating to skills shortages in the sector. We have also recently carried out a major consultation that builds on the earlier Growth Review work, and this has reinforced the messages received in the earlier work.
Areas where concerns have been raised include practical skills such as laboratory skills, mathematical and analytical skills, commercialisation skills and skills related to specific disciplines. In order to address these issues, the Growth Review sets out two actions on skills. Firstly, Cogent, the sector skills council for the life sciences industry, is to lead on activities to improve market signalling by bringing companies and educators together to ensure educators provide the skilled individuals the sector needs to grow; and secondly support for the Society of Biology as it rolls out its accreditation scheme for biological sciences degrees, which will signal to students which degrees will provide the skills needed for a career in life sciences. The pilot scheme covers biochemistry and in vivo subjects, and is on track to deliver the first accreditations by March 2012. There are plans to expand the number of courses to be accredited in the following year.
Cogent has since developed an action plan that provides a framework for employers and educators to work together to address the issues identified, supported by a Strategy Board, that sets the strategic direction and a working level Advisory Council. In summary, the plan identifies the following priorities:
building effective two-way communication between employers, educators and others with an interest in skills;
tackling specialist skills gaps;
10 Nov 2011 : Column 477W
developing a clear vision of careers for the sector; and
brokering a laboratory placements scheme for graduates.
Longer-term challenges to be addressed by the action plan include:
developing professional recognition of vocational qualifications;
building management and leadership capability;
delivering vocational pathways to higher education; and
assessing the future skills demand of the bioeconomy in general.
In order to take this work forward, Cogent has formed four working groups focusing on placements, technician training, the needs of SMEs and improving demand signalling between employers and educators, and a work programme is currently under way.
In terms of membership, Cogent's Strategy Board and Advisory Council brings together representatives from industry, trade associations, academia, research organisations and skills providers, while the Society of Biology brings together representatives from academia, research organisations and Government.
Trade Promotion
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which international trade delegations UK Trade and Investment has participated in since May 2010; and how many (a) delegates, (b) representatives of the (i) UK Government and (ii) Welsh Government and (c) representatives of businesses primarily located in Wales attended on each delegation. [79247]
Mr Prisk: UKTI does not routinely record this level of information. To attempt to make it available could be done only at disproportionate cost.
UKTI is committed to working with the devolved Administrations of the UK in an effort to best represent the interests of both the UK and individual UK businesses.
UKTI organises numerous trade delegations/missions during the course of the year and these are open to companies wherever they are based in the UK.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 478W
Examples of recent delegations that UKTI has played a part in organising include high-profile Cabinet visits to China, Russia, Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa.
Health
Cataracts: Older People
Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost of treating elderly patients with cataracts in hospitals in the latest year for which figures are available. [79389]
Mr Simon Burns: While the Department does collect the estimated average cost of cataract procedures in hospitals, they are not sufficiently detailed to show the costs of treating older patients with cataracts. However, we have been able to estimate a figure by using data provided by the NHS Information Centre.
Figures collected from schedule 4 (national health service trusts and primary care trusts combined) of the national schedules of reference costs for the financial year 2009-10 (the most recent year for which data have been published) showed that in total £260 million was recorded as spent on cataract procedures.
Data provided by the Information Centre show that 84% of patients who received cataract operations in 2009-10 were aged 65 and over.
It is therefore estimated that £220 million was spent on cataract surgery for those aged 65 and over during 2009-10. This is based on the assumption that every patient incurs the same unit costs regardless of age.
Cataracts: Waiting Lists
Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for cataract treatment in each region in the latest period for which figures are available. [79800]
Mr Simon Burns: The provisional 2010-11 mean and median waiting times for cataract treatment in each strategic health authority (SHA) are provided in the following table.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 479W
10 Nov 2011 : Column 480W
| (1) Time waited (days) statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as published Referral to Treatment (RTT) time waited statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients between decision to admit and admission to hospital within a given period. Published RTT waiting statistics measure the time waited between referral and start of treatment. (2) A finished admission, episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (3) Main procedure—contains four cataract treatments. The first recorded procedure or intervention in each episode, usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main procedure when looking at admission details, (eg time waited), but a more complete count of episodes with a particular procedure is obtained by looking at the main and the secondary procedures. The following combination of ICD-10 and OPCS-4 codes were specified to identify cataract treatment ICD-10 codes H25.—Senile cataract H26.—Other cataract Q12.0—Congenital cataract H28.0A—Diabetic cataract* H28.1A—Cataract in other endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases* H28.2A—Cataract in other diseases classified elsewhere* It should be noted that the three asterisk (*) (A) codes listed above should never appear in the primary diagnostic position. OPCS 4 codes: C71.—Extracapsular extraction of lens C72.—Intracapsular extraction of lens C73.—Incision of capsule of lens C74.—Other extraction of lens C75.—Prosthesis of lens (4) SHA of commissioner. This field contains a code which identifies the SHA in which the commissioner is located. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care. | |||
Capabilities Programme
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent staff work on the (a) infectious diseases: human, (b) mass casualties and (c) health services of the Capabilities Programme; and what the staffing level was in each of the last 10 quarters. [79507]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department's responsibilities for the infectious diseases workstream of the Capabilities Programme are managed as part of embedded overall infectious diseases policy work, and there are no full-time equivalent (FTE) staff allocated specifically to the workstream.
Since May 2011, the Department's responsibilities under the mass casualties and health services workstreams of the UK Capabilities Programme have been overseen jointly by 3.0 FTEs within the Department's policy branch and 3.0 FTEs covering national health service operational issues. However, these staff do not work exclusively on the Capabilities Programme, and have responsibilities for a broad range of other issues of civil resilience, emergency preparedness and counter-terrorism. It is not possible to identify the exact proportion of time spent on the Capabilities Programme by these staff.
Prior to May 2011, staffing numbers at the start of each quarter are as follows:
|
|
Number |
Written Questions
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010; [79547]
(2) how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010. [79548]
Mr Simon Burns: The number of parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day answered on time or late are shown in the following table.
|
|
Questions answered on time | Questions answered late and by number of working days |
10 Nov 2011 : Column 481W
10 Nov 2011 : Column 482W
| Note: No written questions for answer on a named day were received in May 2010 or August 2010 and 2011. | ||
No parliamentary questions have remained unanswered for two months since May 2010.
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009/10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in his Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister. [79549]
Mr Simon Burns: Special advisers do not routinely see draft answers to parliamentary questions but may do so; for example, if Ministers request it. All parliamentary question answers are the responsibility of the Minister who replies, and the clearance processes reflect this.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of questions for written answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the 2010-12 session of Parliament to date. [79914]
Mr Simon Burns: As of 7 November 2011, the Department has received 1,532 questions for written answer on a named day in the current session. Of those, 1,523 or 99.4% were answered on the due date.
The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
Dialysis Machines
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he made of the average cost of (a) dialysis away from base and (b) dialysis carried out in a patient's normal unit when calculating the national tariff for dialysis. [79834]
Mr Simon Burns: The national tariffs for dialysis are underpinned by the costs reported by national health service providers as part of the annual reference costs exercise.
The information collected through reference costs does not differentiate between dialysis away from base and that carried out in a patient's normal unit. The data will contain the costs of independent units where that activity has been sub-contracted by NHS providers.
However, we are aware that there are additional costs associated with providing dialysis away from base. Therefore, we propose to introduce a flexibility in 2012-13 that would allow commissioners to pay above the national tariff to providers who see significantly high proportions, for example 80% to 90% of dialysis away from base patients.
Reference costs show that the national average unit costs for renal dialysis were £119 in 2008-09 and £128 in 2009-10.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of provision of dialysis away from base. [79835]
Mr Simon Burns: We have made no such assessment, but welcome the survey currently being undertaken by the Kidney Alliance which includes questions about this issue. We understand that the Kidney Alliance intend to publish the results of their survey in due course.
Health: Cabinet Committees
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Public Health to meet for the first time; how often he expects it to meet; how it will operate in relation to Public Health England; and if he will publish its responsibilities. [78582]
Mr Maude: I have been asked to reply.
The membership and terms of reference for the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Public Health can be found on the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-committees-system-and-list-cabinet-committees
It is longstanding Government practice not to disclose information relating to ministerial meetings, including the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, as to do so would put at risk the public interest in the full and frank discussion of policy by Ministers.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 483W
Hydration: Hospitals
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information his Department holds on the cost to the NHS of treating conditions that result from lack of hydration in hospitals in each year since 2001; [79739]
(2) what guidelines his Department issues on training for nurses on effective hydration for patients in hospital. [79740]
Paul Burstow: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) sets the standards for pre-registration nurse education. Student nurses undertaking pre-registration nursing programmes will learn about hydration, including the assessment and monitoring of hydration status. The NMC has developed guidance on nutrition and fluid management within the essential skills clusters. This guidance is applicable to all fields of nursing and should be used by those providing pre-registration education.
The NMC essential skills clusters are available at:
http://standards.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Annexe3_%20 ESCs_16092010.pdf
All providers of regulated activities, including hospitals and care homes, are required by law to have policies in place that protect people from the risks of dehydration. The Care Quality Commission can take action if these requirements are not being met.
There are a number of best practice resources and guidelines available to help providers develop their own policies. These include the Hydration Toolkit and Essence of Care which outlines quality provision of the fundamentals of care, including ‘Food and drink’. The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement provides good practice examples and toolkits to help prevent prevention. The NHS Institute's website is available at:
www.institute.nhs.uk
Information about the cost of treating conditions that result from lack of hydration in hospitals is not collected centrally.
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of patients who have been treated for dehydration in hospitals in the latest period for which figures are available. [79741]
Paul Burstow: In 2010-11 there were 196,897 finished consultant episodes where a primary or secondary diagnosis of dehydration was recorded.
Incontinence: Health Services
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many local arrangements outside the Drug Tariff for the supply of urology and stoma products are in place in England; [79442]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) clinical outcomes and (b) overall health care costs of patient choice in urology and stoma care. [79443]
Mr Simon Burns: As these are local arrangements, this information is not collected or held centrally.
While the aims of the new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for provision of stoma, urology
10 Nov 2011 : Column 484W
and other appliances introduced in April 2010 included maintaining and, where applicable, improving the current quality of care to patients and maintaining local choice in the provision of services, no specific assessment of the effect on clinical outcomes and overall health care costs of patient choice in urology and stoma care has been carried out.
Locums
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant the answer of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 452W, on general practitioners, what his policy is on the rights of (a) patients and (b) members of the public to know the place of work of a locum GP working for the NHS. [79444]
Mr Simon Burns: Locums are engaged to work within general practice as and when they are needed in order to cover the work of other clinicians who are away from their practice. Therefore, the place of work of locums can and does change frequently depending on who has contracted for their services.
Medical Equipment
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises to develop innovative medical devices. [79954]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is very aware of the importance of new and innovative medical technologies and the role they can play in delivering the reforms. This is why we already have a number of initiatives in place to improve the relationship with the technology industry and the speed at which technologies are adopted by the national health service. As such, key initiatives will continue to support SMEs so that they can participate fully in the development and manufacture of new technologies.
The Department is committing £10 million to the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) over the next two years. SBRI uses the power of Government procurement to bring innovative solutions to specific public sector needs. It aims to drive innovation by supporting technology-based businesses, especially early-stage companies, through the stages of feasibility and prototyping which are typically hard to fund. A broad range of companies are engaged, through open competitions, for ideas that address specific challenges. Selected applicants are then awarded contracts to develop their technology.
The Department is committed to continuing the NHS Life Sciences Innovation Delivery Board, which was set up to look at ways in which the relationship between the life sciences industries and the NHS can be improved and support rapid adoption of innovative technologies. The Department is also keen for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to continue its role in evaluating medical technologies through the Evaluation Pathway Programme and the Medical Technologies Advisory Committee.
In addition, the Department's Innovative Technology Adoption Procurement Programme is providing a pathway for existing medical technologies to be considered by senior executives in the NHS.
10 Nov 2011 : Column 485W
Furthermore, the National Institute for Health Research Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme supports the development of innovative medical technologies that address existing or emerging health care needs in the NHS. i4i supports collaborative research and development involving at least two partners from industry, academia or the NHS. Small and/or early-stage companies are particularly welcome as applicants. Funding for the programme has increased from £4 million in 2006-07 to £13 million in 2011-12.
In summary, we are now exploring how the NHS can build processes and structures to support adoption at scale and pace at both a national and local level. As announced in the Plan for Growth, the NHS Chief Executive will report in November, on how the adoption and diffusion of innovations can be accelerated across the NHS.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of barriers to product innovation for manufacturers in the health sector. [79955]
Mr Simon Burns: Innovation is crucial to delivering a first-class health service, in terms of improving the quality of patient care and its contribution to economic growth. The national health service has an impressive track record of inventions and new ideas, but the adoption and spread of these ideas has been variable. That is why it is important that innovation is supported and encouraged, and why a series of initiatives to help encourage and foster innovation, and particularly the spread of innovation, have been implemented in the NHS.
As part of the ‘Growth Review’ which was released earlier this year, the Department is committing £10 million to the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) over the next two years. SBRI uses the power of Government procurement to bring innovative solutions to specific public sector needs. It aims to drive innovation by supporting technology-based businesses, especially early-stage companies, through the stages of feasibility and prototyping which are typically hard to fund. A broad range of companies are engaged, through open competitions, for ideas that address specific challenges. Selected applicants are then awarded contracts to develop their technology.
In addition, the Department's Innovative Technology Adoption Procurement Programme is providing a pathway for existing medical technologies to be considered by senior executives in the NHS.
Furthermore, the Government's modernisation agenda will encourage the NHS to be more agile, more dynamic and more open to ideas. We are now exploring how the NHS can build processes and structures to support adoption at scale and pace at both a national and local level. As announced in the Plan for Growth, the NHS chief executive will report in November, on how the adoption and diffusion of innovations can be accelerated across the NHS.
Medicine: Higher Education
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish (a) the total number of admissions to medical and dental schools and (b) the ethnic origin by (i) number and (ii) proportion of the total in each of the last 10 years. [79748]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 486W
Mr Simon Burns: Information on the total intake of medical and dental students over the last 10 years is contained in tables which have been placed in the Library. Information on ethnicity is not held by the Department.
NHS
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS South of England or its successor organisation will be a permanent regional tier within the NHS Commissioning Board from 2013. [79792]
Mr Simon Burns: Strategic health authority (SHA) clusters will be abolished as the NHS Commissioning Board takes on its full functions.
Sir David Nicholson, chief executive of the NHS Commissioning Board Authority, has announced that the initial sub-national arrangements of the NHS Commissioning Board will mirror the geographical footprint of the SHA clusters (such as NHS South of England).
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the statutory basis is for the constitution of NHS South of England. [79798]
Mr Simon Burns: The constitution for NHS South of England is in line with the three existing statutory strategic health authorities, NHS South West, NHS South East Coast and NHS South Central, and their constitutions remain unchanged. The cluster now has a single board, and an integrated management structure. The board comprises members of the three statutory bodies.
NHS: Information and Communications Technology
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Lorenzo computer system; [79751]
(2) what assessment he has made of the future of the Lorenzo computer system. [79752]
Mr Simon Burns: Versions of the Lorenzo computer system are presently used in various national health service trusts and performance is continuously monitored against the service targets set out in the contract with Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) who are the local service provider. The Department is presently working closely with CSC on future delivery options for the Lorenzo computer system.
In doing so the Department has taken into account the recent National Audit Office findings, the Public Accounts Committee observations and the Major Project Authority's conclusions on delivery of the National Programme for IT.
NHS: Pay
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the salaries are of the executive team and non-executive board members of NHS South of England. [79783]
Mr Simon Burns:
The chief executive of the NHS South of England is paid £204,048 annually. NHS South of England is a strategic health authority (SHA) cluster and its pay arrangements are governed by the Very Senior Manager (VSM) Pay Framework. Pay in
10 Nov 2011 : Column 487W
each SHA cluster is determined according to organisation weighting (resident population weighted for age and deprivation) with an additional premium due to their complexity. The basic pay of each of the executive directors under the VSM Pay Framework is based on a percentage of the chief executive's salary, depending on the nature of the role. These salaries have not yet been agreed.
The information requested on non-executive board members of NHS South of England is not held centrally. Such information is available from the Appointments Commission and is given as follows:
The Chair of NHS South of England is paid remuneration of £63,049, the audit committee Chair is paid £13,136 and the five non-executive directors are each paid £7,882. Of the two Vice Chairs, one is paid £46,131 and the other £48,233 (the rates of remuneration they were on as SHA chairs before clustering). All are annual figures.
Obesity
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) organisations and (b) individuals advise his Department on matters relating to (i) obesity and (ii) alcohol. [79789]
Anne Milton: The Government sets policy on obesity and alcohol. We receive advice from experts and also views from a number of individuals and work with a wide range of partners, including the NHS service providers, academia, the third sector and business.
Palliative Care
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 458W, on palliative care, if he will make it his policy to create a mechanism for NHS doctors to anonymously record instances of the removal of life-sustaining treatments; and if he will publish an annual analysis of the data arising from such a mechanism. [79603]
Paul Burstow: Guidance for doctors on end of life care decisions, including decisions around the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, has been published by the General Medical Council (‘Treatment and care towards the end of life: good practice in decision making (2010)’). Clinical governance and audit processes are already in place within the NHS to ensure that care provision conforms to professional standards such as that set out by the General Medical Council, as are mechanisms to allow staff to identify and report concerns about particular instances of care.
Prescription Drugs: Prices
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the Drug Tariff on the (a) development, (b) adoption and (c) diffusion of innovative products in the NHS; [79952]
(2) whether an assessment was made of the Drug Tariff under his Department's innovation review. [79953]
10 Nov 2011 : Column 488W
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has not made any such assessment. The NHS Chief Executive's review of innovation in the national health service has not made an assessment of the Drug Tariff, nor has it featured in responses to the review's Call for Evidence or subsequent discussions with stakeholders.
The Drug Tariff sets out what pharmacy and appliance contractors will be paid for provision of Pharmaceutical Services. It comprises 21 different parts, ranging from listings of pharmaceutical products, medical devices and appliances, and borderline substances which have the characteristics of drugs.
There are different processes for assessing the suitability of each of these types of product to be prescribed under General Medical Services Contracts Regulations. Across the application processes, the Department is keen to ensure there are no barriers to the introduction of innovative products in the NHS, providing they are safe and of good quality, suitable to prescribe in primary care and cost effective. There should be no barriers to prescribing a drug on the NHS unless it is listed in Parts XVIIIA or B of the Drug Tariff. Part XVIII is a replication of the list of products which are statutorily restricted from NHS prescription under the General Medical Services Contracts Regulations. Manufacturers seeking inclusion of an appliance to be prescribed on the NHS are given clear guidance on the application process in Drug Tariff Part IX Guidance to Manufacturers and Suppliers of Medical Devices which is available on NHS Prescription Services' website at:
www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/PrescriptionServices/3399.aspx
The guidance details how NHS Prescription Services considers applications of innovative products.
Primary Care Trusts
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that the determination of future funding needs for the public health system will not be based on the historic public health spending of primary care trusts. [79784]
Mr Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Anne Milton), on 21 October 2011, Official Report, column 1187W, which set out the process for determining the overall budget for the new public health system in England.
I have asked the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) to develop a formula for the allocation of the ring-fenced public health grant to local authorities (LAs). ACRA's recommendation will be published later in the year.
Radiotherapy
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure NHS trusts have a renewal programme for radiotherapy machines. [79432]
Paul Burstow:
Decisions regarding renewal of radiotherapy machines are taken locally and need to be assessed against local priorities. It is the responsibility of each individual organisation to ensure that it adopts
10 Nov 2011 : Column 489W
good asset management and financial planning. However, national teams such as the National Cancer Action Team and NHS Improvement provide support to help providers plan for their equipment needs.
Within the Cancer Peer Review programme, the radiotherapy measures require local organisations to agree an equipment replacement programme with their cancer network. The outcome of the Peer Review programme is shared with commissioners.
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure the availability of an adequate number of trained radiotherapists. [79433]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department commissioned the Centre for Workforce Intelligence (CfWI) to identify future risks and opportunities for the health and social care work force and set the strategic context that will inform work force planning. This report, entitled ‘Allied Health Professionals Workforce Risks and Opportunities’, was published in June 2011 and a copy has been placed in the Library.
The CfWI has also been commissioned by the Department to undertake a piece of work to examine the future demand of non-medical staff and to develop supply strategies to meet this demand. The CfWI will
10 Nov 2011 : Column 490W
publish its report on the non-medical work force in two stages, the first in December 2011 (which will include radiography) and the second in March 2012. This report will support and inform strategic health authority education commissioning, enabling the Department and strategic health authorities to understand non-medical demand and supply in greater depth, and thereby improve their work force planning strategies.
Surgery: Manpower
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vascular surgeons are employed by (a) the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and (b) Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. [79749]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally.
Surgery: Warrington
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Warrington required arterial surgery in the last five years for which figures are available. [79750]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally.