Written evidence from the Chief Executive
of the NHS
MANAGING HIGH VALUE CAPITAL EQUIPMENT IN
THE NHS IN ENGLAND
At the Public Accounts hearing on 7 September, Committee
members asked for a note from the Department of Health on diagnostic
waiting times. This note sets out my response to this request
and also provides some points of clarification that I would like
to make having read the transcript of the hearing:
IMAGING WAITS
(Q108)
The Committee asked what the median waiting times
were for CT and MRI scans a year ago. These figures are set out
in the table below:
| Median waiting times
|
| CT scans | MRI scans
|
| July 2011 | 1.4 weeks | 1.8 weeks
|
| July 2010 | 1.3 weeks | 1.8 weeks
|
CAPITAL (Q54)
To clarify my statement in response to Q54, over the next four
years, the Department's capital settlement is £17.9 billion
(£4.4 billion per year for the first three years and £4.6
billion in the final year—difference in total is due to
rounding). This includes £2.1 billion of depreciation resources
in each of these four years.
ACUTE TRUSTS
(Q64)
There are 168 acute trusts, of which 97 are foundation trusts
and 71 are non-foundation trusts.
I trust that the information on waiting times and the points of
clarification will be helpful to Committee members.
In addition, there are a small number of minor changes that I
would like to suggest are made to the transcript for accuracy.
These are shown in track changes on the attachment. I hope that
these will be acceptable to the Committee.
September 2011
| 
