Drugs
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department makes available for independent research into branded medicines which are in short supply. [99063]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department funds many independent research programs. We are not currently funding research about short supply of branded medicines.
Drugs: Delivery Services
Huw Irranca-Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 474W, on drugs: delivery services, if he
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will
(a)
make and
(b)
publish an assessment of the number of emergency deliveries made. [98846]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not monitor the number of emergency deliveries made by medicine manufacturers to pharmacies and has not made any assessment.
Drugs: Misuse
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his strategy is for training and workforce development to support the transfer of responsibility for drug and alcohol services for the new public health service; and what the role will be of the Substance Misuse Skills Consortium. [99115]
Anne Milton: The Government's Drug Strategy, published in December 2010 sets out our plans for ensuring that an inspirational recovery-orientated workforce helps more people to recover from dependence on drugs, alcohol and prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
We have committed to work with the Substance Misuse Skills Consortium to develop a skills framework. The Substance Misuse Skills Consortium is an independent and representative body of providers, service users and carers, and professional and membership organisations for those working in substance misuse treatment.
The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse is supporting the transfer of responsibility for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services to local authorities, subject to parliamentary approval. This includes advice on commissioning and help with the analysis of local data for Joint Strategic Needs Assessments.
Drugs: Plymouth
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on which branded medicines are in short supply in Plymouth. [99064]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not hold information on which branded medicines are in short supply in Plymouth. The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee collates reports from pharmacy contractors on medicines that they have had difficulty sourcing and publishes the Branded (medicines) Shortages List on their website:
www.psnc.org.uk/pages/problem_medicines_list.html
Public Health
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether there are any (a) organisations and (b) individuals that have withdrawn from the plenary group which oversees the development of the Public Health Responsibility Deal; [98789]
(2) if he will list any organisations and individuals who have withdrawn from each of the five networks established under the Public Health Responsibility Deal. [98908]
Paul Burstow:
In autumn 2010, a range of organisations and individuals were invited to participate in the development of the Responsibility Deal. For a list of
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network invitees, I refer the hon. Member to the response given by the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Anne Milton) on 8 December 2010,
Official Report
, columns 343-44W.
On the launch of the Responsibility Deal in March 2011, we invited these organisations to sign up to the deal. Some individuals, such as academics or expert advisers, were and continue to be involved in a personal capacity rather than as representatives of organisations. Consequently, they cannot sign up as partners.
The following is a list of the organisations involved in the development work; which have not signed up to become partners.
Federation of Small Businesses
Diabetes UK
Alcohol Concern
Alcohol Health Alliance
British Liver Trust
British Medical Association
Institute for Alcohol Studies
British Heart Foundation (BHF)
C3 Collaborating for Health
Men's Health Forum
NHS Employers—signed up to the Responsibility Deal as part of the NHS Confederation
Royal College of Physicians.
South East Chambers of Commerce
TUC
Transport for London.
BHF National Centre
BSkyB
CABE—organisation no longer exists
Cycling England—organisation no longer exists
Natural England
Royal Town Planning Institute
There have been some changes to the individuals representing partner organisations and we have not listed these.
Information on the current structure of the plenary group and its networks and a full list of the Responsibility Deal's partners is available on our website at:
http://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/
Since March 2011, the following six organisations have withdrawn from the Responsibility Deal.
Badminton England
Centrica
energie Fitness, Hackney Club
L'Aquila
NHS North East Essex
Punch Pub Company—company no longer exists
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings have been held of the plenary group which oversees the development of the Public Health Responsibility Deal since its inception. [99140]
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Paul Burstow: Five meetings of the Responsibility Deal's plenary groups have been held since September 2011.
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Public Health Responsibility Deal in tackling obesity and other health issues. [99141]
Paul Burstow: The Department's Policy Research Programme is currently investigating the feasibility of an independent evaluation of some element of the Public Health Responsibility Deal.
Health and Social Care Bill
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations he has received urging him to drop the Health and Social Care Bill from (a) individuals and (b) organisations. [99363]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government are aware that a number of individuals and organisations have made representations arguing for the withdrawal of the Health and Social Care Bill. However, the Department does not record these separately from other correspondence.
Health Services: North West
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the (a) capital and (b) ongoing revenue costs of providing extra intensive care and high dependency unit beds at (i) Warrington and Halton NHS Trust and (ii) the Countess of Chester NHS Trust in the event of a vascular hub being located at either hospital. [99053]
Mr Simon Burns: The provision of local health services is a matter for the local national health service. As such, the Department has made no estimate of the costs to Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (FT) and Countess of Chester Hospital NHS FT of the provision of intensive care and high dependency unit beds.
Cost implications of the proposal to centralise arterial surgery at the Countess of Chester hospital, included in the review by the local NHS of vascular services in Cheshire and Merseyside, will be considered by local commissioners as part of detailed implementation planning. Further information on this work can be obtained from Kathy Doran, chief executive of the Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral primary care trust cluster board.
Heart Diseases: Children
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget is for the safe and sustainable review of children's heart services in England which is being carried out by the National Specialised Commissioning Team; and how much has been spent on the review. [99130]
Mr Simon Burns:
The review of children's congenital heart services is a clinically led national health service review, independent of the Government. However, we understand that the total budget for the review is not
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available as the review is ongoing and costs are still being incurred, and will be incurred up to the decision by the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts later this year. We also understand that the final costs of the review will be published on the Safe and Sustainable website once the review is completed.
Midwives
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 701W, on midwives, what proportion of midwifery graduates started work as midwives in the NHS within six months of graduation in each year from 1997 to 2009. [99109]
Paul Burstow: The Higher Education Statistics Agency is the official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative information about higher education.
The following table shows the percentage of midwifery graduates who started work as midwives in the national health service within six months of graduation in each year from 2002-03 to 2009-10. The first Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey was carried out in 2002-03 and prior figures are incomparable.
| Year of graduation | Graduates from midwifery courses (1) | Of which : working (2) in midwifery | Percentage working in midwifery (3) |
| (1 )Covers graduates of all domiciles from full-time and part-time postgraduate and undergraduate courses. (2 )Covers full-time, part-time and voluntary employment and work and further study. (3 )Based on the Standard Occupational Classification. Notes: Numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals: Percentages are based on unrounded figures and are given to one decimal place. Subject information is shown as full person equivalents (FPEs) in the table. FPEs are derived by splitting student instances between the different subjects that make up their course aim. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey. | |||
Multiple Sclerosis: Drugs
Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, columns 476-7W, on multiple sclerosis: drugs, how many prescriptions for the Tysabri form of the drug natalizumab were issued in each strategic health authority between December 2009 and February 2012. [98735]
Mr Simon Burns:
The latest information available from the Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool system indicates that there was one prescription for Tysabri
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and none using the generic name natalizumab, recorded as being prescribed by a strategic health authority (SHA) between December 2009 and December 2011. As there might be a data protection issue with releasing information where the drug has only been prescribed once, we have not named the SHA. Currently prescribing data are available only up to December 2011, therefore figures between January 2012 and February 2012 are not available.
As previously stated, natalizumab (Tysabri) is used mainly in secondary care.
Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, columns 476-7W, on multiple sclerosis: drugs, how many prescriptions for the Fampyra form of the drug fampridine were issued in each strategic health authority between October 2011 and January 2012. [98736]
Mr Simon Burns: The latest information available from the Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool system indicates that there was one prescription for fampridine, the generic name of Fampyra, recorded as being prescribed once by a strategic health authority (SHA) between October 2011 and December 2011. As there might be a data protection issue with releasing information where the drug has only been prescribed once, we have not named the SHA. Currently prescribing data are available only up to December 2011, therefore figures for January 2012 are not available.
As previously stated, fampridine (Fampyra) is used mainly in secondary care.
NHS: Innovation
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role the Specialised Commissioning Innovation Fund will have in supporting the adoption and diffusion of innovation. [98746]
Mr Simon Burns: The focus of the Specialised Commissioning Innovation Fund is on the rare health conditions and diseases, and is due to be trialled in 2012-13. It would see the establishment of an advisory board, reporting to the NHS Medical Director, which will horizon scan for the best innovations, and then fund rapid trials in hospitals to test and evaluate the effectiveness and use of the technologies. If the trials show that the technologies can deliver significant improvements in quality or value, they will be spread at pace and scale across the national health service.
Where appropriate this would enable suitable patients to have early access to innovative treatments in a way that ensured the collection and. dissemination of data for wider use.
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many bodies within the NHS he proposes will have specific responsibility for the promotion of innovation in health care after March 2012; [98772]
(2) what future role he plans for NHS regional innovation hubs. [98773]
Mr Simon Burns: Innovation remains crucial to delivering a world-class health service, in terms of improving the quality of patient care and its contribution to economic growth.
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However, over the last decade, the innovation landscape has become fragmented, cluttered and confusing. Many new organisations have emerged all charged with improving innovation in the national health service, including the regional innovation hubs. We need to ensure that innovation investment, development and support are coherently organised, and focused on delivering quality and driving value.
This is why, as announced in ‘Innovation Health and Wealth’, we will undertake a sunset review of all NHS and Department of Health funded or sponsored innovation bodies, which will determine their future form and funding arrangements.
NHS: Procurement
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to monitor the personalisation of healthcare by primary care trusts and clinical commissioning groups. [98532]
Mr Simon Burns: The Health and Social Care Bill sets out a clear framework of accountability and assurance, giving the NHS Commissioning Board the tools to ensure local commissioners can deliver improved outcomes for patients, including making services more personalised and getting the best value for money from the public’s investment.
The Bill includes specific duties for the NHS Commissioning Board and clinical commissioning groups about involving patients in decisions about their care and enabling them to make choices. While clinical commissioning groups will be responsible for the way they meet these duties, there will be transparent accountability to the NHS Commissioning Board. The board will report against its functions, and the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), will have an explicit duty to keep the board’s performance under review.
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he plans to transfer commissioning support services to the private sector; [98635]
(2) what future arrangements he plans for the control and accountability of commissioning support services; [98636]
(3) how many managing directors he estimates will be appointed for commissioning support services in the NHS; [98637]
(4) which primary care trusts are forming partnerships for joint provision of commissioning support services. [98638]
Mr Simon Burns: The White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ proposed that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) would have the freedom to decide which commissioning activities they do themselves and those that they choose to buy in from external organisations, including local authorities, private and voluntary sector bodies, and that over time a more competitive market will develop for supplying some of these services.
The strategy for ensuring that CCGs can choose from a range of high quality commissioning support services (CSSs) was set out in ‘Developing commissioning support:
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Towards Service Excellence’ published by the NHS Commissioning Board Authority (NHS CBA) on 2 February 2012.
This guidance describes the business review process that aims to support staff in primary care trust clusters to transform their services and the assurance process that will test their viability. The business review will operate until August 2012 when the NHS CBA will assess the full business plans that CSSs have developed. More information will be available on the detailed operating arrangements for commissioning support services in the autumn.
NHS: Reorganisation
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued on the conduct of consultations with the public on proposed changes to NHS services; and what procedures he has put in place to assess whether such consultations have been conducted effectively. [99054]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department published statutory guidance in October 2008, entitled “Real Involvement”. The guidance provides advice to national health service organisations about their obligations under section 242 of the National Health Service Act 2006. This duty requires NHS organisations to make arrangements to involve patients and public in the planning and development of services and decisions affecting the operation of services. The Act is not prescriptive about what constitutes ‘involvement’, but the provision makes it clear that users may be involved by being consulted, or by being given information, or in other ways.
Additional guidance published by the Department ‘Changing for the Better, 2008’ advises that major service change proposals should have a plan that covers a range of activities to involve and consult with local people and representative organisations, staff and other stakeholders.
The Department does not routinely assess the conduct of individual consultations by NHS organisations. However, it does require that primary care trusts report annually on the impact of public feedback to consultations and their commissioning decisions.
Pharmacy
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to review the effect on the supply of prescription drugs of the Direct to Pharmacy initiative; and for what reasons the Direct to Pharmacy initiative is imposing a quota on the stock of prescription drugs distributed to chemists. [98712]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department continues to meet supply chain representatives regularly to seek to ensure that patients can continue to obtain the medicines they need when they need them. Suppliers may use their own distribution arrangements, including a Direct to Pharmacy model and quotas providing they continue to meet the legal requirements to ensure, within the limits of their responsibility, the appropriate and continued supply of medical products to pharmacies so that the needs of patients are met.
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Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 711W, on pharmacy, what his policy is on imposing a legal obligation to ensure a pharmacy receives medicines within 24 hours. [98847]
Mr Simon Burns: I have nothing further to add to my earlier reply to the hon. Member.
Pinderfields Hospital: Spinal Injuries
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on whether a review of spinal cord injury services is being undertaken at Pinderfields hospital, Wakefield. [98530]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is aware Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust is currently developing a clinical services strategy to ensure the future safety and sustainability of services. The spinal injuries centre at Pinderfields hospital is included in the development of this strategy. However, this is a matter for the local national health service and the hon. Member may wish to write to the chief executive of the trust for more information.
An NHS-led national review of spinal surgery services is also under way. The purpose of this review is to identify current provision and make recommendations on future need. The report of the taskforce leading the review is expected later this year.
Prescription Drugs: Exports
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on reducing the exports of prescription drugs which are in shortage in the NHS. [98743]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department meets regularly representatives of the medicine supply chain to discuss the export of medicines to other European member states, which can be carried out legally by anyone who holds the necessary licences under United Kingdom medicines legislation. The licence holders remain under a duty, within the limits of their responsibilities, to ensure appropriate and continued supplies to pharmacies so that the needs of patients in the UK are met.
Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia: Prescriptions
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on exempting adults with primary ciliary dyskinesia from prescription charges in the last 12 months. [98709]
Mr Simon Burns: In the period 1 March 2011 to 29 February 2012, the Department received one relevant written representation on this matter, a letter from my hon. Friend dated 26 May 2011.
Advertising: Job Vacancies
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on advertising job vacancies since October 2011. [99253]
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Mr Simon Burns: Since October 2011, £6,745 has been spent on advertising to recruit senior civil servants. There has been no spending on advertising for posts below the senior civil service. Fast streamers are centrally recruited by Cabinet Office for a standard fee.
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust: Public Appointments
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to give guidance to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust board on the inclusion of interested stakeholder groups in the appointment of a new chief executive of the Trust. [99193]
Mr Simon Burns: The appointment of a chief executive is an employment matter for the employing trust. However, national health service trusts' chairs are expected to consult and involve the strategic health authority chief executive at all stages of the recruitment, selection and appointment process when appointing a new chief executive.
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the responsibilities are of the (a) chair and (b) chief executive of the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. [99351]
Mr Simon Burns: Responsibilities of both the chair and chief executive will cover strategic, human resources and operational issues.
In addition, the chief executive has responsibilities as accounting officer to ensure that financial systems and procedures promote the efficient and economical conduct of business and safeguard financial propriety and regularity throughout the trust.
Further details of the responsibilities of an NHS foundation trust accounting officer can be found in the “Revised: NHS Foundation Trust Accounting Officer Memorandum” (April 2008), which is available on Monitor’s website at:
www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk/home/our-publications/browse-category/guidance-foundation-trusts/mandatory-guidance/revised-nhs-foun
Sugar
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he considered including a pledge on sugar as part of the Responsibility Deal Collective Pledges on Food. [98811]
Paul Burstow: The Responsibility Deal Food Network has agreed the terms of a calorie reduction pledge under which companies can make commitments to support and enable their customers to eat and drink fewer calories. Reducing sugar content in food and soft drinks to reduce calories is one of a range of actions businesses might take.
West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Pay
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the total value of the remuneration package is for the chief executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service, including costs associated with pension and car allowance; [99112]
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(2) what the individual components are of the remuneration package for the chief executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service; [99113]
(3) what the travel expenses were of the chief executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011. [99192]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is not held by the Department. My hon. Friend may wish to approach the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust directly.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will take steps to reduce the salary of the chief executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service; [99114]
(2) if he will arrange for officials in his Department to meet the chief executive of West Midlands Ambulance Trust to renegotiate his contract to ensure he does not earn more than the Prime Minister. [99188]
Mr Simon Burns: National health service ambulance trusts are independent employers and organisations in their own right. The pay of a chief executive within an NHS ambulance trust is a contractual agreement between the employee and the employing organisation. It is for the NHS ambulance trusts remuneration committee to ensure the pay of the chief executive within that organisation is appropriate in accordance with the very senior managers (VSM) pay framework. This provides an objective spot rate for every post.
Under the VSM pay framework, a remuneration committee may consider an additional payment beyond the basic spot rate. This is when there is a requirement for a recruitment and retention premium or where an individual takes on significant responsibilities outside their core role. Any additional payment beyond the spot rate requires grandparent approval. The grandparent organisation for the West Midlands Ambulance Trust is NHS Midlands and East.
Women and Equalities
Equality and Human Rights Commission: Pay
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities for what reason the Deputy Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's daily rate of pay is set at £700; and if she will make a statement. [96347]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 27 February 2012]: The deputy chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) was appointed in 2009 by the then Minister for Women and Equalities, the right hon. and learned Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman).
The deputy chair has a higher remuneration rate than the other commissioners (£700 per day compared to £500 per day) to reflect the additional responsibilities of the role, including standing in for the chair in his absence.
In March 2011, we set out plans to reform the EHRC. We will respond to the consultation shortly.