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East Kent NHS Trust: Consultant Cardiologists
Lord Swinfen asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the establishment of consultant cardiologists in the East Kent National Health Service Trust; and how many full-time and how many part-time consultants are in post.[HL5130]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are advised by East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust that it currently employs six consultants, one of whom works half time at the trust.
Disability Equipment
Lord Ashley of Stoke asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they have taken to ensure that money they intended for disability equipment is going to equipment services; and[HL5145]
What discussions they have held with the National Audit Commission about disability equipment; and with what results; and[HL5146]
Whether they have consulted with the relevant disability organisations' complaints about disability equipment.[HL5147]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Members of the National Integration Support Team continue to take every opportunity to encourage and support health and social services to make appropriate investment in equipment services to meet NHS Plan targets. The targets are to integrate health and social care community equipment services and to increase by 50 per cent the number of people who can benefit from such services by 2004.
Progress towards the attainment of the targets will be monitored in a number of ways. These include regular statistical returns from councils with social services responsibilities and health authorities, and monitoring through the Social Services Inspectorate. The Department of Health is keeping the need for further performance measures under review, being advised by those in the field, service users and others with an interest.
We will build on the strong messages for commissioners of services contained in Fully Equipped 2002. We are also encouraging users and their representative organisations to become involved in local service integration projects and plans.
Since publication of the National Audit Commission's (NAC) report Fully Equipped in March 2000 the Department of Health has developed, with the active involvement of the NAC, guidance on the modernisation of community equipment services. Representatives of the NAC also play an active role on the department's community equipment services external reference group and its subgroups. Members of the National Integration Support Team are also working with the NAC to produce, by the autumn, guidelines for commissioning community equipment services.
Officials meet regularly with disability organisations to discuss disability issues, including the provision of equipment.
Asylum Seekers: Healthcare
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by Beverley Hughes MP on 1 July (HC Deb 188W), whether rural encampments of asylum seekers, who "have access to NHS care in the same way as people who are settled here" will have to be cared for by local rural general practitioners and other rural health services.[HL5149]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: On-site primary healthcare facilities will be provided at the proposed trial accommodation centres for asylum seekers. The intention is to minimise the impact which the accommodation centres will have on local general practitioners and other local health services. The on-site healthcare facilities will be provided under contract to the Home Office. Local general practitioners and other health services may be involved in delivery of these services. Alternatively, the on-site healthcare may be provided by other providers. Asylum seekers residing at the proposed centres are also likely to have some need of specialist health care services and Department of Health officials are having preliminary discussions about this with the relevant organisations in the areas concerned.
Early Abortion Procedures
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they intend to extend the pilot scheme, whereby the abortion pill RU 486 will be made available from selected family planning centres, to family planning centres throughout the United Kingdom.[HL5178]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Sexual Health and HIV Strategy Implementation Action Plan sets out the Department of Health's intention to pilot early abortion procedures in non–traditional settings that meet legal requirements for abortion provision. There will be a limited number of pilots in non–traditional settings, such as family planning clinics, located in hospitals vested in a National Health Service trust or primary care trust. The pilots will be carefully evaluated, and there are no plans for a wider scheme at the present time.
The action plan applies to England only. Services in Scotland and Wales are a matter for the devolved administrations. The Abortion Act does not apply to Northern Ireland.
NHS: EU Procurement Rules
Baroness Noakes asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the National Health Service will comply with European Community procurement rules when contracts to deliver patient care in England are entered into with non-United Kingdom organisations; and, if so, when the appropriate advertisements will appear in the Official Journal of the European Community.[HL5185]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: As the prospectus Growing Capacity, a new role for external healthcare providers in England notes, European Community procurement regulations will be applied where required by law; normally, this will mean that tendering for international establishment projects will be through the Official Journal of the European Community. The appropriate advertisements will appear in the official journal when specifications for individual projects have been drawn up.
Community Equipment Services
Baroness Noakes asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they accept the opinion of the Audit Commission in its report Fully Equipped 2002 that "for the most part, equipment services remain in a parlous state" and that "ineffectual service commissioning is at the heart of the problems facing equipment services"; and what practical steps they intend to take in response to the Audit Commission's report. [HL5188]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government are committed to improve community equipment services. The NHS Plan targets are to integrate health and social care community equipment services and to increase by 50 per cent the number of people who can benefit from such services by 2004. We are only 15 months into a three-year period of reform and investment.
The Audit Commission report has concentrated on the areas where improvements are desirable. We welcome the examples of good practice identified in the report. We will build on the strong messages for commissioners of service contained in Fully Equipped 2002. Members of the National Integration Support Team (NIST) are working with the Audit Commission to produce, by the autumn, guidelines for commissioning community equipment services. NIST members are also disseminating examples of good practice during the course of their work with local equipment services.
NHS Bodies: Key Financial Duties
Baroness Noakes asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish the management information held by the Department of Health in respect of the performance of individual National Health Service bodies against their key financial duties for 2001–02. [HL5190]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The audited information in respect of the performance of National Health Service bodies against key financial duties for 2001–02 will be published in their individual annual accounts. The information will be available centrally in autumn 2002.
Voluntary Hospices: Funding
Lord Hayhoe asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What increases in funding for voluntary hospices have been made in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what further increases are planned for future years. [HL5235]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Total expenditure (1999–2000) on adult specialist care services has been estimated by the National Council for Hospices and Specialist Palliative Care to be around £300 million, of which around £130 million comes from the National Health Service.
The Government have pledged in the NHS Cancer Plan that funding for specialist palliative care services in England including hospices, will increase by £50 million per annum by 2004. This investment is included in the overall NHS investment for implementing the Cancer Plan. How this funding is deployed locally will depend on the needs of the area. We are currently reviewing the outturn position for 2001–02 and the progress in that year.
NHS Estate
Lord Bowness asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will detail, borough by borough, the land and property belonging to the Department of Health, or any National Health Service trust, that
- has been sold in any London borough south of the River Thames during the last three years. [HL5349]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Health has not sold any land or property in any London borough south of the River Thames during the past three years.
Sold on Health (published May 2000), a joint report between NHS Estates and the Public Services Productivity Panel, comprehensively reviewed the planning, design, procurement, operation and disposal of the NHS estates. Its recommendations were accepted by Ministers and as a result of information on NHS trust disposals began in April 2002. According to these records, no sales have been made in any London borough south of the River Thames.
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