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11 Feb 2004 : Column 1540W—continued
Departmental Staff
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what grades of staff he proposes to remove from each Directorate of the establishment of the Department; and how many posts will remain in each. [152823]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department is restructuring 14 directorates into three business groups. By October 2004, the numbers of posts per business group will be:
- Health and Social Care Standards and Quality: 804
- Health and Social Care Delivery: 626
- Strategy and Business Development: 815
The Department's headcount in November 2003 was 3,631. The reduction to 2,245 posts will be achieved through a combination of transfers to partner organisations, natural wastage and managed exits. The numbers and grade of staff falling into each of those categories and from which of the three business groups is not yet known.
Desmopressin
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescription items of desmopressin there were in each (a) NHS region and (b) strategic health authority in each of the last five years, broken down by age. [152826]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of prescription items of desmopressin dispensed by strategic health authority has been placed in the Library. Comparable data at this level are only available from 2001.
Doctors
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of doctors in England who have passed their Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board examination but are unable to find a job in the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [152834]
Mr. Hutton: This information is not collected centrally by the Department. However, recent analysis in January 2004 by the General Medical Council shows that, of the doctors who passed the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board exams in 2002, 90 per cent. have gone on to take up a period of limited registration.
Domiciliary Care
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of care packages for maintaining elderly people in their own homes. [153820]
Dr. Ladyman: The table shows the estimated number of adults aged 65 and over receiving community based services in England for the years 2000–01 to 2002–03. Community based services includes day care, meals, respite care, direct payments, professional support, transport and equipment as well as home care.
11 Feb 2004 : Column 1541W
| Rounded number | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 925,000 |
| 2001–02 | 972,000 |
| 2002–03(27) | 988,000 |
(26) Community based services includes day care, meals, respite care, direct payments, professional support, transport and equipment as well as home care.
(27) The 2002–03 data excludes about 1,000 clients formerly in the receipt of preserved rights i.e. clients who were formally in receipt of higher rates of income under the DWP preserved rights scheme.
Source:
RAP form PI.
East Surrey Hospital
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the Royal College of Psychiatrists inspected the accident and emergency department at the East Surrey hospital; what its recommendations were; and when he expects the recommendations to be implemented; [152469]
- (2) what his assessment is of the safety of the accident and emergency department at the East Surrey hospital for members of the public (a) in the period following the inspection of the department by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and (b) following the instruction of 30 December 2003 of the clinical tutor to junior psychiatric doctors to cease attending patients at the department. [152470]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 5 February 2004]: The recommendations made by the Royal College of Psychiatrists are as follows:
- Consideration should be given to the re-siting of the on-call accommodation from West Park to the Epsom Hospital site.
- The reduction in the number of outpatient clinics in post number RPU/13/052/5/001 should be considered.
- Community visits should form an integral part of all general adult training posts.
- The tutor at Epsom Hospital should sit on the hospital library committee.
- Increased consultant support to the in-house educational activities is recommended.
- The protocol for access to the Meadows Unit after 5 p.m. should be reviewed.
- Consideration should be given to the development of a senior house officer post in child and adolescent psychiatry at East Surrey.
The training scheme at East Surrey Hospital was approved for four years following this assessment.
I understand from the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority that Surrey Oaklands National Health Service Trust has acted in accordance with the mandatory requirements and responded to the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
All NHS trusts have a statutory responsibility to ensure that their premises are safe for staff, and patients. I understand that a new accident and emergency psychiatric assessment room is planned for completion by end of February but in the interim an alternative room has been provided. This area has been assessed and endorsed by the chief executive of the trust as meeting safety requirements.
11 Feb 2004 : Column 1542W
Elder Abuse
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to tackle abuse of the elderly. [153818]
Dr. Ladyman: The abuse of vulnerable adults is of huge concern to the Government. The Government launched guidance titled "No Secrets" in March 2000, which required local councils and other authorities to develop their own locally based procedures to prevent vulnerable adult abuse. Directors of social services had to ensure that local multi-agency codes of practice were developed and implemented by 31 October 2001. In June this year the Government intend to introduce the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list, which in practice amounts to a workforce ban on those who have abused or mistreated vulnerable adults in their care.
Foundation Trusts
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued to applicant NHS foundation trusts on who should be installed on the electoral register for the board of governors; and when it was issued. [153001]
Mr. Hutton: Schedule 1, paragraph 3 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 sets out the eligibility requirements for membership of national health service foundation trusts. Anyone who is registered as a member of a particular constituency or class will be eligible to vote in elections for governors in that constituency or class. NHS foundation trusts must make provision in their constitution for the conduct of elections to the board of governors. Department of Health guidance to first wave applicants recommends the point at which the electoral register is closed for electoral purposes. This guidance was issued in January.
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether political parties will be permitted to contest elections to the board of governors of NHS foundation trusts. [153002]
Mr. Hutton: The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 provides that anyone who is registered as a member of a particular constituency or class will be eligible to be nominated to stand for election in that constituency or class. The legislation sets out a limited number of exclusions and trust constitutions may include other limited exclusions consistent with the legislation. national health service foundation trusts must make provision in their constitution for the conduct of elections to the board of governors. This may include provisions on the requirements for nominations, and the declaration of interests of nominated candidates. Departmental guidance to first wave applicants recommends that individuals nominated to stand for election as governors should be required to declare if they are members of a political party.
Gallstones and Kidney Stones
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have required surgery for the treatment of (a) gallstones and (b) kidney stones in each of the past five years. [152923]
11 Feb 2004 : Column 1543W
Mr. Hutton: The table shows data relating to the number of operations carried out for the treatment of gallstones and kidney stones from 1998–99 to 2002–03.
| Procedure | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gallstones | Kidney stones | |
| 1998–99 | 35,754 | 21,323 |
| 1999–2000 | 36,457 | 21,290 |
| 2000–01 | 39,090 | 21,445 |
| 2001–02 | 40,127 | 20,725 |
| 2002–03 | 43,679 | 21,293 |
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.
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