Tag: Justin Madders

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many consultants have opted out of routine weekend working through the schedule 3 paragraph 6 of the NHS consultant contract in the last year.

Ben Gummer

This information is not held centrally.

Schedule 3 Paragraph 6 of the 2003 NHS consultant contract allows consultants to refuse non-emergency work after 7pm and before 7am during weekdays and weekends. The definitions section clarifies that this also applies to emergency work for those consultants whose specialty by its nature involves dealing routinely with emergency cases, e.g. accident and emergency consultants.

NHS trusts hold information on consultant working patterns. However, this information would not reveal how many individuals have relied on the clause to not participate in weekend work as part of their contract, or to work them at expensive locally negotiated rates.

In its 2013 report ‘Managing NHS hospital Consultants’ the National Audit Office (NAO) reported that 91% of trusts who responded to its survey paid for additional work using locally agreed rates, with rates of up £200 per hour reported. The NAO expressed the view that “This is likely to be linked to the fact that the contract allows consultants to refuse to work outside 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday.”

A subsequent report by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts concluded that as a result of the opt out, hospitals struggle to provide the appropriate level of consultant-led care for patients.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nationals of members state of the European Economic Area have registered with the (a) Health and Care Professions Council, (b) General Optical Council, (c) General Osteopathic Council and (d) General Chiropractic Council since June 2014.

Ben Gummer

The information requested about the numbers of nationals of member states of the European Economic Area (EEA) that have registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the General Optical Council (GOC), the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) and the General Chiropractic Council (GCC) since June 2014 is not collected or held centrally.

However, information provided by the relevant regulatory bodies to enable this parliamentary question to be answered regarding EEA registrations since 1 June 2014 to date, is shown in the table below.

Regulatory body	Data provided by the regulatory body*
(GOsC)	15 nationals of member states of the EEA have been registered by the GOsC since June 2014.
(GCC)	11 nationals of member states of the EEA have been registered by the GCC since June 2014.
(GOC)	65 nationals of member states of the EEA have been registered by the GOC since June 2014.
(HCPC)	1,934 individuals.

*The individuals in question are all EEA nationals who gained their qualifications in another member state and who applied under the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications European Directive. This is with the exception of the figures provided by the HCPC where the figure may also include third country nationals (non-EEA nationals) who have become established in their profession in their home member state and have subsequently exercised their Treaty rights under the Directive.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the financial monitoring and accounts returns submitted to his Department, what the planned agency costs are forecast to be as a proportion of the total nursing costs in each NHS (a) trust and (b) foundation trust in 2015-16.

Alistair Burt

Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority have confirmed that they plan to publish data on the implementation of the agency caps in coming months.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library copies of the local blueprint submissions for the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan.

George Freeman

These plans are for local use, and there are no plans to publish them centrally. Local areas may publish their plans if they so choose.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the UK has received in grants and funding from the EU to fund research into cancer under (a) the EU’s seventh framework programme 2007-2013 and (b) the current Horizon 2020 programme.

Ben Gummer

The Department does not hold this information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect that changes in qualification requirements for studying a BSc in paramedicine will have on recruitment into that profession.

Ben Gummer

There are currently 30 Higher Education Institutions across the United Kingdom delivering Health Care Professions Council approved pre-registration paramedic programmes. Of these, there are now 22 (73%) that are delivering BSc (Hons) degrees.

The commissioned numbers in 2012/13 were 563, in 2013/14 were 722 and in 2014/15 were 853. Planned commission numbers for 2015/16 are 1,124 and for 2016/17 are 1,729. This shows there has been an increase of successful applicants who wish to enter the profession and are undertaking an appropriate pre-registration programme of higher education.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Healthcare Cadet scheme.

Ben Gummer

Health Education England (HEE) is committed to supporting a range of vocational based learning programmes, including the healthcare cadet apprenticeships in the North West.

Health Education England North West make approximately 400 places available through the programme every year. HEE undertook an extensive consultation with National Health Service trusts and dental practices, about the Healthcare Cadet Scheme. On the basis of the feedback received, HEE decided to close the programme and have developed a new model for vocational training to start in April 2017.

Healthcare cadetships are available in other areas. No data is collected centrally on these.

There are several Healthcare Cadet apprenticeship schemes in operation across England. No data is available on national spending on these schemes. No national assessment has been made on the effectiveness of Healthcare Cadet schemes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on staff away days in each of the last six years.

Jane Ellison

The Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are committed to developing their staff and equipping them with the skills and knowledge to carry out their work. Away-days, other similar team-based development activities and very occasional residential training all make a contribution to such development. This type of development activity is typically arranged by individual teams within the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies. No central records of these events are held, and to collect this information would incur disproportionate costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s policy is on the use of the NHS logo by organisations and people outside the NHS.

George Freeman

The National Health Service logo should only be used by NHS organisations, or on services and information that the NHS is involved with. This is to protect the NHS from being seen as the source of materials that have not originated from the NHS, nor had any involvement from the NHS.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many students on (a) nursing, (b) midwifery and (c) Allied Health Professional courses benefitted from the NHS Bursary maternity award in the last five years for which figures are available.

Ben Gummer

The following table shows the number of students on nursing, midwifery and Allied Health Professional courses who were in receipt of the NHS Bursary maternity award in each of the last three academic years and those who have subsequently returned to their studies following a period of maternity leave. Information prior to 2013/14 is not available.

Academic Year1	Professional Group	Students in receipt of the NHS Bursary maternity award	Students returning from a period of maternity leave
2013/14	Allied Health Professional	55	49
	Midwifery	99	92
	Nursing	633	558
2013/14 Total		787	699
2014/15	Allied Health Professional	50	40
	Midwifery	80	56
	Nursing	581	444
2014/15 Total2		711	540
2015/16	Allied Health Professional	56	6
	Midwifery	72	4
	Nursing	473	59
2015/16 Total2		601	69
Grand Total		2,528	1,702

Source: NHS Business Services Authority

Notes

¹ Standard academic year (i.e. September to the following August)

² The count for these academic years is as at 14 June 2016. There are likely to be further students who commence, or return from a period of maternity leave after this date