§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recommendation was made by the joint working party on disciplinary procedures in relation to monitoring of the procedures, collection of data and the reviewing of the procedures; to what extent this recommendation has been implemented; and what data have been collected.
§ Dr. MawhinneyA joint working party to review hospital and community doctors' and dentists' disciplinary procedures reported in 1988. One recommendation was
Arrangements for monitoring the new procedures, including the regular collection of data, should be introduced and that the effectiveness of the procedures should be reviewed after a period of three years from the date of implementation".Circular HC(90)9, copies of which are available in the Library, asked authorities to maintain anonymised returns of cases brought under the new procedures in order to inform a new joint working party which would review that circular. The new JWP was established in April 1993 and information gathered. However, it did not offer a full picture because of the introduction of trusts, which are free to develop their own disciplinary procedures. We are considering the options following this review.
1990–91 £000?s 1991–92 £000?s 1992–93 £000?s 1993–94 £000?s Staff Budget: Whole Department 82,968 87,540 95,172 99,351 Of Which: Staff Budget: NHS Executive 24,300 20,912 30,089 25,135 Total Administrative Budget: Whole Department 221,391 260,966 297,922 237,228 Of Which: Total Administrative Budget: NHS Executive 31,615 27,066 43,115 34,831 Source: Annual accounts and budgetary control reports of the Department of Health.
Notes:
1. Figures have not been adjusted for inflation.
2. Figures for the NHS Executive are not directly comparable from year to year because of organisational changes between the NHS Executive and the rest of the Department.
3. Figures for the whole Department include the NHS Executive, but do not include the Departments' agencies.