HC Deb 15 October 2001 vol 372 cc1031-3W
Mr. Gardiner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what investigation his Department has made into the risk of violence to health visitors in Parkside NHS trust as a result of implementing trust policy with regard to the use of the health visitor assessment tool; [6966]

  1. (2) what plans he has to review the management capability at Parkside NHS trust following the report produced by Professor Sarah Cowley of Kings College, London into staff relations and managerial practice at the trust; [6972]
  2. (3) what assessment he has made of Parkside NHS trust's use of a master patient index number on health visitor assessment tool records in respect of (a) client confidentiality and (b) compliance with the Data Protection Acts; [6769]
  3. (4) what consultation there has been with health visitors' clients about how personal information was stored by Parkside NHS trust; and how the trust ensured that it complied with the Data Protection Acts; [6971]
  4. (5) what advice was given to Parkside NHS trust on the impact of the Data Protection Acts on the collection of health visitors' clients' information in respect of client confidentiality; and what action was taken as a result of this advice; [7006]
    5. 1032W
  5. (6) what consultation Parkside NHS trust has undertaken with health visitors' clients following the report produced by Professor Sarah Cowley of King's College, London into the use of a health visitor assessment tool; [6973]
  6. (7) what assessment he has made of the supplementary report produced for the management of Parkside NHS trust by Professor Cowley about Parkside managerial practice; and what action he intends to take as a result; [6976]
  7. (8) what response he has made to the report produced by Professor Sarah Cowley of King's College, London evaluating the Parkside NHS trust health visitor assessment tool; [6975]
  8. (9) what assessment he has made of Parkside NHS trust's compliance with the requirements of the Data Protection Acts in its recording of patients' information; [6768]
  9. (10) if patient's confidentiality was broken by the use of the Parkside NHS trust health visitor assessment tool; [6965]
  10. (11) what consultation Parkside NHS trust has undertaken with (a) health visitors and (b) health visitors' clients since the report produced by Professor Sarah Cowley of King's College, London into the use of a health visitor assessment tool. [6974]

Ms Blears

A health needs assessment tool (HNAT) was developed by Parkside Health national health service trust for use by health visitors to assist in the prioritisation of workload. An initial stage of development included focus groups that included both health visitors and their clients, prior to its piloting with 452 clients.

The HNAT does not require the recording of a client's name and address; instead it uses a master patient index number to link information gathered using this tool with the client's case notes, with which it is retained. No information from the HNAT is entered on Parkside Health NHS trust's electronic Community Information System. For a five-month period, a paper-based report which included master patient index numbers was compiled for monitoring purposes. In April 2000 this practice was identified locally as a potential breach of patient confidentiality and was discontinued immediately, and all documentation destroyed. All NHS trusts have been issued guidance relating to patient confidentiality and to the Data Protection Act 1998 and in upholding the Act are accountable to the Data Protection Registrar.

Parkside Health NHS trust commissioned an independent evaluation of the HNAT from Professor Sarah Cowley of the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College, London. Professor Cowley presented her findings to the trust and its staff on 15 March 2001. The trust established a working group of health visitors that informed the development of an action plan to address issues identified by Professor Cowley; the NHS London Regional Office is monitoring implementation of this action plan.

As part of that action plan, Parkside NHS trust and its partner organisations are planning a conference for staff and clients that will explore the health visitor's role including needs assessment issues.

Any specific evidence of poor management practice at an NHS trust not being resolved through local policies and procedures brought to the Department's attention would elicit prompt, appropriate action to remedy the situation. I have asked the NHS London Regional Office to follow up with Parkside Health NHS trust whether there are any identifiable issues within what I understand to be one of Professor Cowley's working papers rather than a formal report and to advise me whether such action is necessary.

Following Professor Cowley's report, Parkside NHS trust wrote to all health visitor staff on 26 April 2001 indicating that HNAT was still in a developmental stage and that they may choose to use it as part of their assessment and prioritisation of client needs but are under no compulsion to do so.

The trust has a policy on violence in the workplace that specifically addresses safety on home visits; this has recently been updated. There have been no reports made to the trust of violence connected with use of the HNAT; any such report would be taken seriously and investigated as required under trust policies.