§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by the Surrey and Sussex Health Authority to avoid manipulation of the waiting lists at hospitals in its area. [70343]
§ Ms BlearsSurrey and Sussex Health Authority has introduced a number of procedures to review waiting list data on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis; on both Trust and population basis.
The health authority will be working closely with all health organisations in its area to ensure they are fully supported in achieving performance targets.
§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what process is available to inform doctors and patients as to the state of the waiting lists for(a) neurophysiology and (b) MRI scanning in the Surrey and Sussex Health Authority area; [70342]
(2) what his Department's policy is on the Association of British Neurologists' recommendation that there should be more full-time neurologists per 100,000 of population in (a) the Surrey and Sussex Health Authority area and (b) the rest of England; [70340]
(3) how many full-time neurologists there are per 100,000 of population in (a) the Surrey and Sussex Health Authority area and (b) the rest of England; [70339]
(4) how many patients in (a) the Surrey and Sussex Health Authority area and (b) the rest of England have not had the treatment to address neurological conditions as recommended by their doctors. [70341]
§ Ms BlearsInformation is not held centrally on the numbers of patients who have not had neurological treatment recommended by their doctors. Surrey and Sussex Health Authority has advised me that waiting times for non-urgent neurophysiology tests are longer at Hurstwood Park Neurological centre than the other service providers in London, although an urgent or priority request is dealt with on the same day or within 1–2 days depending on clinical priority. Waiting times for magnetic resonance imaging scans are also determined by the urgency of the case. Close links are maintained between local consultants and specialist service providers so information on waiting times is readily available, allowing patients to be kept informed of the expected waiting time for their treatment.
1417WInformation held centrally on the number of Neurologists per 100,000 population is as follows:
Hospital medical consultants, working full time within the neurology specialty As at 30 September 2001 Numbers numbers Numbers per 100,000 population England 230 0.5 of which Surrey and Sussex1 10 0.4 Source:
Department of Health 2001 medical and dental workforce census.
Note:
1Includes East Surrey HA, West Surrey HA, East Sussex, Brighton and Hove HA, West Sussex HA.
The Department fully supports the need for an increase in the number of neurologists. Indeed, recommendations by the medical workforce review team are for the numbers of consultants in Neurology to grow by some 50 per cent. by 2010, from 326 in 2001 to 496 in 2010.
Workforce has been recognised as key to the successful delivery of the NHS Plan and the national service frameworks. New national workforce planning and development structures have been set up to help deliver a multidisciplinary and integrated health and social care workforce to support service improvement.