§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence which private sector providers were selected in(a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002 to date for the treatment of armed 319W forces personnel, stating in each case (i) the number of personnel treated in that year and (ii) the cost to his Department; and if he will make a statement. [54133]
Financial Year Number of Referrals Private Hecrlthcare Providers Cost (£M) 2000–01 1,634 BUPA, Nuffield Hospitals Group, BMI, Priory, Cygnet, Foxleigh Grove, The Retreat, Caprio, Independent. NHS 0.769 2001–02 2,419 BUPA, Nuffield Hospitals Group, BMI, Priory, Cygnet, Trees Park, Caprio, Independent. NHS 4.095 2002–03 to date 467 BUPA, Nuffield Hospitals Group, BMI, Caprio, Independent. NHS 0.837 Notes:
1. The details provided cover central initiatives managed by the Defence Secondary Care Agency (DSCA), the use of private psychiatric facilities by the DSCA, initiatives run by the Royal Navy and the Army Training and Recruiting Agency (ATRA), plus local RAF referrals. The ATRA arrangements for the referral of potential recruits to private healthcare providers for pre-entry screening are not included, as they are not members of the Armed Forces.
2. Figures are shown for the numbers of referrals. Patients may have had more than one referral. Numbers of patients could only be identified at disproportionate effort.
3. Cost figures represent invoices paid in each financial year. The number of referrals does not correlate precisely with the cost figure for each financial year since some invoices may not be presented/paid until a subsequent financial year.
4. Referrals in 2000–01 include 41 in 2000 for which no associated costs are available and 12, at a cost of £2500, covering 2000–01 and 2001–02 which cannot be apportioned separately to each financial year.
5. Cost figure for 2001–02 is estimated as the final figure is not yet available.
6. Cost figure for 2002–03 represents expenditure to date.
§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2002,Official Report, column 597W, on medical treatment, on what date the Rapid Treatment Initiative commenced and with what budget; by what criteria personnel are treated under the scheme; how many personnel in (a) the Army, (b) the Navy and (c) the RAF have been treated under the initiative and at what cost to his Department in each month since commencement; which health care providers have been used under the scheme; and if he will make a statement; [65237]
(2) pursuant to his answer of 21 June 2002, Official Report, column 597W, on medical treatment, on what date the Waiting List Initiative commenced and with what budget; by what criteria personnel are treated under the scheme; how many personnel in (a) the Army, (b) the Navy and (c) the RAF have been treated under the initiative and at what cost to his Department in each month since commencement; which health care providers have been used under the scheme; and if he will make a statement. [65236]
§ Dr. Moonie[holding answer 3 July 2002]: Following competition, contracts were placed in 2000 with the Nuffield Hospitals Group and BUPA to provide treatment for a Ministry of Defence Waiting List Initiative (WLI). The WLI accepted referrals from 17 November 2000 to 31 March 2001. Treatments were undertaken up to 30 June 2001 and only exceptionally beyond that date. The budget for the initiative was £2.5 million.
Service patients were referred from shortage occupations on the basis that they were expected to be fit for military operational deployment within six to nine months of treatment. The total number of referrals into the scheme by Service was:
Service Referrals Royal Navy 168 Army 805 Royal Air Force 435 Total 1,408 Because of the number of hospitals participating in the scheme nation-wide and the number of patients treated,
320W
§ Dr. Moonie[holding answer 7 May 2002]: The information requested, covering the Financial Years 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002-03 to date, is shown below.
invoices submitted covered variable time periods with some information being provided months after treatments. Consequently, neither the invoice values nor payments made relate directly to individual months and it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the number of patients treated and the associated costs on such a basis. The total amount paid to the contractors for the WLI was some £2.2 million.
Further contracts were placed with the same independent sector healthcare providers for the MOD Rapid Treatment Initiative (RTI). Referrals were accepted during a four-week period in January 2002. Most treatments were completed by 31 March 2002 with a number remaining to be undertaken in June and July. The budget for the Initiative was £1.1 million.
The Initiative was open to Service patients requiring simple acute procedures, who were expected to be fit for normal duties within six months of treatment and who had at least 18 months left to serve in the Armed Forces. The total number of referrals into the scheme by Service was:
Service Referrals Royal Navy 51 Army 327 Royal Air Force 201 Total 579 As with the WLI, records held do not allow for the information on patients treated or costs to be readily supplied by month. As at 3 July this year, the amount paid for treatment under the RTI, for patients treated up to 31 March 2002, was some £664,000.