Primary Health Care

HC Deb 04 March 1994 vol 238 cc34-5W

Mr. Bayley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the level of net NHS current expenditure on primary health care excluding hospital and community health service expenditure for each year since 1973–74; and what was the net expenditure each year on (i) administration including executive council, family practitioner committee or family health service authority administration and general practitioner practice administration, (ii) prescription items and (iii) other items including the remuneration of primary health care professionals, expressed in 1993–94 prices adjusted by(a) the gross domestic product deflator and (b) changes in input unit costs.

Mr. Sackville

Primary health care consists of the community health and family health services. The information available, excluding expenditure on the community health services, is shown in the table. Indices are not available to adjust drugs bill, other FHS, and family health services authorities' expenditure for changes in input unit costs.

Year	1Family health services expenditure	2Drugs bill expenditure	3Drugs bill expenditure at 1993–94 prices	4Other family health services expenditure	3Other family health services expenditure at 1993–94 prices	5FHSA administrative expenditure	3FHSA administrative expenditure at 1993–94 prices
1977–78	1,123	461	1,470	662	2,111	n/a	n/a
1978–79	1,329	554	1,589	775	2,224	n/a	n/a
1979–80	1,549	633	1,555	916	2,251	n/a	n/a
1980–81	1,923	766	1,592	1,157	2,403	n/a	n/a
1981–82	2,208	876	1,660	1,331	2,522	n/a	n/a
1982–83	2,547	1,009	1,784	1,538	2,719	n/a	n/a
1983–84	2,730	1,130	1,909	1,600	2,704	n/a	n/a
1984–85	3,010	1,192	1,917	1,818	2,925	n/a	n/a
1985–86	3,188	1,275	1,943	1,914	2,917	45	69
1986–87	3,419	1,378	2,040	2,041	3,022	47	69
1987–88	3,802	1,536	2,160	2,265	3,185	49	69
1988–89	4,293	1,744	2,298	2,549	3,358	55	72
1989–90	4,531	1,942	2,393	2,589	3,189	67	82
1990–91	5,156	2,080	2,371	3,076	3,507	104	118
1991–92	5,944	2,317	2,484	3,627	3,889	136	146
1992–93	6,593	2,641	2,727	3,952	4,081	162	167
1 Net expenditure, after taking account of patient charges and other receipts, on the General Medical, General Dental, General Ophthalmic and Pharmaceutical Services. Excludes administrative costs of FHSAs and other bodies and GP Fundholders budgets for purchasing secondary care services. Information is based on the relevant year's Appropriation Account.
2 Represents the cost of items prescribed by GPs. Dispensing fees are not included. Costs are not separately identifiable in 1973–74 and 1974–75.
3 Converted to 1993–94 prices using GDP deflator.
4 Balance of net MS expenditure minus the cost of the drugs bill. Consists mainly of the cost of remuneration and practice expenses of FHS contractors.
5 Net administrative expenditure of Family Health Services Authorities (known as Family Practitioner Committees before September 1990, and as Executive Councils before April 1974). The administrative functions of FHSAs and their predecessors have changed over time as their management responsibilities have been developed. Expenditure was not separately identifiable in the period 1974–75 to 1984–85. Excludes expenditure on national administrative bodies such as the Prescription Pricing Authority and the Dental Practice Board. Information is based on FHSAs' income and expenditure accounts.