Funding Allocation (Hansard, 23 March 1994)

§ Mr. Watson
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the guidance issued to NHS managers on how funds released by the closure or reduction of acute units are to be transferred to the primary health care sector.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
The "Priorities and planning guidance 1994–95", EL(93)54, identifies this as a matter for regional health authorities to address, in conjunction with other national health service authorities and purchasers, in developing their investment strategies. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.

§ Mr. Watson
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the Government's objective of transferring resources from the acute to the primary health sector is reflected(a) in the regional and national training plans for community nursing services and (b) in the regional and national plans for staff in post within community nursing services.

§ Mr. Sackville
Regional commission training places for non-medical staff, including community nurses, are based on provider unit forecasts for qualified staff in post required in five years' time.
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§ Mr. Watson
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each purchasing health authority in England, the figures for revenue funding in 1992–93,1993–94 and 1994–95, and the estimated figures for 1995–96 and 1996–97; and if she will identify the changes for each health authority's revenue budget resulting from the replacement of the regional allocation working party system of determining funding allocation.

§ Mr. Sackville
Information will be placed in the Library showing 1992–93 expenditure for each district health authority. It is the responsibility of regional health authorities to allocate resources to districts. Information on the total resources allocated to DHAs in 1993–94 and 1994–95 or assumptions about future allocations is not available centrally.
The use of resource allocation working party (RAWP) targets was discontinued in 1990 when weighted capitation was introduced. Consequently, no RAWP targets are currently available for comparison with weighted capitation shares. Comparisons would not be meaningful. Under the old system authorities were funded for their "catchment population", whereas now they are purchasers of services for their resident population, with cross-boundary flows of patients being covered by payments under the national health service contracts.