§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 20 November,Official Report, columns 597–98, concerning application of his latest weighted capitation formula, what is the current formula and where it is set out; what sums were made available to the East London and the City health authority for 1996–97; what sums are planned for 1997–98; and what was the basis of calculation for such sums with particular reference to the base population used. [6622]
§ Mr. MaloneDetails of the weighted capitation formula used to determine the 1996–97 allocations to health authorities can be found in the 1996–97 health authority revenue cash limits exposition booklet, copies of which are available in the Library.
East London and the City health authority received a general allocation of almost £337.2 million in 1996–97, an increase of £1.6 million, 0.5 per cent. in real terms.
In 1997–98, East London and the City health authority will receive an integrated allocation of £365.4 million, which will include a general allocation of £348 million, an increase of £7.4 million, 2.2 per cent. in real terms.
Details of the formula used to calculate the general allocation will be included in the 1997–98 health authority revenue cash limits exposition booklet, copies of which will be placed in the Library shortly.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is(a) the population within the area of the East London and the City health authority on which that authority's capitation grant is calculated, (b) the total number of persons registered with general practitioners within that area, (c) the estimates he or others have made of the evidence of double registrations, (d) the estimates he or others have made of the number of persons not registered and (e) what action he has taken to adjust his capitation formula accordingly. [5091]
§ Mr. Malone[holding answer 20 November 1996]Resources are allocated on the basis of health authority resident population. The population forecasts used for resource allocation are updated annually.
The 1997–98 weighted capitation target for East London and the City health authority was calculated using the forecast population figures for 1997, based on 1995 population estimates, of 613,172.
682WThe number of patients registered with general practitioners within the former City and East. London family health services authority on 29 March 1996 was 718,849.
The national population figure provided by the Office for National Statistics, the department responsible for providing population data to government, is lower than the total number of patients registered with general practitioners, which implies a level of double counting. Areas from which GPs draw their patients are not coterminous with health authority boundaries.
There are even greater variations between the two data sets when sub-national populations are considered, where there is evidence of both under and double counting. Double counting is known to be particularly prevalent in inner cities because of the transient nature of their populations. In the case of East London and the City, the estimate of double counting is around 18 per cent.
We are not aware of any estimates of the number of persons not registered with general practitioners.
The data used in the weighted capitation formula are updated annually, but not in relation to the number of persons registered with general practitioners as this would not be relevant.