§ Mr. TimmsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proposals he has to reflect more fully the costs of(a) homelessness and (b) working with patients with a poor knowledge of English in the funding of NHS trusts; [23344]
(2) what plans he has to introduce needs weighting to the community element of the NHS weighted capitations formula. [23381]
§ Mr. HoramThe formula takes account of the officially homeless in temporary accommodation and from 1996–97, health authority allocations reflect a new adjustment to take account of homeless "rough sleepers."
A study is being undertaken to look at unavoidable variations in provider costs, including those associated with treating patients from ethnic minorities, with the intention of reflecting such variations in health authority allocations. Work is also in hand to develop a needs weighting for community health services and it may be possible to have an interim needs weighting available to inform 1997–98 allocations.