§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was for each category of continence product purchased by the NHS National Suppliers Trust in the year from February 1998 to January 1999(a) the number of items purchased, (b) the total costs and (c) the percentage change in the number purchased from the previous year; and what estimate he has made of the proportion this represents of the total of such products, by category or overall, that are purchased by the NHS. [96078]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 1 November 1999]: Information from the National Health Service Supplies Authority is shown in the table. The information relates only to those products that the NHS obtains from NHS Supplies. It is estimated that NHS Supplies' sales represent around 50 per cent. of the total market, with about 30 per cent. of products being provided direct from a supplier to a patient's home and about 20 per cent. direct from supplier to an NHS trust.
NHS hospital and community health services recruitment, retention and vacancy survey, broken down by NHS region. [97270]
§ Mr. DenhamThe detailed results, including an analysis by National Health Service region, of the recruitment, retention and vacancies survey will be published shortly