HL Deb 27 September 2000 vol 616 cc190-1WA
Baroness Lockwood

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the final figures for the artificial limb services for the years 1998–99 and 1999–2000; and what are the estimates for the years 2000–01 and 2001–02. [HL3503]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Expenditure on artificial limb services is not collected by the Department of Health. Expenditure estimates are made by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency from:

  1. (a) suppliers' reports on the value of orders placed by the National Health Service for hardware and componentry; and,
  2. (b) the value of service contracts placed with prosthetic companies.

Having reviewed Prosthetic Centre contracts and predicted levels of annual uprating, the Purchasing and Supply Agency estimated that these contracts amounted to around £36 million during 1998–99 that is, £9.7 million for hardware and componentry and £26.3 million for service contracts.

The final expenditure on the service contracts may vary for a number of reasons, including the actual numbers of patients referred. The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency does not collect actual expenditure detail at the year end.

Expenditure for the period 2000–2002 will be subject to trusts' negotiations with health authority commissioners.