HC Deb 04 February 2002 vol 379 c770W
Mr. Stevenson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the health spending per head of population was in the North Staffordshire health authority in(a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01,(c)2001–02 and (d)estimated for 2002–03. [29269]

Yvette Cooper

Health spending per head of population in North Staffordshire health authority was £675.34 in 1999–2000 and £725.72 in 2000–01. Future estimates of spending are not available.

Notes:

1. In many health authorities there are factors which distort the expenditure per head. These include:

  • the health authority acting in a lead capacity to commission health care;
  • asset revaluations in NHS trusts being funded through health authorities; and
  • some double counting of expenditure between health authorities and primary care trusts within the health authority area.

Expenditure on health per head cannot therefore be reliably compared between health authorities.

Allocations per weighted head of population provide a much more reliable measure to identify differences between funding of health authorities.

2.Expenditure on health is taken from health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year. The expenditure is the total spent on the commission of health care by the health authority and by the primary care trusts within each health authority area. The majority of general dental services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust accounts and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board.

3.Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. The effect of this double counting within the answer cannot be readily identified.

Source:

Health authority audited summarisation forms 1999–2000 and 2000–01

Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01

Weighted population estimates for 1999–2000–01.