§ Mr. WilshireTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what basis the £16.9 million cut in the income for 2002–03 was apportioned between the three acute hospital trusts in West Surrey; [75491]
(2) for what reason an extra £16.9 million has been added to the 2002–03 income of the primary care trusts in West Surrey; [75492]
(3) for what reason £7.9 million was cut from the 2002–03 income of the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust in August; [75490]
(4) for what reason £16.9 million was cut from the 2002–03 income of the three acute hospital trusts in West Surrey in August. [75494]
§ Ms Blears[holding answers 21 October 2002]: The allocation to the local health community has, in real terms, increased by 6.89 per cent. over the previous year. The apportionment to the trusts of this increased income has been set on the basis of service level agreements and the additional investment will help deliver the NHS Plan targets locally.
However, these agreements and the related trust budgets have had to be set on the basis of managing a long standing underlying financial deficit for the West Surrey health service community. The financial position last year was only achieved through the use of non-recurrent support of £15.6 million.
§ Mr. WilshireTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional financial and staff resources are being made available to the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust to enable the implementation of its franchise plan. [75489]
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§ Ms Blears[holding answer 21 October 2002]: Additional growth, modernisation and specific financial assistance is being made available to the local health community representing a real uplift in allocation of 6.89 per cent. over the last year. Special assistance is being made available to the trust for reforming emergency care from the modernisation agency and additional resource of £8.4 million is being made available.
§ Mr. WilshireTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to bring to an end the Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust running a deficit budget. [75493]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 21 October 2002]: The management of the trust is a matter for the local health community managing within the context of Shifting the Balance of Power, local partnership and agreement. The underlying deficit will be resolved by the primary care trusts and National Health Service trusts within their three year plans. This will be performance managed through the local development plan which is currently being formulated by the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority.
§ Mr. WilshireTo ask the Secretary of State for Health why the Franchise Plan for the Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust presented to the Government were not published until 10 October 2002. [75488]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 21 October 2002]: I am advised by Surrey & Sussex Strategic Health Authority that this was the planned date for publication.
§ Mr. WilshireTo ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates the 2002–03 budget was(a) formally finalised and (b) published for (i) the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust and (ii) North Surrey Primary Care Trust. [75487]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 21 October 2002]: The financial framework was first received by the Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals National Health Service Trust board in June 2002.
The allocation for the North Surrey Primary Care Trust, established in April 2002, was set in December 2001 and the primary care trust agreed the financial framework in September 2002.