§ Mr. Baron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there was a fully contracted local network provider in place for each patients' forum on 2 December. [142440]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton[holding answer 8 December 2003]: Yes. On 2 December there was a fully contracted local network provider, now known as a forum support organisation, in place for each patients' forum.
§ Mr. Baron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff in local network providers were working exclusively on behalf of patients' forums on 2 December. [142442]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton[holding answer 8 December 2003]: It is not possible to give an absolute staffing figure as some staff are employed exclusively to support the patients' forums while others perform additional functions within their organisation. Since the contracts were awarded in September to the forum support organisations, which were formerly known as local network providers, the organisations have been working to recruit staff and build their capacity, ensuring sufficient support for patients' forums was in place from 1 December. Organisations which have been drawn from the not for profit and voluntary sector will continue to build their resources and to respond effectively to demands as they arise from the patients' forums.
§ Mr. Baron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients' forums were fully operational on 2 December; and if he will list those that were not. [142443]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton[holding answer 8 December 2003]: On 2 December, the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) had received over 5,000 applications from members of the public volunteering to become members of the 572 patients' forums. At that point 505 forums, over 88 per cent., had the required minimum number of members. However, the position is changing daily as CPPIH continues to process the huge numbers of applicants and make final appointments.
Since 1 September, CPPIH has had in place regional centres and forum support organisations to provide information and guidance to members of the public who may wish to get involved or who have concerns that need addressing locally.
Training of forum members is currently underway and forums will be fully operational shortly. In the meantime all forums are contactable through the forum support organisations.
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§ Mr. Baron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether each patients' forum had the required minimum of members on 2 December; and if he will list those that did not. [142444]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton[holding answer 8 December 2003]: On 2 December, the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) had received over 5,000 applications from members of the public volunteering to become members of the 572 patients forums. At that point 505 forums had the required minimum number of members. However, the position is changing daily as CPPIH continues to process the huge numbers of applicants and make final appointments.
At 2 December, 100 per cent. targets had been reached in the East Midlands, the North East, North West and West Midlands. In the East of England the Commission required 44 appointments to fill specific forums; in Humberside 10 people; in the South East 61; London 17; and the South West 29.
§ Mr. Baron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the location of each patients' forum's associated local network provider and (1) those patients' forums for which no contracted local network provider was in place on 2 December. [142445]
§ Ms Rosie Winterton[holding answer 8 December 2003]: By 1 September, 140 contracts had been placed with 68 different local network providers (now known as forum support organisations), providing full national coverage of support for all forums as they come on stream from 1 December. Patients' forums have been set up for primary care trusts and national health service trusts and a list of these by forum support organisation is available from the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health.