HC Deb 20 January 2003 vol 398 cc128-9W
Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to ensure the delivery of(a) health care and (b) social services in sparsely populated rural areas, in particular pockets of rural deprivation; and what resources he is making available for this. [87708]

Mr. Hutton

Resources to both local National Health Service bodies and local authorities take account of variations in local circumstances, while leaving these bodies to decide the best distribution of services in response to those circumstances. A number of recent initiatives in funding allocations have recognised the need to take account of remoteness.

The NHS revenue allocations for 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06 announced on 11 December were made using a new formula. The new formula provides a better measure of health need in all areas. In calculating health need in rural areas, it takes account of the effects of access, transport and poverty.

The NHS confederation is currently negotiating a new general medical services (GMS) contract with the general practitioners committee of the British Medical Association. The two sides have commissioned York University to develop a GMS allocation formula that will take account of the costs and pressures of delivering high-quality primary care in different areas, including those associated with rurality and remoteness. The current timetable envisages that this work will be completed early in the New Year, when general practitioners will be balloted on the detailed and costed framework.

For social services funding, we will be increasing the sparsity factor in the older people's social services funding formula from 2002–03 onwards, in response to new evidence on travel effects in the provision of domiciliary care commissioned by the county councils network.

Improving access to services, especially in rural and other areas which are currently under-served, was identified as a priority in the cross-cutting spending review on health inequalities. The review also recognised that there are pockets of deprivation right across the country and that health inequalities will need to be tackled in all these areas if the national health inequalities targets are to be met. The results of the review are being fed into a cross-government delivery plan on action to tackle health inequalities and meet the targets. The delivery plan will be published in the New Year.