HC Deb 21 January 2004 vol 416 cc1357-8W
Mr. Clifton-Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of the computer contract signed between his Department and BT; what the contract covers; what time period is covered by the contract; whether this technology will be available to help the roll-out of broadband in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [147917]

Mr. Hutton

Two separate contracts have been awarded to BT under the national programme for information technology in the national health service in England1. to set up and run a core database or "spine" for the national care record service (NCRS), worth a total of £620 million. This will provide access to key summary information on a patient and their condition/treatment for healthcare professionals who are authorised and have a need to use it; and to provide local systems and services to integrate, access and use the NCRS in London. This includes providing IT support at a local level, delivering essential infrastructure and connection/ compatibility to existing systems in the NHS in the London cluster. This contract is worth a total of £996 million.

Depending on the proof of solution, successful rollout and ongoing performance, both contracts will run until 2013.

Qualified nursing staff and practice nurses employed by unrestricted principals and Equivalents (UPEs)1 per 1,000 of the population—

England
Number (headcount)
19922,4 19932,4 1994 19953 19963
England
Population 47,996,067 48,100,501 48,222,889 48,364,999 48,496,224
Practice nurses 16,635 17,517 16,500 18,243 17,898
Practice nurses per 1,000 of population 0.35 0.36 0.34 0.38 0.37
Qualified nursing staff5 301,253 293,379 289,284 298,650 297,351
Qualified nursing per 1,000 of population 6.20 6.10 6.00 6.17 6.21
of which:
North West Government Office Region
Population 6,866,001 6,867,220 6,854,423 6,840,280 6,818,344
Practice nurses 2,175 2,110 1,862 2,166 2,226
Practice nurses per 1,000 of population 0.32 0.31 0.27 0.32 0.33
Qualified nursing staff5 — — — — 46,895
Qualified nursing per 1,000 of population — — — — 6.88
of which:
Cheshire and Merseyside SHA
Population 2,394,912 2,393,143 2,387,016 2,380,168 2,372,525
Practice nurses 805 713 576 713 726
Practice nurses per 1,000 of population 0.34 0.30 0.24 0.30 0.31
Qualified nursing staff5 — — — — 15,166
Qualified nursing per 1,000 of population — — — — 6.39
of which:
St. Helens's and Knowsley HA
Population 333,706 332,623 331,630 330,392 329,915
Practice nurses 100 95 97 104 106
Practice nurses per 1,000 of population 0.30 0.29 0.29 0.31 0.32
Qualified nursing staff5 1,594 1,578 1,530 1,561 1,642
Qualified nursing per 1,000 of population 4.78 4.72 4.61 4.72 4.98

The contracts do not cover the provision of new national networking services and broadband capacity for the NHS. This is the subject of a separate procurement exercise and is expected to be concluded in the first quarter of 2004. The delivery of new systems across the NHS will be dependent upon network provision.