§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the(a) average cost of each patient consultation to a general practitioner and (b) average (i) hourly and (ii) daily cost to the NHS of a general practitioner's time was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [168716]
§ Mr. HuttonData on general and personal medical services expenditure and activity are included in the Department's annual reports.
The report for 2004—Cm 6204—was published on 29 April 2004, and figure 7.5 of the report shows that expenditure per consultation was £17.42 in 2002–03.
454WThe Report is available in the Library and on the Department's website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/AnnualReports/DHAnnualReportsArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4080936&chk=OsqvVR
General practitioners are self-employed contractors to the national health service and so determine their own hours of work and the hours of work of the staff that they employ to assist them. It is not possible, therefore, to estimate hourly or daily rates for a GP's time.
§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) under what circumstances a general practitioner may make a charge to patients for signing official documents; and if he will make a statement; [169746]
(2) if he will issue guidance to primary care trusts on suitable levels for charges by general practitioners for signing documents; [169756]
(3) if he will list the official documents and certificates which require a general practitioner's signature; and what action he is taking to satisfy himself that the level of charges by general practitioners for such signatures are reasonable. [169757]
§ Mr. HuttonGeneral practitioners are required to sign the following prescribed list of medical certificates
To support a claim or to obtain payment either personally or by proxy; to prove incapacity to work or for self-support for the purposes of an award by the Secretary of State; or to enable proxy to draw pensions etc.To establish pregnancy for the purpose of obtaining welfare foods.To secure registration of stillbirth.To enable payment to be made to an institution or other person in case of mental disorder of persons entitled to payment from public funds.To establish unfitness for jury service.To support late application for reinstatement in civil employment or notification of non-availability to take up employment owing to sickness.To enable a person to be registered as an absent voter on grounds of physical incapacity.To support applications for certificates conferring exemption from charges in respect of drugs, medicines and appliances.To support a claim by or on behalf of a severely mentally impaired person for exemption from liability to pay the Council Tax or eligibility for a discount in the amount payable.They must also sign prescription forms. If the doctor is asked to sign another document, such as a passport application form, he or she is not obliged to do so. However, if the GP does do this work, he or she is entitled to charge a fee. There are no plans to issue guidance on the level of this fee since successive Governments have regarded it as a private matter to be agreed upon between doctor and patient.
455W
§ Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much income general practitioners lost in 2003–04 owing to not meeting specific targets imposed on them by his Department in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement [170206]
§ Mr. HuttonNo targets have been imposed on general practitioners in any of the last three years.