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Health Authorities (Costs)

Volume 134: debated on Tuesday 24 May 1988

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To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report, for St. Helens and Knowsley, Southport and Formby, South Sefton, Wandsworth, Islington, Central Manchester and Liverpool health authorities (a) the percentage of Health Service costs devoted to the administration of the service, (b) child mortality rates at birth and within a month of birth, (c) the number of registered nurses in special care baby units per 100 low birthweight births, (d) the district nurse contact rate for the over 65s, (e) the number of community mental and physical handicap nurses employed per resident in each authority, (f) the day-patient attendance rate for the over 65s and (g) the extent of meals-on-wheels provision.

Such information as is available centrally is in the tables. The hon. Member may wish to contact the health authority chairmen concerned for the other details he requires.

(a) Expenditure on headquarters administration as a proportion of total revenue expenditure
Per cent.
St. Helens and Knowsley3·44
Southport and Formby4·68
South Sefton3·27
Wandsworth2·38
Islington3·17
Central Manchester2·67
Liverpool2·92

Notes:

1. Expenditure on headquarters administration includes all current expenditure on the pay and pay related costs of staff of all disciplines (including general managers) employed at headquarters levels and their office costs and overheads. It excludes the cost of clerical and secretarial support staff employed in departments at hospital and unit levels: such costs are regarded as operational.

2. Information derived from the 1986–87 annual accounts (the latest available) of the health authorities concerned.

(b) Child mortality rates

The mortality rates quoted have slightly different criteria. The still birth rate is shown per 1,000 live and still births, whereas the neonatal (deaths in the first 28 days of life) rate is deaths per 1,000 live births. These rates have been calculated from all births ie including low weight births. The latest available data are for 1986.

Rates per 1,000 births

Still births per 1,000 live and still births

All neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births

St. Helens and Knowsley5·34·5
Southport and Formby4·2

19·3

South Sefton4·94·9
Wandsworth4·44·1
Islington6·85·2
Central Manchester9·46·3
Liverpool6·15·0

Source: OPCS Monitor DH3 87/4

1 In Southport and Formby, where the birthrate is low, the comparatively high rate of neonatal deaths represents only 11 actual deaths in 1986.

(c) The number of registered nurses and midwives in special care baby units (at 30 September 1986)

Whole-time equivalent per 100 low birthweight births1

St. Helens and Knowsley2·2
Southport and Formby8·0
South Sefton3·2
Wandsworth7·5
Islington10·8
Central Manchester26·6
Liverpool3·9

1 Calculated on unrounded whole-time equivalent staff in post and number of births.

Sources: DHSS Annual Census of National Health Service Non-Medical Manpower. Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

(d) The district nurse contact rate for the over 65s (1986)

Persons 65 and over treated by district nurses

Percentage of population aged 65 and over treated by district nurses

St. Helens and Knowsley8,33618·8
Southport and Formby6,02626·5

Number of main meals provided for elderly and/or physically handicapped people during the year ended 31 March 1987

Health authority

Local authority

Meals at home Number

St. Helens and KnowsleySt. Helens144,249
Knowsley61,018
Southport and Formby; South SeftonSefton103,626
Wandsworth and part of Richmond, Twickenham and Roehampton (30 per cent, by population)Wandsworth382,065
IslingtonIslington268,467
Central Manchester, South Manchester, North ManchesterManchester735,936
LiverpoolLiverpool404,103