To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by Lord Darzi of Denham on 26 January (WS 2–5), whether the revised “weighted capitation target per weighted head” was the result of an error or the completion of the review by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation whose figures for 2009–10 were published on 12 January. [HL1347]

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by Lord Darzi of Denham on 26 January (WS 2–5), why the revised “weighted capitation target per weighted head” reflects a change from a range of £1,402 to £1,896 per head to a range of £1,535 to £1,595; and why 64 out of 153 primary care trusts have a revised capitation target of £1,535. [HL1348]

The Written Statement on 26 January (WS 2-5) included revised weighted capitation target figures per weighted head for primary care trusts (PCTs). The revision was required because of an administrative error in the preparation of the Answer to a Parliamentary Question on 12 January (Official Report, col. 178W). It was not due to the completion of the review of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. PCT allocations for 2009 to 2010 and 2010 to 2011 based on the new weighted capitation formula recommended by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation were announced on 8 December (WS 34-44).

The weighted capitation formula determines PCTs' target allocations based on the weighted needs of each PCT's population. Weighted needs reflect the need for healthcare due to age and additional need over and above that due to age. The measure weighted capitation target per weighted head gives a very similar figure for each PCT to the average for England. This is because each PCT's weighted need is included in both their weighted target and weighted population. The alternative measure of weighted capitation target per unweighted head gives a wider range across PCTs, reflecting PCTs' populations' relative needs for healthcare services.