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NorwaySweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States of America.
I have been advised that the age conditions are the same for all countries.
Health Authority Returns
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce legislation to require private patients' services to be included in health authority returns ; and if she will make a statement.
European Year of the Elderly
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for her Department to celebrate the European Year of the Elderly in 1993 ; and if will make a statment.
Mr. Yeo : I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave him on 13 July at columns 430-31.
Ethnic Minorities
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue guidelines to ensure that national health service staff are aware of the specific problems of certain ethnic minorities in (a) religions, (b) languages and (c) food habits ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : The Department has funded the King's Fund centre to produce guidance on ethnic minority health which will include religions, languages and food habits. We hope to publicise this widely to national health service staff.
Ambulance Targets
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the target in the patients charter for ambulances to reach patients in an emergency ; what is the latest information she has on the percentage success in meeting this target for each district health authority and regional health authority ; and what action is being taken nationally to meet the target.
Mr. Sackville : The benchmark emergency performance targets in the patients charter are 19 minutes and 14 minutes for rural and urban areas respectively.
Revised recommendations on emergency response times were issued by the national health service management executive in November 1990 as part of a package of good practice guidance for the modern ambulance service. The new standards were formally promulgated in "Health Service Guidance" issued in December 1991.
The latest available figures are given in the tables. These refer to the former metropolitan and non-metropolitan services and to emergency response targets of 14 and 20 minutes.
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Table file CW920715.041 not available
Table file CW920715.041 not available
Hospitals
Sir Malcolm Thornton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the capital cost of the United Kingdom hospital building programme to meet the plans of regional health authorities over the next five years.
Mr. Sackville : From information held centrally, the total capital cost over the five years 1993-94 to 1997-98 of all schemes costing over £1 million in the current national health service building programme in England is estimated to be £2.8 billion. Around £1.5 billion capital will be invested in NHS buildings this year. Information relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friends, the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Overseas Doctors
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to oppose current European Community medical directives which restrict the free movement of overseas-qualified doctors within the Community.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take action to remove the EC medical directives which restrict the free movement of overseas-qualified doctors within the Community ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : The medical directives were introduced in 1975 to facilitate the free movement of EC doctors within the Community through the automatic recognition of the medical qualifications awarded by member states. The European Commission is looking at the possibility of amending the directives to incorporate overseas qualifications and discussions are presently taking place between health officials of member states.
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she last met representatives from the Overseas Doctors Association to discuss European Community directives on the free movement of doctors and their implications for overseas-qualified doctors.
Dr. Mawhinney : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not met representatives of the Overseas Doctors
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Association recently to discuss this issue but she wrote to their chairman on 25 June setting out the latest position on the European medical directives.Ministers and officials meet representatives of the association at regular intervals. On 18 February they met my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State. Their last meeting with officials was on 18 June. On both occasions this issue was discussed in detail.
My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary also spoke on this topic when he attended the association's annual dinner as guest speaker on 2 July.
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to put discussion on the implications of European Community medical directives affecting overseas-qualified doctors on the programme for the European Community Health Council during the United Kingdom's presidency.
Dr. Mawhinney : Proposals to amend the directives are the responsibility of the Commission which is currently consulting member states.
Dioxin
Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department intends to undertake surveys of the levels of dioxin in blood in the population around the Coalite plant in Derbyshire ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : Families on the three farms near the Coalite plant which produced milk with high dioxin levels have already been offered blood tests, and those who accepted have been advised of the results. As the only people in the area likely to have been exposed to higher than normal levels of dioxins are the families on these farms who drank their own farm milk, there is no need for widespread blood analysis or other health screening in the area.
Community Care (Rural Areas)
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations concerning the development of community care in rural areas ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : We have periodic meetings with the National Council of Voluntary Organisations at which we discuss a wide variety of matters to do with the development of community care.
Eye Tests
Mr. Hanson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many eye tests have been carried out in each year since 1979.
Dr. Mawhinney : The number of national health service sight tests, which are free to patients, paid for by family health services authorities and health boards in Great Britain in each financial year are shown in the table.
Number of NHS sight tests by financial year
Great Britain
|Millions
------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |9.55
1980-81 |9.53
1981-82 |9.70
1982-83 |9.94
1983-84 |10.63
1984-85 |11.34
1985-86 |11.76
1986-87 |12.21
1987-88 |13.49
1988-89 |14.39
1989-90<1> |6.04 <2>10.97
1990-91 |4.84 <2>12.43
1991-92 |5.79
<1> From 1 April 1989, NHS sight tests were
restricted to certain groups in the population.
The sight tests paid for in 1989-90 include
1.82 million conducted prior to 1 April 1989
when sight tests were universally available.
The remaining 4.22 million sight tests paid for
in 1989-90 do not represent a full year under
the new system, because of the delay in
payments.
<2> Total number of sight tests conducted.
These figures were estimated using data from a
survey carried out by the Federation of
Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians (FODO).
Table file CW920715.045 not available
Table file CW920715.046 not available
The Department collects no information on the overall volume of private sight tests. However, there is no reason to assume that total volume in 1991-92 will have declined from the volume of 12.43 million.
Pesticides
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what health risks are associated with the common weedkilling pesticides Mecocrop and Dicamba ; and if her Department will sponsor a study into their effects on adults, children and pets.
Mr. Sackville : The possibility that health risks might be associated with the use of these pesticides was considered before they were approved for use. No adverse health effects are likely when the products are used in accordance with the conditions of approval. All pesticides are reviewed periodically for safety and efficacy in use. Mecoprop is under review at present and Dicamba is in the future review programme. The matter of effects on pets is for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to consider. Adverse effects on pets would seem unlikely if the products are used in accordance with the conditions of approval.
Surgeons
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of surgeons currently working in United Kingdom hospitals ; and how many of these surgeons qualified outside the European Community.
Dr. Mawhinney : The total number of surgeons workings in hospitals in England and Wales at 30 September 1990 the latest date for which figures are available, was 11,141, of whom 2,994 qualified outside the European Community. The "whole time equivalent" figures are 9, 892.8 and 2,655.1 respectively.
Information relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
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Hospitals
Sir Malcolm Thornton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the construction and repair costs of bringing all hospitals in England and Wales up to her Department's target standards of safety.
Mr. Sackville : According to information held centrally, the cost at March 1991 of bringing the national health service estate up to national safety standards was £395 million. This estimate includes work on property due to be replaced within three years, property not used for patient care, property awaiting planned maintenance and property awaiting disposal which together represent about 30 per cent. of the NHS estate. Around £1.5 billion capital will be invested in NHS buildings this year.
Information relating to Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Disability (Consultation)
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many user consultative committees have been set up at disablement services centres with representation from artificial limb and wheelchair users' organisations ; and what steps are being taken to ensure that such committees will be organised at all centres.
Mr. Yeo : We do not routinely collect information on the number of formal user consultative committees set up at disablement services centres, but we understand that in 1991-92 there were 12 such committees, with more in the process of formation. We actively encourage consultation of user interests ; the method of consultation is best decided locally.
Radiotherapists
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the establishments in England which train radiotherapists, the number of training places in each, the number of students successfully completing their course in each of the past five years, and the percentage pass rate in each of the past five years, for each establishment.
Dr. Mawhinney : The 31 radiography training establishments in England are as follows :
Addenbrooke's Hospital School of Radiography, Cambridge Birmingham School of Radiography, Birmingham
Bradford and Airedale College of Health, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford
Bristol School of Radiography, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Charterhouse College of Radiography, London
Christchurch College, Canterbury
Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute, Manchester Cleveland School of Radiography, South Cleveland Hospital, Middlesbrough
Derbyshire College of Higher Education, Derby
East Anglian College of Radiography, Ipswich
Guy's Hospital Radiography Education Centre, London
Hatfield Polytechnic, Hertfordshire
Humberside College of Health, Hull
John Radcliffe Hospital School of Radiography, Oxford
King's College Hospital, Department of Radiography, London Leeds School of Radiography, Royal Infirmary, Leeds
Merseyside School of Radiography, Royal Liverpool Hospital College, Liverpool
Moor Hospital School of Radiography, Lancaster
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Newcastle Schools of Radiography, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-TyneNorthampton General Hospital School of Radiography, Northampton North Trent Radiography Training Unit, City Polytechnic, Sheffield Portsmouth School of Radiography, St. Mary's Hospital, Portsmouth Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital, School of Radiography, London Royal Marsden Hospital, School of Therapeutic Radiography, Sutton, Surrey
Salford College of Technology, Salford
Southampton General Hospital, School of Radiography, Southampton South East Thames Regional Radiotherapy Centre, St. Thomas' Hospital, London
South West College of Health, Plymouth
South West Thames Regional Radiography Centre, St. Luke's Hospital, Guildford
South West Thames School of Radiography, St. George's Hospital, London
Stoke-on-Trent School of Radiography, City General Hospital, Stoke-on- Trent.
The other information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Hospital Waiting Times
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will state for each health authority in England as at 1 April 1992 whether it has published a guaranteed maximum waiting time for patients seeking (a) hip replacements, (b) cataract removals and (c) hernia repairs ; and for those authorities that had done so what waiting times were guaranteed by each authority.
Mr. Sackville : From 1 April 1992, under the patients charter, all health authorities are required to guarantee admission for treatment within two years of a patient being placed on a waiting list. This will be improved to 18 months for hip and knee replacement and cataract operations from 31 March 1993. From 1 April 1992 health authorities should ensure that guaranteed maximum waiting times are publicised.
Senior Nurses
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) by each health authority district area how many senior nurse posts have been lost in each of the past five years according to (a) director of nursing services--DNS--level, (b) assistant DNS, (c) senior nursing support posts and (d) senior nursing officers ; and how many posts in each category have been lost through (i) redeployment and (ii) retirement ;
(2) how much money has been saved by each health authority through the elimination of senior nursing posts in each of the last five years ; and how the money has been reallocated in each instance.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not available centrally.
Medicines Commission
Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to receive the annual report of the Medicines Commission for 1991.
Dr. Mawhinney : We have received the report, and copies have today been laid before both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the requirements of section 5(2) of the Medicines Act 1968.
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Bound volumes have been placed in the Library containing the 1991 reports of the Medicines Commission, the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the Committee on Dental and Surgical Materials, the Committee on the Review of Medicines, the British Pharmacopoeia Commission and the Veterinary Products Committee.We are glad to pay tribute to the valuable work done by the distinguished members of the Medicines Act advisory bodies and thank them warmly for the time and effort which they contribute to the public interest in this most important field.
Medicines
Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations apply to the issuing of out-of-date medicines by pharmacists.
Dr. Mawhinney : Expiry dates, which indicate a shelf-life based on manufacturers' stability data, are required to be included on the manufacturers' label of a medicinal product by the Medicines (Labelling) Regulations 1976, as amended. Pharmacists do not dispense medicines past their expiry date other than in very exceptional circumstances, such as in an emergency.
While there are no specific regulations governing the supply by pharmacists of medicines past their expiry date, the dispensing of expired stock runs contrary to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's code of ethics, and disciplinary proceedings may be taken against pharmacists who are found to be in breach of the code.
The dispensing of substandard medicines is a breach of the pharmacist's terms of service under the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992.
Maternity Services
Mrs. Gillan : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the Government's response to the second report of the Select Committee on Health of Session 1991-92 on maternity services (House of Commons Paper No. 29).
Dr. Mawhinney : The Government have today published their response to the Health Committee's second report on the national health service maternity services.
Pregnancy, childbirth and the early months of life are no longer the hazardous experiences they were in times past. The record speaks for itself. The rate of perinatal and infant mortality is at the lowest level ever. Maternal deaths are now very rare indeed. More premature babies are saved than ever before. Doctors, midwives and nurses can justifiably be proud of the services they give. The Government have a responsibility for ensuring that women receive the best possible maternity care. We also believe that the service must be sensitive to the views of those who use it, that women are empowered to take decisions about their care. The Government will maintain the high level of service in the NHS and will make improvements where these are necessary. Central to these objectives are :
the patients charter which makes the needs and wishes of those who use the health service paramount ;
the improvements in care resulting from the confidential inquiries into maternal deaths and into stillbirths and deaths in infancy ; the target setting and performance monitoring carried out by the NHS management executive to maintain and raise standards of health care.
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In the response to the Health Committee, the Government have announced two new initiatives :the setting up of a maternity services task force to disseminate information widely in the NHS about good practice in the management of health care during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period ;
to appoint an expert committee to review policy on care during childbirth and to be chaired by a woman independent of professions involved.
Membership of the expert committee will include strong representation from women who use the service. The expert committee's job will be to make recommendations about arrangements for care, taking full account of the shift in the attitudes of many women in favour of a more homely and less technological setting for care while not compromising the safety of mothers and babies. The committee's considerations will include birth at home.
In all the activities associated with care during pregnancy and childbirth, the woman should be properly informed and able to participate fully in the decisions that are taken. This is common ground between the Government and the Health Committee. The NHS reforms and the patients charter are the means for achieving these ends.
Medicines Control Agency
Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the annual report and accounts of the Medicines Control Agency.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I have today placed in the Library copies of the agency's report and accounts for 1991-92.
Abortion
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methods her Department uses to confirm that the number of abortions reported to her Department by private abortion clinics is the actual number of abortions performed at that clinic.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 13 July 1992] : Section 1(3) of the Abortion Act 1967 requires the medical practitioner performing the termination, not the approved place, to notify the chief medical officer. Procedures for certification and notification of termination of pregnancy are checked by the Department's officers during the course of unannounced inspection visits. Any inconsistencies revealed are fully investigated.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will detail the procedures followed by her Department when abortion notification forms are received which do not state the medical condition of the mother.
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