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Hospital Ward Survey
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to publish the survey undertaken by the NHS on hospital wards; which parties have been consulted as part of this survey; and if he will make a statement. [6580]
Mr. Horam: The results of the survey will be published when the final report is received. The survey was voluntary and was sent to all health authorities and trusts in two national health service regions, West Midlands region and North and West region.
Food Safety
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to initiate a review of appeals procedures contained in the Food Safety Act 1990 and the 1990 Food Hygiene (Amendment) Regulations, following the Lanark Blue Cheese case. [6590]
Mr. Horam: The Government will consider carefully the implications of this judgment for the procedures for handling such cases in the future and will be taking this into account in the review which has been initiated of the codes of practice, made under section 40 of the Food Safety Act 1990, for enforcement authorities early in 1996.
Spongiform Encephalopathies
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into (i) methods of
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treatment for spongiform encephalopathy, (ii) human incubation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, (iii) the public health risks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and (iv) the risk of transfer of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease arising from blood transfusion; [6951]
(2) what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the treatment of spongiform encephalopathy. [6958]
(3) if he will evaluate recent scientific research on BSE, copies of which have been sent to him. [6974]
(4) if he will list the scientific research evaluated by the Chief Medical Officer in respect of the safety of British beef. [6968]
(5) what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the infection of humans with asymptomatic bovine spongiform encephalopathy. [6962]
(6) what support his Department proposes to give to the spongiform encephalopathy research compaign to expand its work. [6945]
Mr. Horam: The Government receive independent expert advice on all matters relating to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, from the spongiform encephalopathy advisory committee, chaired by Professor John Pattison.
The committee has advised that there is currently no scientific evidence that BSE can be transmitted to humans or that eating beef causes CJD. Equally, the available evidence does not suggest that CJD can be transmitted via blood.
In February, as part of its continuing work to maintain an overview of research into TSEs, the committee produced a report, "A Summary of Present Knowledge and Research". Copies of the report are available in the Library.
SEAC, at its next meeting, will be considering the priorities for additional research into spongiform encephalopathies and the agents which cause them.
The Department has not received a formal approach from the spongiform encephalopathy research campaign, but will consider detailed proposals and any new evidence that are presented.
The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council. The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade.
In 1994-95 the MRC spent approximately £800,000 on research aimed at unravelling the nature of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. It is hoped that the research will not only increase understanding of some of the basic biological processes involved in dementing diseases in man, but will also provide pointers to preventative public health measures.
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A series of studies also funded by the Department have recently been completed at the Institute for Animal Health, Edinburgh into time-temperature combinations required to inactivate BSE and related agents.
The Department and the Scottish Office jointly fund the national CJD surveillance unit in Edinburgh. The unit monitors and investigates the epidemiology of the disease, paying particular attention to occupation and eating habits, so that any change in the pattern of CJD can be detected. The unit produces annual reports, copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department is conducting strain typing studies on all human cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. [7215]
Mr. Horam:
The Department is not currently conducting strain typing studies on all human cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the blood of patients inoculated with growth hormone is used in transfusions. [6793]
Mr. Horam:
No. Those who have received pituitary derived human growth hormone are excluded from giving blood.
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account was taken of the advisory committee on dangerous pathogens recommendations on the handling of the liver of cattle that may be infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the Chief Medical Officer's advice on eating bovine liver. [6956]
Mr. Horam:
The advisory committee on dangerous pathogens guidance relates to the handling of tissue which is known or suspected to be infected with any transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agent in specific experimental or laboratory situations. Any infectivity if present in these circumstances could pose a potential risk and the ACDP advice, based on studies with scrapie, is a sensible precautionary measure.
This is distinct from the issue of liver for human consumption because affected cattle do not enter the food chain. In addition, all evidence supports the view that liver does not transmit the infective agent.
Ms Lynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will outline the consultation process that has been carried out in the review of the access committee for England, listing details of organisations and Government Departments that have been or will be formally consulted; [3011]
(2) if he will make a statement about his Department's plans for the continued funding of the access committee for England. [2915]
Mr. Burt:
I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health.
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A working party comprising officials from the Department of Social Security, Department of Health and Department of the Environment is reviewing the committee's future. It is working closely with the committee itself and is also seeking the views of other Government Departments and interested organisations. The working party is expected to report shortly where upon Ministers will decide how to proceed.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 1995, Official Report, column 527, how many health authorities and trusts have adopted the care programme approach to date; and how many have not. [6916]
Mr. Bowis:
The care programme approach has been adopted in all districts.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of patient compliance on the cost-effectiveness of general practitioner prescribing. [6733]
Mr. Malone:
My Department has recently begun to commission studies on prescribing. One of the priority areas is patient adherence or compliance.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a full copy of the protocols on which the Prodigy prescribing trial is based, indicating the medicines listed by Prodigy. [6735]
Mr. Malone:
The guidelines used in the trials will be published with the first interim report which is due in mid-year 1996.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the results of the Prodigy evaluation, including changes in health care delivery and health outcomes before any decision is taken on whether to extend it; and if he will list those responsible for evaluating the project, indicating what expert advice will be taken. [6737]
Mr. Malone:
Prodigy is a research and development project, which is being independently evaluated by the Sowerby unit for primary care informatics at Newcastle university. Findings and expert references will be published along with the evaluation report. Future decisions on the project will be taken in the light of the research findings.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the GP practices in which the Prodigy prescribing system is being piloted. [6732]
Mr. Malone:
It is considered inappropriate, at this stage of the research project, to make public the names of the general practitioners who have volunteered to participate.
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Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the cost of the Prodigy pilot; and if he will estimate the cost of installing such a system for all GPs. [6736]
Mr. Malone:
The Department of Health is investing an estimated £1.5 million in the project. In addition, some development costs are being met by the participating information technology software companies. Future implementation costs will depend on the findings of the evaluation and subsequent decisions.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent health outcomes will form part of the evaluation of the Prodigy pilot prescribing system. [6734]
Mr. Malone:
The initial phase of Prodigy is designed to test the concept of computer-aided prescribing decision support, the acceptability of such systems to general practitioners, and the impact on their prescribing and patient consultations.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medicines (a) are listed in the British national formulary, (b) have product licences in the UK and (c) are listed in the choice options in the pilot prescribing system, Prodigy. [6738]
Mr. Malone:
Approximately 900 medical substances and 4,000 individual preparations are listed in the British national formulary. There are currently around 17,000 granted marketing authorisations or product licences in the United Kingdom. The Prodigy system currently provides around 600 drug choices, plus an option to access all drugs within GPs' existing computerised systems.
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