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Hospital-at-home Schemes
Sir Timothy Sainsbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the number of patients now being treated under hospital-at-home schemes annually. [12697]
Mr. Bowis:
Information concerning hospital-at-home schemes is not collected centrally, however health authorities and national health service trusts are continuing to show interest in such developments. Recent initiatives include the expansion of the Peterborough hospital-at-home scheme to include paediatric services and the introduction of a new hospital-at-home scheme funded by East Sussex district health authority and established by collaboration between the South Downs Health and Brighton Healthcare NHS trusts. Further
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information is available from the chairman of the North West Anglia Health Commission and the chairman of the South Downs Health NHS Trust respectively.
Mrs. Wise:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Public Health Laboratory Service abandoned work on hospital disinfectants; and if he was consulted on that decision. [13132]
Mr. Horam:
The Public Health Laboratory Service has not abandoned work on hospital disinfectants. Its central public health laboratory maintains a continuing expertise in this field. CPHL gives expert advice in response to numerous enquiries, and has in hand a number of specific projects such as testing disinfectants which are suspected of contamination and, for the World Health Organisation, tests of systems currently used for the asepsis and safety of vaccines.
Mrs. Wise:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many scientists are employed in the Public Health Laboratory Service; and what number it is planned will be made redundant. [13130]
Mr. Horam:
The Public Health Laboratory Service employs 224 scientists. Consultations on four redundant posts have recently been completed and are still proceeding on a further two scientists' posts.
Mrs. Wise:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors underlay the decision that the Public Health Laboratory Service would no longer be represented on EC committees engaged in writing procedures for testing disinfectants. [13131]
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Mr. Horam:
The Public Health Laboratory Service continues to have an input to European consideration of matters relating to the testing of disinfectants. A PHLS representative sits on the British Standards Institute technical committee IH/57 "Chemical Disinfectants and Antiseptics", which links directly with its European counterpart.
Mr. Alton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the medical centres (a) dealing with abortion, (b) providing contraceptive advice and (c) with in vitro fertilisation facilities. [12983]
Mr. Horam:
Information on medical centres dealing with abortion or providing contraceptive advice is not available centrally.
On 11 October 1995 the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority published "The Patients' Guide to Donor Insemination and IVF Clinics". The publication contains information on treatments offered by licensed centres. Copies are available in the Library.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make funds available for the reprinting of alcohol information leaflets; and if he will make a statement. [12996]
Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make money available to assist local alcohol advisory services to rewrite and reprint information leaflets, to reflect the recent changes in the Government statement on weekly guidelines for alcohol consumption. [13560]
Mr. Bowis:
We recognise that the recommendations in the report of the interdepartmental group on sensible drinking need to be communicated effectively to the public. We are funding the Health Education Authority to do this.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for strategic planning of London's cardiac services; and what is his current plan. [13260]
Mr. Malone:
The strategic planning of cardiac services in London--as elsewhere--is a matter for purchasing authorities and national health service trusts working together to ensure that comprehensive services are provided to meet patients' needs both now and in the future, taking into account national planning and priorities guidelines.
Plans for developing specialist services in London are set out in "Making London Better" including an independent review of cardiac services, which was published in July 1993. Its recommendations have contributed to planning the future configuration of these services in the capital. Copies of the documents are available in the Library.
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Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of the hospitals listed as providing specialist treatment for cardiac patients in the 1993 London implementation group report of the cardiac speciality review (a) have since closed and (b) are in the process of closure. [13245]
Mr. Malone:
The independent review of the 14 tertiary cardiac centres in London, published in July 1993, is only part of a range of available advice taken into account in considering the future configuration of these services in the capital. In April 1995, decisions were announced on the concentration of cardiac services in south east London at St. Thomas's hospital and in east London at the Royal London hospital site at Whitechapel. Since then, cardiac services provided in outdated accommodation at the Brook hospital have transferred to Guy's hospital and St. Thomas's hospital. The Brook hospital closed in November 1995. There are no immediate plans for the closure of other hospitals named in the report.
Mr. Steinberg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many newly qualified doctors have joined the NHS in each year since 1979; and how many hours newly qualified doctors work each week on average. [13267]
Mr. Malone:
Information on the numbers of newly qualified doctors joining the NHS is not held centrally. However, the normal route is for them to become pre-registration house officers. Figures for these are shown in the table.
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 2,610 |
| 1980 | 2,650 |
| 1981 | 2,720 |
| 1982 | 2,710 |
| 1983 | 2,830 |
| 1984 | 2,770 |
| 1985 | 2,840 |
| 1986 | 2,810 |
| 1987 | 2,790 |
| 1988 | 2,860 |
| 1989 | 2,940 |
| 1990 | 3,020 |
| 1991 | 3,060 |
| 1992 | 3,040 |
| 1993 | 3,090 |
| 1994 | 3,020 |
Normally, the duration of the PRHO training period is one year.
Figures are rounded to the nearest '10'.
Again, figures for the average number of hours worked each week by junior doctors, whether or not newly qualified, are not held centrally. However, returns from regional task forces on junior doctors' hours indicate that under 1 per cent. of PRHOs were contracted for hours above the December 1994 limits and under 2 per cent. in total remain above the target to be reached by December 1996. These limits are set out in the "New Deal on Junior Doctors' Hours," a copy of which is placed in the Library.
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Mr. David Nicholson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by local authorities involved in providing the 170 additional secure places required for criminal justice purposes; and when he expects all the additional places to be available. [13818]
Mr. Bowis:
The first additional places became available in December of last year. Further new places will come on stream throughout 1996 leading to around 100 additional places being completed by the end of this year and the balance by mid-1997.
| Local authority | Number of new places from within the 170 supply plan |
|---|---|
| Northumberland county council | 7 |
| Lancashire county council | 8 |
| Salford city council | 12 |
| Leeds city council | 9 |
| Sheffield city council | 8 |
| Coventry city council | 8 |
| Staffordshire county council | 12 |
| Derbyshire county council | 3 |
| Lincolnshire county council | 4 |
| Nottinghamshire county council | 10 |
| Cambridgeshire county council | 10 |
| Essex county council | 16 |
| Northamptonshire county council | 16 |
| Southwark London borough | 16 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham London borough | 10 |
| Hampshire county council | 5 |
| Avon county council | 6 |
| Devon county council | 4 |
| Wales--West Glamorgan | 6 |
| Total | 170 |
Methylphenidate
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions his Department has had with the drug company Ciba regarding (a) the production and (b) distribution of the drug methylphenidate; and if he will make a statement; [13700]
- (2) how much methylphenidate is produced annually; and if he will make a statement; [13698]
(3) what further steps he is taking to control the (a) production and (b) distribution of the drug methylphenidate; and if he will make a statement; [13693]
(4) what guidance he has issued to general practitioner fundholding practices regarding the drug methylphenidate; and if he will make a statement; [13699]
(5) what assessment he has made of the effects of the drug methylphenidate; and if he will make a statement; [13692]
(6) what representations he has received on the drug methylphenidate; and if he will make a statement. [13694]
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Mr. Malone: Methylphenidate--Ritalin--has been assessed by the normal procedures for licensing of medicinal products in the United Kingdom to ensure its efficacy, safety and quality. As for all medicines, there is continuous monitoring of safety after marketing by the Medicines Control Agency. Methylphenidate is not manufactured in this country. It is available as a prescription-only medicine under the controls of schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Any discussions between the licensing authority and the marketing authorisation holders are treated in confidence. There are no plans for further controls on the availability of methylphenidate.
Methylphenidate--Ritalin--is licensed for use under the supervision of a specialist in childhood behaviour disorders. No guidance has been issued regarding prescribing by a general practitioner in a fundholding practice, but this may be done by mutual agreement as part of a joint protocol of care with such a specialist. The Department of Health has received representations in the form of four parliamentary questions and a small amount of correspondence.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what basis the decision was taken to make the drug methylphenidate available as a controlled drug through general practitioners; [13697]
Mr. Malone:
I understand from the Home Department that methylphenidate, in conformity with the United Nations convention on psychotropic substances 1971, has been a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 since it came into force. It can therefore be prescribed by general practitioners.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the number of prescriptions dispensed for the drug methylphenidate since it became available; and if he will provide a breakdown by (a) general practitioner fundholding practice and (b) health authority for (i) the nations and (ii) regions of the United Kingdom. [13695]
Mr. Malone:
The Department has a duty of confidence relating to the use of information derived from patient records and, following our usual practice, the information requested cannot be supplied at this level of detail because it is confidential.
(2) what consultations took place prior to the decision to make the drug methylphenidate available as a controlled drug through general practitioners; on what basis it was previously available; and if he will make a statement. [13696]
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