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Clinical Services
22. Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met the chairmen of regional health authorities to discuss the private management of clinical services. [18406]
Mr. Malone: We regularly meet the chairmen of the regional health authorities who are members of the national health service policy board to discuss a wide range of issues.
Community Care
23. Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he takes to review the operation of the NHS and Community Care Act 1990. [18407]
Mr. Malone: I am satisfied that the reforms introduced by the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 are operating effectively. NHS performance continues to improve. Since 1990, the average waiting time has been halved from eight months to just under four months. Patient activity has grown by around 5 per cent. each year since the reforms, significantly greater than before.
NHS Funding (Nottingham)
24. Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the amount by which current funding of the NHS in Nottingham is under target; and what action he plans to meet the target. [18408]
12 Mar 1996 : Column: 581
Mr. Horam: Nottingham health authority will be £7.4 million or 2.74 per cent. under target in 1996-97.
We plan to move all health authorities to their weighted capitation target as soon as it is practicable.
Royal Sussex County Hospital
25. Sir Andrew Bowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects phase I of the building programme for the Royal Sussex county hospital in Brighton to be completed; and what is the estimated cost of the work in current prices. [18409]
Mr. Horam: The building is expected to be completed in the late summer of 1998, and to cost £61 million at current prices.
Dermatology
27. Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is proposing to advance the expenditure on dermatology and skin-related diseases in the health service. [18411]
Mr. Horam: Health authorities in England are given general allocations for hospital and community health services to purchase health care services for their resident population. It is for individual health authorities to decide the level and type of services purchased, taking account of local circumstances, and within the framework of national policies and priorities.
Ecstasy-related Deaths
28. Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of deaths in the past five years in which Ecstasy was (a) mentioned as a contributory cause and (b) identified as the principal cause. [18412]
Mr. Bowis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State gave him on 19 February, column 34 and the reply that I gave him on 1 March, column 764.
Injured Suspects
29. Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he issues to hospitals about giving the police the names and addresses of injured suspects. [18413]
Mr. Horam: All national health service bodies and staff have a legal duty to protect patient confidentiality and health information given or obtained for one purpose should not usually be used for a different purpose without the express consent or implied authorisation of the provider of the information. This duty of confidence can be overridden, most commonly when considered necessary in the public interest and this may include circumstances where the disclosure is relevant to the prevention or detection of serious crime. Any decision to do so would need to be taken locally after full consideration of the individual details of the case.
12 Mar 1996 : Column: 582
This reinforced in guidance issued to the NHS on 7 March, "Protection and Use of Patient Information", copies of which are available in the Library.
Casualty Departments
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding the temporary closure of casualty departments. [18404]
Mr. Horam: The organisation of hospitals locally is a matter for health authorities and national health service trusts. Temporary closures of accident and emergency departments will occasionally be necessary but should be kept to a minimum, with alternative arrangements being made with neighbouring hospitals and the ambulance service.
Transplant Surgery
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the number of people awaiting suitable donations prior to transplant surgery for each organ required; what is the average length of time waited; how many and what percentage of people die while waiting; and if he will provide figures by (a) region, (b) age and (c) sex; [18801]
- (2) how many organs offered for donation were used; what percentage this was of the total offered; and what is his estimate of the potential number of organ donors in each of the last three full years for which figures are available. [18800]
Mr. Horam: The tables show the information requested.
| Region | Kidney | Heart | Lung | Heart/lung | Liver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern and Yorkshire | 497 | 26 | 62 | 11 | 20 |
| Trent | 445 | 40 | 14 | 2 | -- |
| Anglia and Oxford | 375 | 9 | 21 | 25 | 25 |
| North Thames | 883 | 112 | 78 | 119 | 21 |
| South Thames | 568 | 27 | 8 | 1 | 33 |
| South West | 452 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| West Midlands | 556 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 40 |
| North West | 624 | 40 | 20 | 3 | -- |
| Wales | 132 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Ireland | 97 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Scotland | 559 | 20 | -- | -- | 6 |
| Republic of Ireland | 92 | 23 | -- | 1 | 12 |
| Total | 5,280 | 309 | 209 | 167 | 157 |
| Sex | Kidney | Heart | Lung | Heart/Lung | Liver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 2,172 | 40 | 117 | 92 | 67 |
| Male | 3,105 | 268 | 92 | 75 | 90 |
| Unknown | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Total | 5,280 | 309 | 209 | 167 | 157 |
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| Age (years) | Kidney | Heart | Lung | Heart/Lung | Liver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 53 | 14 | -- | 12 | 18 |
| 10-19 | 144 | 8 | 7 | 46 | 12 |
| 20-29 | 626 | 11 | 22 | 50 | 13 |
| 30-39 | 1,059 | 16 | 21 | 30 | 18 |
| 40-49 | 1,174 | 67 | 66 | 20 | 32 |
| 50-59 | 1,236 | 151 | 72 | 9 | 46 |
| 60-69 | 822 | 42 | 21 | -- | 18 |
| 70-79 | 162 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 80-89 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Total | 5,280 | 309 | 209 | 167 | 157 |
| Kidney | Heart | Lung | Heart/Lung | Liver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median | 387 | 177 | 351 | 560 | 26 |
| (95 per cent. | 373-404 | 157-203 | 288-401 | 452-686 | 23-29) |
| Confidence Interval | |||||
Based on figures for 1989-92.
| Kidney | Heart | Lung | Heart/Lung | Liver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | (23)197 | 57 | 19 | 23 | 46 |
(23) This is the figure for 1993. The figure for number of patients dying whilst on the waiting list for a kidney can be misleading as a proportion will die as a result of causes unrelated to their renal condition.
| Organ | Number offered | Number transplanted | Percentage transplanted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kidney | 1,987 | 1,799 | 90.5 per cent. |
| Heart | 885 | 397 | 44.9 per cent. |
| Lung | 1,250 | 274 | 21.9 per cent. |
| Livers | 927 | 701 | 75.6 per cent. |
Hearts and lungs have been simplified to individual organs. In practice, they are often offered in combination and sometimes transplanted in combination--that is, the heart and lungs from a donor can be offered as a "block" and the heart transplanted and the lungs not, and so on. Also, on a few occasions, a liver was transplanted (as lobes) into two separate patients. The reason for the non-use of donated organs, in the vast majority of cases is clinical unsuitability.
It is not known what the potential number of organ donors was for the last three years.
Mr. Ian McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that (a) have been stolen and (b) are otherwise unaccounted for from his Department and its agencies in each of the past five years, listing by name any such items valued at £5,000 or more, and showing information technology material separately. [19033]
12 Mar 1996 : Column: 584
Mr. Horam:
For the purpose of the table, items stolen and otherwise unaccounted for are combined because it is not possible in all cases to distinguish one from the other. The losses of information technology equipment have occurred against the background of a substantial increase in the Department's provision of such equipment, and an increasing frequency of break-ins by professional criminals in search of computers and their components. The Department constantly reviews its security measures in the light of these losses.
Source:
UK Transport Support Service Authority.
| Calender year | IT items (number) | IT items (estimated cost) £ | Other items (number) | Other items (estimated cost) £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6 | 7,460 | 14 | 3,340 |
| 1992 | 11 | 25,710 | -- | -- |
| 1993 | 55 | 93,080 | 27 | 3,880 |
| 1994 | 136 | 147,358 | 20 | 1,852 |
| 1995 | 350 | 231,249 | 31 | 771 |
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