| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Unique Patient Numbers
Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of duplicate numbers which have been issued since the launch of the NHS unique patient number project; how many were issued in the last six months; what assessment he has made of the rate of issue of duplicate numbers; and if he will make a statement.[33986]
Mr. Horam: Non-unique numbers have been issued to some 7,500 newly registered babies in the six months since the launch of the new national health service number on 4 December 1995. This represents 1 to 2 per cent. of birth registrations.
The rate of issue of non-unique numbers peaked at 500 in one week, but has now reduced to around 50 per week.
Non-unique numbers are being identified by existing monitoring procedures, and all of the babies concerned have been given new NHS numbers to replace the non-unique numbers.
Mr. Gapes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of rectifying the deficiencies in the NHS unique patient number project which lead to the production of duplicate numbers.[33987]
Mr. Horam:
The costs to the national health service executive of correcting the processes which led to the issue of non-unique numbers to some new babies, and then amending their entry in NHS systems, are estimated to be £130,000.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the net ingredient cost for preparations used in the treatment of asthma, in total and per family health services authority, for each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement; [33983]
Mr. Malone:
Information on the number of prescriptions and net ingredient cost in England for preparations in British national formulary sections 3.1 (bronchodilators), 3.2 (corticosteroids) and 3.3 (cromoglycate and related therapy) for the years 1992 to 1995 is shown in the table. The corresponding information for individual family health services
25 Jun 1996 : Column: 85
authorities for the years 1994 and 1995 will be placed in the Library. Information for earlier years is not available centrally.
(2) what was the total number of prescriptions for the treatment of asthma, in total and per family health services authority, for the last four years. [33984]
| Prescription items | Net ingredient cost | |
|---|---|---|
| (thousands) | (£ million) | |
| 1992 | 29,264 | 303.3 |
| 1993 | 31,247 | 346.5 |
| 1994 | 32,667 | 378.9 |
| 1995 | 33,936 | 410.9 |
1. The data cover all national health service prescriptions dispensed in England by community pharmacists, appliance contractors and dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors in England for items personally administered, in the BNF sections 3.1 (bronchodilators), 3.2 (corticosteroids), and BNF 3.3 (cromoglycate and relate therapy). Some of the drugs can be used for other conditions.
2. Excludes peak flow meters.
3. The net ingredient cost refers to the cost of the drug before discounts and does not include any dispensing costs or fees.
NHS Dental Services
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many towns of 10,000 population and over do not have an NHS dental practice. [33991]
Mr. Malone: The information requested is not available centrally.
NHS Trusts (Wakefield)
Mr. Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the savings which each of the Wakefield district NHS trusts will need to realise in the current financial year, relative to the previous financial year, in order to deliver the same level of service. [33856]
Mr. Horam: National health service trusts in the Wakefield locality have prepared plans for 1996-97 which result from negotiations for contracts with their purchasers. These negotiations, including details of service provision, are a local matter.
Consultants
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on contracts with outside consultants in 1995-96. [33982]
Mr. Horam: The Department of Health spent £18,373,129 from running cost expenditure on external consultants in the financial year 1995-96.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the financial benefit achieved by the use of external consultants with which his Department has had contracts in the last three years. [34332]
Mr. Horam: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary gave to the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 28 November at column 613.
Frozen Embryos
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many frozen human embryos will be destroyed on 31 July. [33978]
25 Jun 1996 : Column: 86
Mr. Horam: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 requires that embryos created on or before 31 July 1991 should be allowed to perish unless, by virtue of regulations which came into force on 1 May 1996, consent has been given by the couple concerned to extend storage. Licensed clinics are taking active steps to contact couples. The number of embryos that will be allowed to perish is not known at present.
I am placing in the Library of the House a copy of a letter about these matters that I sent to my hon. Friend the Member for Congleton (Mrs. Winterton) on 14 May.
Consultant Anaesthetists
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of NHS trusts which are currently advertising or are planning to advertise outside the United Kingdom to recruit consultant anaesthetists. [34414]
Mr. Malone: No such assessment has been made.
Residential Care
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce measures to penalise those county authorities who do not achieve maximum value for money with regard to residential care for the elderly. [32989]
Mr. Bowis: Electors have the right to examine the accounts of local authorities, and district auditors have responsibilities to ensure that local authorities are achieving value for money.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the range of ages of the current 20 cases of the new strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease referred to by Dr. James Ironside of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease surveillance unit, Edinburgh, on 14 June. [33835]
Mr. Horam: Eleven cases of the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have been confirmed by the CJD surveillance unit. The ages at death--current age in the case of the patient who is still alive--of these patients ranged between 18 and 42 years.
Smoking
Sir Peter Emery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further action he will take to request the tobacco industry, in its voluntary code of practice, to discourage young people from taking up smoking. [34116]
Mr. Horam: The voluntary agreements on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship were comprehensively renegotiated at the end of 1994 and strengthened substantially in a number of areas, particularly in relation to the protection of vulnerable groups such as children. The voluntary agreements are due to be reviewed again in 1999.
Abortion
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the procedures involved in performing a partial birth abortion; [34255]
25 Jun 1996 : Column: 87
- (2) what information he has concerning the number of partial birth abortions performed in each region in the last year for which figures are available, the gestation of the pregnancy in each of those cases and the reason for the abortion. [34256]
Mr. Horam: We are not aware of this procedure being used in the United Kingdom. Methods of abortion are a matter of clinical judgment.
Mrs. Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to bring forward (a) legislation or (b) guidelines to prohibit the use of the technique of partial birth abortion. [34257]
Mrs. Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has recently made and what guidance he has recently given of the steps which should be taken by medical practitioners to reduce the likelihood of a foetus feeling pain during the course of an abortion performed (a) as a partial birth abortion and (b) by other techniques. [34258]
Mr. Horam: These are matters for the medical profession. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued recent guidance which addresses the issue, "Termination of pregnancy for fetal abnormality in England, Wales and Scotland", copies of which will be placed in the Library shortly.
Mrs. Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the statistically most likely candidate for an abortion in the latest year for which figures are available in terms of (a) the marital status of the woman, (b) the age of the woman, (c) the gestation of the pregnancy, (d) the number of previous abortions undergone by the woman and (f) the legal grounds under which the abortion was performed. [34260]
Mr. Horam: The statistically most likely candidate for an abortion for each of the variables listed is defined as the category with the highest recorded frequency of legal terminations. The percentages are based on all legal terminations performed in 1993, in England and Wales, on residents and non-residents.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |