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Missed Appointments
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what cost is incurred by the NHS through the failure of patients to turn up for scheduled operations; how this figure is calculated; and if he will make a statement. [8740]
Mr. Milburn: Information is not available on the costs incurred by the national health service for patients who miss their operations. Hospitals may be able to redirect resources, for example for the treatment of emergency cases that need to be fitted in during the day. In 1996-97 223,000 patients failed to turn-up for in-patient treatment. The average cost for a finished consultant episode in 1995-96--the latest figure available--was £1,103.
Aricept
Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance his Department has issued regarding protocols for the use of the drug Aricept; [8782]
- (2) if he will list the health authorities in England and Wales which have agreed to fund the use of Aricept by (a) general practitioners and (b) hospital consultants; [8783]
(3) if he will list the hospitals in England and Wales whose hospital formulary includes Aricept. [8781]
Mr. Milburn: Guidance has been prepared by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and endorsed by the standing medical advisory committee. We are currently considering whether to issue management guidance to the NHS, together with the clinical guidance on the prescribing of Aricept. Many health authorities and hospitals are still in the process of determining their local policy on the use of this drug.
Asthma
Sir Peter Emery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the NHS expenditure on the treatment of asthma in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of the total NHS budget this represents; [8863]
- (2) what was the cost to the NHS of providing acute care to adults suffering from occupational asthma attacks in the last five financial years; [8859]
(3) what was the cost to the NHS of treating adult occupational asthma sufferers, in each year since 1989-90; [8864]
(4) if he will list NHS expenditure on treatment for asthma broken down by sub-head in the latest year for which information is available; and what proportion of this expenditure was spent on prescriptions. [8862]
Mr. Boateng:
The bulk of the costs of asthma to the national health service is attributable to prescriptions. Information on the cost of other NHS services is for individual conditions and is only available locally. However, the Department of Health's "Burdens of Disease" analysis estimated that the cost of services for asthma was £150 million in 1993. On this basis, asthma
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accounted for under 2 per cent. of NHS net expenditure--including drugs--in 1992-93. The net ingredient cost of national health service prescriptions for asthma medication in 1996 was £438 million, which is 11 per cent. of the total net ingredient cost of prescriptions in that year. It is not possible to separate out the costs to the NHS of occupational asthma.
Sir Peter Emery:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the net ingredient cost for preparations used in treatment of asthma (a) in total and (b) per health authority, in each of the last four years; [8861]
(3) what was the expenditure on general practitioner-prescribed anti-asthma medication and preparations in each health authority broken down by (a) net ingredient costs and (b) net ingredient costs per capita in England. [8856]
Mr. Milburn:
The available information has been placed in the Library. Information on the use of specific drugs in hospitals is not available.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to encourage hospitals to adopt sustainable waste policies; and if he will make a statement. [8737]
Mr. Milburn:
Waste strategy in hospitals should reflect the policies of "Making Waste Work--a strategy for sustainable waste management in England and Wales" published by the Department of the Environment in December 1995. However, in view of the inherent nature of health care provision, the reuse and recycling elements of the waste hierarchy have to be considered particularly carefully to avoid any risk of cross-infection. National Health Service Estates, an executive agency of the Department of Health, is preparing health technical memorandum 2065 "Waste Guidance", due for publication in September, dealing with the minimisation and segregation of clinical waste.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many civil servants there are on each pay band in his Department. [8954]
(2) how many prescriptions for the treatment of asthma (a) in total and (b) per health authority were issued in each of the last four years; [8860]
1. There are also some 150 staff who have not yet been assimilated into the new pay band structure.
2. These above figures are a head count and exclude casual staff, and staff out on loan, secondment, or special leave without pay.
July 1997.
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Ethnic Minorities
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of employees in his private office are (a) of Asian origin and (b) of Afro-Caribbean origin. [8952]
Ms Jowell: Of 47 staff working in the private office, five or 11 per cent. are of ethnic minority origin and there are three or 6 per cent. whose ethnic origin is not known. To protect the confidentiality of staff, we cannot provide a further breakdown.
Accident and Emergency Departments (North Thames Region)
Mr. McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the average waiting times at accident and emergency departments for patient requiring admission at (a) Hillingdon, (b) Ealing, (c) Northwich Park and (d) West Middlesex hospitals. [9174]
Mr. Milburn: The Department collects information by health authority which shows the percentage of patients requiring hospital admission through accident and emergency who were admitted within two hours. This information for the quarter ending 31 March 1997 for health authorities in north-west London is set out in the following table:
| Health authority | Patients admitted within 2 hours Percentage |
|---|---|
| Brent and Harrow HA(13) | 84 |
| Ealing, Hammersmith and Houslow HA(14) | 50 |
| Hillingdon HA(15) | 84 |
(13) Covers Northwick Park and St. Mark's NHS trust.
(14) Covers Ealing Hospital NHS trust and West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust.
(15) Covers Hillingdon Hospital NHS trust.
Action is being taken within the NHS to ensure that the needs of the emergency patient are met as effectively as possible.
Hospital Admissions (North Thames Region)
Mr. McDonnell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged over 60 years have been admitted to hospital for one or more nights in each of the last three years at (a) Hillingdon, (b) Mount Vernon, (c) West Middlesex, (d) Ealing and (e) Northwick Park hospitals. [9183]
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Mr. Boateng:
Because of the changes and amalgamations that have taken place in the trust during the period concerned, the information given is the best estimate the national health service executive has available. The most recent information held is as follows:
| 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillingdon Hospital NHS trust | 6,073 | 6,496 | 5,906 |
| Mount Vernon and Watford Hospital NHS trust | 6,352 | 5,963 | 12,632 |
| West Middlesex University Hospital NHS trust | 6,420 | 5,897 | 6,087 |
| Ealing Hospital NHS trust | 5,224 | 5,318 | 5,648 |
| Northwick Park and St. Mark's NHS trust | 6,370 | 5,875 | 6,368 |
The incorporation of Watford Trust into the Mount Vernon NHS Trust from 1994-95 explains the marked increase in cases recorded for the 1994-95 year.
School Nurses (North Thames Region)
Mr. McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of school nurses employed by each community health trust within .the (a) Hillingdon, (b) Brent and Harrow, (c) Ealing, (d) Hammersmith and (e) Hounslow health authorities. [9175]
Mr. Milburn: Up to date information is not available centrally because from 1994 the Department of Health's non-medical work force census ceased to distinguish school nurses from other qualified nurses working in community services, excluding health visitors and district nurses. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the chairman of the individual health authorities for the information.
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