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Melatonin
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to stop the sale of naturally occurring melatonin in health food shops; what representations he has received calling for chemical equivalents to be available on prescription; and what assessment he has made of the differences between the two products; [11629]
- (2) what proposals he has for making melatonin available as a dietary supplement without prescription.[11582]
Mr. Milburn:
Melatonin, whatever its source, is an unlicensed medicinal product and available in the United Kingdom only on prescription. It is not a dietary supplement and the Medicines Control Agency has taken action to prevent its unlawful sale or supply in health food shops. If an application for a marketing authorisation for melatonin as a medicinal product is received, the MCA will assess the product in accordance with the law.
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 388
Ann Keen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1997. [11826]
Mr. Milburn:
The Government have commissioned an independent and fundamental review of the current operations of the five statutory bodies created by the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1997--the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting and the National Boards for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting in the four countries of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the independent advisory panel has determined the methods it will use to assess services within its terms of reference; and if he will make a statement. [11046]
Mr. Milburn:
The independent advisory panel has been asked to report by the end of October. We expect it to inform us at that stage of the methods that it has used to assess services. The panel is independent. We do not expect to make any statement on its work until we have had an opportunity to consider its findings.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the NHS efficiency task force will report; and if he will make a statement; [11059]
(3) how many times the national health service efficiency task force has met; [11030]
(4) if he will make a statement on the measures of efficiency which the NHS efficiency task force will use to determine whether its recommendations lead to improve patient care. [11029]
Mr. Milburn:
The task force will not produce a formal report, but its initial findings are expected to be available in the autumn. The task force met on 12 June. Individual task force members will work with Ministers and officials to take forward specific areas of work. The effectiveness of the task force will be measured by the short-term savings it is able to make in the national health service without detriment to patient care.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for himself and each of his Ministers the dates when they plan to be absent from his Department's London office during the months of August and September. [11032]
Ms Jowell:
Ministers are required to be available for Government business at all times. Subject to this overall requirement, they may take leave as and when Government business permits, and during this time a duty Minister is always available.
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 389
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of the targets and standards listed on pages 17 to 21 of "Priorities and Planning Guidance for the NHS 1997-98" he plans to amend. [11024]
Mr. Milburn:
A new priorities and planning guidance for the NHS will be published in due course. The Government will be publishing a Green Paper in the autumn outlining proposals for the new public health strategy.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give a breakdown of the land and buildings currently owned by the NHS. [11027]
Mr. Milburn:
The buildings owned by the national health service occupy around 315,750,000 sq m on around 16,500 hectares of land owned by the NHS.
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 390
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the timetable of project targets for each of the major hospital PFI schemes selected to continue towards financial close under the first prioritisation exercise announced on 3 July. [11039]
Mr. Milburn:
The selected private finance initiative schemes will have the objective of reaching an early and acceptable financial close over the next 18 months. Officials are now preparing programmes and milestones for these schemes.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health which companies or consortiums are involved in each of the major hospital PFI schemes selected under his Department's first prioritisation exercise announced on 3 July. [11038]
Mr. Milburn:
The consortiums and the constituent companies for the 14 major acute sector hospital PFI schemes selected to continue towards financial close under the first prioritisation exercise are as follows:
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 389
(2) how many meetings the NHS efficiency task force will be holding in 1997-98; [11026]
| Trust | Consortia | Constituent companies |
|---|---|---|
| Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust | Pentland | Tarmac PFU Ltd. United Medical Enterprise Ltd. Tarmac Service Master Tarmac Construction Ltd. |
| Norfolk and Norwich Healthcare NHS Trust | Octagon Healthcare Ltd. | John Laing Group Plc Serco |
| North Durham Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | Consort Healthcare | Balfour Beatty Initial Healthcare Royal Bank of Scotland |
| South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust | United Healthcare | Taylor Woodrow Healthcare Group Total Facilities Management |
| Calderdale Healthcare NHS Trust | Catalyst Healthcare | Bovis British Linen Bank RCO/Bovis Building Management |
| Carlisle Hospitals NHS Trust | Health Management Group | AMEC Building and Property Facilities Management Ltd. |
| Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust | Mercia Healthcare Ltd. | Alfred McAlpine W. S. Atkins Gardner Merchant Norweb |
| Wellhouse NHS Trust | No Consortium Name | Siemens Bouygues Construction UK Bateman Healthcare Services Healthgate Ltd. |
| Worcester Royal Infirmary NHS Trust | Catalyst Healthcare | Bovis British Linen Bank RCO/Bovis Building Management |
| Bishop Auckland Hospitals NHS Trust | No Consortium Name | HCDA Shepherd Construction Ltd. Compass Bateman Siemens |
| South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust | Atcare | Alfred McAlpine W. S. Atkins United Utilities Sutcliffe Granada |
| South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | Aqumen | Shepherd Construction Ltd. Mowlem Facilities Management Ltd. |
| Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust | The Hospital Company | Tarmac Construction Ltd. Tarmac Servicemaster United Medical Enterprises Ltd. |
| Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust | United Healthcare | Healthcare Group Taylor Woodrow Total Facilities Management Initial Healthcare Services |
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 391
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the time table for construction for the Dartford and Gravesham and the Norfolk and Norwich PFI hospital projects. [11040]
Mr. Milburn: The Norfolk and Norwich Healthcare national health service trust and Dartford and Gravesham NHS trust are working with their private sector partners to the following timetables for the construction of new hospitals under the private finance initiative:
| Start on site | Completion | |
|---|---|---|
| Norfolk and Norwich Healthcare NHS Trust | Spring 1998 | Spring 2001 |
| Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust | August 1997 | Autumn 2000 |
Clinical Services
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which clinical procedures currently do not meet his Department's clinical effectiveness criteria published in 1996. [11025]
Ms Jowell: The Department of Health does not maintain lists of clinical procedure which have been judged to be "effective" or "ineffective".
Health professionals must use research knowledge about potential effectiveness, their knowledge of the patient, and own professional judgment in order to decide what treatment to provide for any particular patient within their own particular circumstances. Some interventions will be appropriate for certain conditions, but inappropriate for others. The Department, in partnership with the health professions, sponsors a wide range of programmes which aim to bring forward the best possible research-based professional advice and make it available to the NHS.
The Government intend that the NHS should concentrate on the quality and success of treatment, so that effectiveness of services, and outcomes for patients, will become the standards by which we measure the performance of health services.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement listing for each health authority (a) the clinical services which they purchase, (b) the amount spent on each service and (c) the amount spent per patient for each clinical service purchased in the last year for which figures are available. [11031]
Mr. Milburn:
Information on the national health services purchased under these headings is not held centrally.
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