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Counselling (Consultation Rooms)
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's policy towards the provision of counselling in the consultation rooms of general practitioners. [15938]
Mr. Milburn: The Department's policy is to support general practitioners in rendering to their patients all necessary and appropriate personal medical services including giving advice, where appropriate, to a patient in connection with the patient's general health, and in particular about the significance of diet, exercise, the use of tobacco, the consumption of alcohol and the misuse of drugs or solvents; and arranging for the referral of patients, as appropriate, for the provision of any other services under the National Health Service Act 1977. Such services can be delivered at the doctor's practice premises, or elsewhere within the doctor's practice area, according to the condition of the patient.
Dentures
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has made of the number of young people under 18 years who have (a) a partial and (b) a full set of dentures. [15973]
Mr. Milburn:
We do not have this information for children under 16, although some of it may be inferred. Figures for 1988 show that, in the United Kingdom,
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100 per cent. of 16 to 19-year-olds had some natural teeth, in England and Wales 20 per cent. of 16 to 24-year-olds had a combination of natural teeth and dentures.
Mr. Letwin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the effectiveness of medical auditing. [15941]
Mr. Milburn:
Clinical audit is central to the framework for promoting clinical effectiveness. It offers a practical way for all local clinicians to review their own practice and thereby improve the quality of care given to patients. In order to promote clinical effectiveness, health authorities are responsible for ensuring that sufficient resources are made available for clinical audit and that they are used in the most effective way.
The quality and effectiveness of National Health Service services will be a paramount objective of our plans to replace the competitive, contract driven and bureaucratic internal market, which we will set out in a White Paper later this year.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in promoting (a) energy efficiency and (b) recycling and waste minimisation within the National Health Service; and what plans he has for further measures. [16332]
Mr. Milburn:
The Department of Health is committed to encouraging hospitals to be more energy efficient. National Health Service trusts are required to provide data on energy consumption. This is analysed by the Department's NHS Estates agency so as to give NHS trusts detailed information on energy usage against which to compare their performance. NHS trusts are expected to contribute to the target of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions of improving energy efficiency by 15 per cent. between 1990 and 1995-96, revised to 20 per cent. from 1990-2000. The NHS achieved an energy saving of some 11.4 per cent. from 1990 to 1995-96. Information for 1996-97 is not yet available but initial indications suggest continuing reductions.
The NHS Estates agency has set up a working group with the aim of identifying existing good waste management practice to encourage the reduction of waste arisings.
To promote recycling and waste minimisation, the NHS Estates agency has issued 'A strategic guide to clinical waste management--for General Managers and Chief Executives' advising Trusts to develop environmental protection and waste minimisation policies, with the emphasis on waste management rather than disposal. The preferred options, in order of priority, are: prevention; reuse; recycling; combustion with energy recovery; incineration; and landfill. To continue to promote the importance of waste management and segregation, the NHS Estates agency recently published Health Technical Memorandum 2065 'Healthcare waste management--segregation of waste streams in clinical areas'(1997).
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The agency is working on further guidance relating to the minimisation and disposal of clinical waste in the community.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the extra funding for social services for the current financial year under the recently announced extra funding proposal to avoid a winter crisis will be available only if it is authorised by individual health authorities. [16447]
Mr. Milburn:
Yes. Those additional resources for the National Health Service made available to improve services this winter have been allocated to health authorities. It has been the responsibility of individual health authorities, liaising with interested parties in their area, including local authority social services departments, to draw up plans for the use of the resources and agree them with regional offices of the National Health Service Executive. Guidance to health authorities given in Executive Letter EL(97)64, copies of which are available in the Library, indicated that where the identified service need was for social care, funds should be transferred to local authorities using powers under Section 28A of the National Health Service Act 1977.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by health authority the number of contracts in each of the last three financial years that have been referred for arbitration within the NHS region. [16445]
Mr. Milburn:
The information requested has not been collected and validated on a consistent basis at a regional level.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the report of the Independent Advisory Panel into London's health service; and if he will make a statement. [16444]
Mr. Milburn:
We will be publishing the Independent Advisory Panel's advice and the Government's response in due course.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (i) women and (ii) men and (a) are and (b) are not currently entitled to an exemption from prescription charges in the United Kingdom. [16326]
Mr. Milburn:
The information requested is not available. It is estimated that about 50 per cent. of the population are entitled to free prescriptions in England.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if health authorities will be able to use the recently announced extra funds to avoid winter pressures for health and social care, to reduce their budget deficits. [16446]
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Mr. Milburn:
Details of the priorities for the extra funds for the National Health Service announced in October 1997 are contained in Executive Letter EL(97)64, copies of which are available in the Library. This made clear that priority would be given to plans which:
Mr. Maples:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer of 12 November 1997, Official Report, columns 898-99 when (a) he and (b) his Ministers were informed of the £1 million donation from Mr. Ecclestone. [16730]
Mr. Dobson:
Friday 7 November 1997.
Mr. Dawson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Sir William Utting's report on children in care will be published; and if he will make a statement. [17286]
Mr. Boateng:
Sir William Utting's report "People Like Us" was published on 19 November and a statement of the Government's response was made in the House on that date, Official Report, columns 327-38.
Mr. Chidgey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many, and which NHS hospitals contracted out bereavement and mortuary services to the private sector in the years (a) 1994, (b) 1995, (c) 1996 and (d) 1997; [16711]
Mr. Milburn
[holding answer 19 November 1997]: The National Health Service Executive market testing database has no record of any NHS trust contracting out its bereavement and mortuary services in 1994, 1995 and 1996. In 1997, one NHS trust, the Central Middlesex Hospital, contracted out its bereavement and mortuary services (but not its bereavement counselling).
The database has no record of any other NHS trust planning to contract out bereavement and mortuary services.
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help hospitals cope with medical emergencies which are already known or likely to occur during the winter months, for example by improving staffing levels at times of peak pressure and through services being open for extra hours;
reduce delays in discharging patients, for example by improving rehabilitation and recuperation services, funding increased care at home, extra nursing and residential home places and more social services support;
reduce the need for people to be admitted to hospital in the first place by strengthening primary, community and social services, providing more specialist nursing and therapy for people--particularly older people--in their own homes, nursing and residential homes, and through improved community and out-of-hours services;
restrain the growth in waiting times and waiting lists. As resources allow, a further aim should be to keep any increase in lists and waiting times to an absolute minimum and where possible improve on performance.
(2) how many and which, NHS hospitals plan or have announced plans to contract out bereavement and mortuary services. [16710]
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