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Meningitis
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to increase public awareness of meningitis; [18879]
- (2) what sums his Department has spent in each of the last three years on increasing public awareness of meningitis. [18880]
Mr. Boateng: The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) holds an annual press briefing for journalists to raise public, professional and media awareness of meningitis. CMO also writes to all doctors each year giving advice on the early diagnosis of suspected cases of meningococcal infection and stressing the need for immediate antibiotic treatment and urgent referral to hospital. The Department of Health contributes to the many articles in newspapers and the medical press, and television and radio programmes that appear during the winter increase in cases.
This year's briefing took place on 3 November. This year, we have also revised the Department's information leaflet entitled "Knowing about meningitis and septicaemia" available to the public from GPs' surgeries. Meningococcal infections peak with most cases in children under one year, and there is a second smaller peak in late teenagers. Extra information is, therefore, targeted in these areas. The Health Education Authority (HEA), funded by the Department, produces the leaflet "A Guide to Childhood Immunisations", which includes advice on recognising the signs and symptoms of meningitis and is provided to new parents. The HEA also produce a leaflet targeted at students, "Look out for your mate", which is distributed to colleges and universities. The Department provides funding to both the National Meningitis Trust and the Meningitis Research Foundation to support their valuable information work. Both organisations took part in this year's press briefing.
It is not possible to identify the amount spent on public awareness of meningitis separately as it is a key theme of the Department's, the HEA's and the meningitis charities', information campaigns at this time of year. The costs of preparing, printing and distributing leaflets and posters such as "A Guide to Childhood Immunisations" and "Look out for your mate" are subsumed within the HEA/DH contract covering immunisation awareness. Around one million copies of "A Guide to Childhood Immunisations", which is updated annually, are produced each year and around 1.2 million "Look out for your mate" leaflets and posters were distributed this year. 250,000 copies of the Department's leaflet were printed this year.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning the change in policy by Barnardos to allow former children access to their personal files; and if he will provide a section 64 special project grant to Barnardos in support of its decision to allow former children access to their personal files. [19142]
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Mr. Boateng:
There have been no representations to the Department concerning the change in policy by Barnardos to allow former children access to their personal files. No application for Section 64 funding has been received from Barnardos for a project of this nature.
Mr. Randall:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision has been made in the current year for anti-smoking initiatives. [19105]
Mr. Boateng:
In 1997-98, the Government are funding an adult smoking campaign costing £5.5 million being run by the Health Education Authority. A teenage smoking campaign costing £1 million is being run by Brewer Blackler Limited.
Mr. Ian Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to publish the second report of Parliament on the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme. [19653]
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Mr. Milburn:
The second Report to Parliament on the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme was published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people in the Ashford (Middlesex) Hospital NHS Trust area had been waiting for treatment for more than (a) 24 months, (b) 18 months and (c) 12 months on (i) 31 March and (ii) 30 September; [18416]
(3) how many people in the West Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust area had been waiting for treatment for more than (a) 24 months, (b) 18 months and (c) 12 months on (i) 31 March and (ii) 30 September. [18420]
Mr. Milburn:
The information requested is given in the table.
4 Dec 1997 : Column: 347
(2) how many people in the St. Peter's (Chertsey) Hospital NHS Trust area had been waiting for treatment for more than (a) 24 months, (b) 18 months and (c) 12 months on (i) 31 March and (ii) 30 September; [18417]
| Over 12 month waiters | Over 18 month waiters | Over 24 month waiters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trust | On 31 March 1997 | On 30 September 1997(12) | On 31 March 1997 | On 30 September 1997(12) | On 31 March 1997 | On 30 September 1997(12) |
| Ashford Hospital NHS Trust | 324 | 418 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| St. Peter's Hospital NHS Trust | 466 | 486 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West Middlesex University NHS Trust | 192 | 289 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 0 |
(12) Figures for 30 September are provisional.
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Hospital Mergers
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the criteria in respect of (a) financial savings, (b) waiting list reduction, (c) increase in treatments and (d) reduction in managerial staff numbers he will use in his decision on the proposed merger between the Ashford (Middlesex) and St. Peter's (Chertsey) Hospital NHS Trust. [18419]
Mr. Milburn:
Any proposal to merge National Health Service trusts will be considered on its own merits. Most importantly, they must lead to benefits for patients in improved health care. We have set a minimum target of £500,000 management savings which must be realised in the first two years of merger and be reinvested in patient care.
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Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by practice (a) the underspend and (b) the overspend of general practitioner fundholding practices in the West Surrey Health Authority area in each year since 1993. [18418]
Mr. Milburn:
Information is not held centrally on expenditure from general practitioner fundholder budgets at practice level. Such information can be obtained directly from the practices concerned.
Source:
GP fundholder audited accounts.
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4 Dec 1997 : Column: 349
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by (a) health authority area and (b) social services authority area the number of hospital beds blocked by patients waiting for social services placements. [18516]
Mr. Boateng:
Information collected on delayed discharge, by health authority, has been placed in the Library. This information is not collected centrally on a social services authority basis.
Mr. Rhodri Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions written directions have been sought by permanent secretaries and other accounting officers in the past five years; in what circumstances; and on what dates. [19216]
Mr. Boateng:
Health Ministers have not issued any such directions in the last five years.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with groups and individuals opposed to xenotransplantation. [18912]
Mr. Boateng:
No formal discussions have taken place with groups or individuals opposed to xenotransplantation. A wide range of opinions were received in response to a consultation exercise held between 25 January 1996 and 29 March 1996 by the Advisory Group on the Ethics of Xenotransplantation and detailed in its report, "Animal Tissue into Humans". Views were sought during a further consultation period which began in January 1997 with the publication of that report. The United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority has offered the Government advice on the responses and issues arising from this latest consultation exercise. This is presently under consideration.
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