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Housing
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what appraisal he has made of the incidence and cost of ill-health currently attributable to poor ventilation and condensation in the housing stock. [66884]
Ms Jowell [holding answer 21 January 1999]: We recognise the very important links between poor housing and ill health. That is why Ministerial colleagues within the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions have released substantial additional resources for housing, regeneration and energy efficiency measures. Additional Government action to tackle poverty, unemployment and unhealthy lifestyles will also play a key role.
Significant risks to health arise from cold and damp conditions. Those likely to be most affected are often the most vulnerable in society: the old, the very young, the disabled and those living on low incomes. The main health outcomes are respiratory diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis and cardiovascular diseases, as well as accidents and mental health.
The Department and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions are jointly funding a £1 million research programme over 3 years. This programme, "The effects on health of exposure to air pollutants and damp in the home", is focusing on indoor air pollution and its effects on health. The effects on sensitive individuals in the population, interactions
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between indoor air pollutants and the health effects of damp, including respiratory disease and asthma, as well as ventilation and the relationship between indoor and outdoor pollutants, are main focuses of the studies.
Health Action Zones are targetting special effort in areas of deprivation to develop new approaches to improving health and services and a number of these are working to improve housing and energy efficiency in poor homes. From April this year, all health authorities will begin developing local health improvement programmes in partnership with local National Health Service bodies and local authorities to achieve improvements in health. Housing will be a key area where these bodies can work together to improve the health of local communities.
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research has been commissioned into the incidence of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by long-term exposure to poorly-ventilated domestic gas appliances; [65329]
Ms Jowell:
[holding answer 21 January 1999]: Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning causes 50 accidental deaths and nearly 200 serious injuries in the United Kingdom each year and is still a significant public health issue. First, we welcome the Department of Trade and Industry's recent campaign "Carbon Monoxide Can Kill--Keep Your Family Safe". This campaign will help to raise the awareness of the dangers of CO to those made at risk.
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has regularly reminded all doctors over the last two years, through his update, of the importance of identifying cases of CO poisoning. To reinforce the message even further and more widely the CMO and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) published a letter "Carbon Monoxide: The Forgotten Killer" in September last year, which provided the most up-to-date information about CO to community nurses, midwives, health visitors, general practitioners and other health professionals. In particular, health professionals were reminded about the similarity of the symptoms of long-term exposure to lower levels of CO to food poisoning and influenza.
This Department, in association with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, is currently funding a £1 million joint research programme about the effects of exposure to air pollutants and damp in the home. Three of these research projects specifically address CO exposure.
A major three-year Department of Health/Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions £3 million research programme, which focused mainly on outdoor pollutants, is coming to an end shortly and decisions will be taken shortly on future research funding. One priority area will be CO poisoning in the home.
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Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what rights stroke victims or their relatives have to insist on patients' treatment in specialist stroke units; [66837]
Mr. Hutton:
Following a stroke patients are entitled to expect that an appropriate service will be provided, but that service will not necessarily be within a specialist stroke unit. The organisation of health authorities services, including those for people who have had a stroke, and the manner in which they are delivered are matters for the health authority, taking account of the needs of the local population and the priorities set for the use of the available resources.
In the recent guidance which we issued on "Commissioning in the New NHS" in October 1998 the importance of care pathways was stressed. Our proposals for "Pathways" of care will link primary care, secondary care and social care where appropriate. We emphasised in this guidance that care pathways would be developed to cover a range of preventative diagnostic, palliative, rehabilitative and supporting caring components of an integrated programme of care. The care and treatments of patients with stroke provides an example of how care pathways can work in practice.
Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (1) is his estimate of (a) the amount of money and (b) the percentage of the NHS budget spent annually over the last five years on stroke treatment and rehabilitation; [66838]
(3) how many specialist stroke units there are and how many patients were treated in them in the last year for which figures are available; [66841]
(4) what is his estimate of the effectiveness of specialist stroke units. [66842]
Mr. Hutton:
The information requested is not available. The organisation of health services, including services for people who have had a stroke, and the manner in which they are delivered are matters for the health authority, taking account of the needs of the local population and the priorities set for the use of the available resources.
Mr. Collins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets he has set for the maximum possible waiting time for operations to deal with life-threatening cardiac conditions. [67015]
Mr. Denham:
We have set no new targets for maximum waiting times for operations to deal with life-threatening cardiac conditions. However, an external reference group is currently working with the Department of Health to develop a national service framework covering all aspects of National Health Service care for people with coronary heart disease.
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Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many registered bone marrow donors there are; [67134]
(3) how many people are currently waiting for bone marrow transplants. [67135]
Mr. Hutton:
According to the recently published "New NHS 1998 Reference Costs" the average unit cost of a bone marrow graft is £10,600.
There are approximately 381,000 potential bone marrow donors registered currently on the two bone marrow registers operating in England. The British bone marrow register holds around 91,000 names and the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust has approaching 290,000.
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Figures for the number of people currently waiting for a bone marrow transplant are not kept centrally.
Mr. Oaten:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial support his Department is providing to shopmobility schemes in the current financial year. [67144]
Mr. Hutton:
The National Federation of Shopmobility, which is the umbrella body for local shopmobility schemes, is not receiving any financial support under Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 during the current financial year from the Department. The National Federation of Shopmobility has submitted two applications under the Section 64 grant scheme for the financial year commencing 1 April 1999 and these are currently under consideration.
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Mr. Welsh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what form of financial support has been made by the Scottish Office to Glasgow City Council to pay for a feasibility study into its proposed mass stock transfer initiative. [63324]
Mr. Macdonald
[holding answer 10 December 1998]: Glasgow City Council has been granted consent to borrow £1.065 million in order to undertake feasibility work under the new housing partnerships initiative. Loan charges support for this borrowing will be available from The Scottish Office.
(2) what assessment he has made of the level of awareness among general practitioners of the incidence of carbon monoxide poisoning from poorly-ventilated domestic gas appliances and the medical symptoms of long-term exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide. [65330]
(2) if he will make a statement on national implementation plans for stroke care. [66839]
(2) how many stroke patients were treated in the NHS outside specialist stroke units in the last year for which figures are available; [66840]
(2) what is the average cost of a bone marrow transplant; [67133]
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