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Organ Removal
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidelines his Department gives to hospitals and trusts about (a) the information to be given to, and (b) the permission to be secured from, relatives of patients who die in surgery, before the organs of the deceased are retained; [71089]
- (2) if he will investigate the extent of the practice of hospitals and trusts of retaining the organs of patients who die in surgery; [71088]
(3) if he will review the legislation governing the retention of tissue or organs of patients who die in surgery; and if he will make a statement. [71090]
Mr. Hutton:
Deaths which occur during an operation, or before recovery from anaesthetic, must be reported to the coroner, who may order a post mortem examination to establish the cause of death. Such examinations may
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require the removal of tissue or organs for further tests. Under the Coroners Rules 1984, it is for the coroner to determine how long the tissues or organs removed should be preserved.
Although the main organs will be returned to the body wherever possible before burial or cremation, in most cases the time necessary to perform the laboratory tests would cause long and unacceptable delay to the funeral. In these cases, and where tissue samples have been taken, the retained specimens will normally be disposed of separately when no longer required.
Departmental guidance has not been issued on these matters, nor are there plans to review the relevant legislation. However the Royal College of Pathologists is currently considering good practice guidelines in this area which will include all post mortem examinations, not just those ordered by the coroner. We will work with the College to ensure the guidelines give advice on how best to address these sensitive issues with bereaved relatives.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average annual cost of treatment per patient attending an NHS dentist. [72650]
Mr. Denham:
The average cost of an adult course of treatment in England and Wales in the quarter ending December 1998 was £33.84.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of dental patients in the last year for which figures are available who failed to received necessary treatment due to an inability to pay. [72651]
Mr. Denham:
Help with paying charges is available through the National Health Service low income scheme for those who cannot afford to pay dental charges. In addition, anyone on income support, income based Job Seeker's Allowance, family credit or disability working allowance receives free dental treatment, as do all children.
Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health which breast cancer screening centres that are conducting pilot studies into the impact of extending the routine call/recall element of the breast screening programme to women aged 65 to 69 years have collated preliminary results; and if he will make a statement. [72660]
Mr. Hutton:
Preliminary results of the pilot study carried out in Brighton (one of three studies) were published in the British Medical Journal, Volume 317, page 388, dated 8 August 1998. Copies of the journal are available in the Library.
The National Screening Committee (NSC) has considered the case for extending the National Health Service breast screening programme to older women. The view of the NSC was that the first priority must be to ensure that all women are screened at three yearly intervals and to maintain the quality of the existing programme. The NSC acknowledged the promising nature of the interim results of the pilot studies for extending
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the programme to older women, but recommended that decisions on national implementation should await the final results from all three pilot schemes in April 2000.
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the circumstances of the admission to the Hereford NHS hospital of G. Davies of Hereford, on 17 August 1997; and if he will make a statement. [73380]
Mr. Hutton:
Ministers cannot comment on the cases of individual patients due to the need to maintain patient confidentiality.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the doctors struck off in each of the last five years for improper prescribing of medicines and the medical school at which they qualified. [73310]
Mr. Denham:
The information requested is not available centrally.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will institute a full public inquiry on the links between Myodil and arachnoiditis. [73948]
Mr. Hutton:
We have no plans to hold an inquiry into the use of Myodil and its associated risk of arachnoiditis.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a no-fault compensation scheme for those who have suffered from arachnoiditis as a result of medical treatment. [73947]
Mr. Hutton:
We have no plans to introduce a non-fault compensation scheme for those who have suffered arachnoiditis as a result of medical treatment.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost to the NHS of the medication for the treatment of asthma in (a) 1997 and (b) 1998. [73925]
Mr. Hutton:
In 1997, the net ingredient cost of drugs used in the treatment of asthma and dispensed in the community in England was £466.2 million. Information for 1998 is not yet available. Some of the drugs may be used for other conditions and it is not possible to split the cost between drugs used to treat asthma and those used to treat other conditions. The net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug and does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income.
Mr. Austin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received regarding recent allegations that doctors have been paid money by a drugs company to encourage them to prescribe certain drugs; what action he has taken; and if he will make a statement. [73531]
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Mr. Denham
[holding answer 1 March 1999]: There have been no reports of United Kingdom doctors receiving payments from a pharmaceutical company to prescribe drugs. Regulations which came into force in 1994 prohibit the promise, offer or supply of gifts or other inducements to persons qualified to prescribe or supply medicines. It is also an offence for health professionals to solicit or accept such gifts. Guidelines on the promotion of medicines are contained also in the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry, which is administered by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, copies of which are available in the Library.
The Medicines Control Agency wrote to all pharmaceutical companies and professional bodies in 1997 reminding them of their legal obligations and our policy of not tolerating unlawful promotions which seek to exert improper influences on prescribers. The public have a right to expect that health care professionals will make decisions solely on the basis of their patients' interests and not on incentives to prescribe or supply certain medicines.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training provided by his Department is currently available to NHS general practitioners on the possible causes of allergies and their treatment. [74293]
Ms Jowell:
The medical education curriculum is a matter for the General Medical Council, medical schools, the relevant Medical Royal Colleges and, in the case of general practice, the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice. These bodies have a vested interest in ensuring that doctors are prepared for the conditions and circumstances they will encounter in hospitals and in general practice.
Each trainee general practitioner during their year of general practice training, their two year hospital rotation and during their pre-registration year, will almost certainly see patients with allergy related illnesses. Doctors are also encouraged to continue with their medical education after qualification and they would be expected to spend some time developing their knowledge of illnesses commonly encountered including allergic conditions.
In addition, there is a range of advice and guidance available to general practitioners and other health professionals on allergies. This includes advice on the management of anaphylaxis which the Department sent to all doctors in 1994 in Chief Medical Officer's Update No. 2.
Sir Alastair Goodlad:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what projects he intends to promote with the Haemophilia Society; and if he will make a statement. [74246]
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Mr. Hutton:
We are currently funding the Haemophilia Society's Hepatitis C Youth Information and Support project. We have indicated that we are willing to assist the society in other forward looking initiatives, and officials are working with them on potential projects.
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