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Biomedical Scientists
Mr. Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to return salary levels for biomedical scientists within the NHS in comparison to doctors to the level which obtained in 1984; and if he will make a statement. [86470]
Mr. Denham: The pay of biomedical scientists, who are also called Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers, is negotiated in the Professional and Technical Staffs Whitley Council. The Management Side has made a pay offer for 1999-2000 based on issues specific to these staff, including recruitment and retention, affordability, National Health Service output targets and the economic context. We are also discussing with all NHS unions the proposals to modernise the NHS pay system published in "Agenda for Change" on 15 February 1999.
Standing Conference of Women's Organisations
Sir Richard Body: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings he has had with the Standing Conference of Women's Organisations in the last 12 months; and how many he had in the previous 12 months. [87646]
Ms Jowell:
On 16 September 1997, I presented Mimi Johnson, representing the Standing Conference of Women's Organisations, with the Commonwealth Award for Excellence in Women's Health. There have been no
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other meetings between Ministers and the Standing Conference of Women's Organisations (SCWO) in the past 24 months.
As a member of the Women's National Commission, the Government's official advisory body for women, SCWO has the opportunity to participate in consultation on specific issues requested by Government Departments, and to input their concerns on any other matters.
The Government are particularly grateful to SCWO for their help in publicising and promoting the Listening to Women campaign.
Representatives from the SCWO participated in regional events in Manchester (22 February 1999), Birmingham (26 March 1999), Reading (21 May 1999), and the International Women's Day Meeting in London on 8 March 1999, which were held as part of the Listening to Women consultation exercise. These meetings enabled a wide range of women to speak face to face with Government and were attended by either my noble Friend the Baroness Jay or myself, in our role of Ministers for Women.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce measures to ensure the centralised collection of information on medicines dispensed in hospitals. [87857]
Mr. Denham:
"Information for Health", published in September 1998, provides the strategic direction for the development of information and Information Technology in the National Health Service to 2005. This charges Local Health Communities with developing Local Implementation Strategies for Information that indicate how the national objectives will be achieved. Part of the Local Implementation Strategy will be to show how all acute trusts will be able to achieve adequate Electronic Patient Record Systems by 2005. This includes the electronic ordering and record of supply of medicines. Providing the necessary piloting work is supportive, information about medicines dispensed in hospitals will then be capable of transmission over the NHSnet to support central analyses, as required.
Helen Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of patients who are malnourished on admission to hospital; [87282]
(3) how many hospital trusts have published written nutritional standards; and if he will make a statement. [87284]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 21 June 1999]: Research studies have shown that 40 per cent. of adult patients and 15 per cent. of children are malnourished on admission to hospital. Several important reports about hospital nutrition have been published in the last decade which both educate hospital staff and contribute to development of local nutritional standards. We do not centrally record the various policy documents in many areas of care produced
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by each National Health Service trust but the Commission for Health Improvement would take hospital nutrition into account in its rolling programme of local service reviews.
Mr. Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he expects to announce proposals with regard to parallel imports of pharmaceutical products; [87969]
Mr. Denham:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State replied to the letter from the Association of Pharmaceutical Importers and we have no current plans to announce proposals with regard to parallel imports of pharmaceutical products.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health service staff (a) died and (b) became ill as a result of contracting a disease or picking up an infection while in hospital for each year since 1990. [88123]
Mr. Denham:
Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 there is a statutory obligation on all employers to report illnesses or infections contracted through work to the Health and Safety Executive. The National Health Service Executive does not collect this information separately but seeks to ensure through guidance that employers comply with the legislation, and that all illnesses and infections falling within the categories laid down in the Regulations are reported.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has collected on the availability of acute service beds for mental health service patients. [88577]
Mr. Hutton:
The table sets out the data for the latest year available.
(2) what steps he is taking to improve standards of nutritional knowledge among medical and nursing staff; [87283]
(2) when he intends to reply to the letter of 7 May from the Association of Pharmaceutical Importers. [87968]
| Ward classification | Available beds | Occupied beds |
|---|---|---|
| Children | ||
| short stay | 403 | 285 |
| long stay | 119 | 99 |
| Elderly | ||
| short stay | 7,382 | 6,119 |
| long stay | 7,410 | 6,090 |
| Other ages | ||
| secure unit | 1,921 | 1,566 |
| short stay | 14,458 | 13,188 |
| long stay | 4,908 | 4,300 |
| Residential care | 1,282 | 1,159 |
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A and E Provisions (South Shropshire)
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will visit South Shropshire to examine the accident and emergency provisions in that area. [88847]
Mr. Hutton: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to visit South Shropshire. I visited Kidderminster Hospital accident and emergency department, which serves South Shropshire, on 28 May, and I met a local councillor from South Shropshire to discuss accident and emergency provision.
National Donor Register
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what mechanism is in place for updating the National Donor Register to include those people who have changed their name to ensure that they remain on the register; [88712]
- (2) how many kidneys have been donated, in the last year, as a direct result of the National Donor Register being contacted; [88710]
(3) how many times in the last year the National Donor Register has been contacted by the donor co-ordinators in order to find out if the potential donor is registered; [88709]
(4) if all the donors listed on the National Donor Register are still alive; and what mechanism is used to delete from the National Donor Register those potential donors who have died without donating; [88711]
(5) how many hon. Members are listed on the National Donor Register. [88714]
Mr. Hutton: It is not possible to say how many kidneys have been donated as a direct result of the National Health Service Organ Donor Register being contacted. During 1998, the last full calendar year for which figures are available, 78 kidneys were retrieved from donors whose names were included on the register.
The NHS Organ Donor Register is confidential and it is therefore not possible to say how many hon. Members are registered.
The NHS Organ Donor Register is reliant on registrants providing information when they change name or address. The mechanisms for doing so are the same as those for registering in the first place. These are accessible through vehicle driving licence applications and changes, through the UK Passport Agency on the issue of a new passport, when registering with a general practitioner or by using the leaflets available in libraries, GP surgeries and other public places.
Every effort is made to ensure that the NHS Organ Donor Register is accurate. In order to improve accuracy, links are being established with the Office for National Statistics to cross reference information about deaths. The NHS Organ Donor Register is held alongside the National Transplant Database. The Database cross references with the Register with the aim of ensuring that any donor whose name is recorded on the Register is removed on donation.
It is not possible to say how many times local transplant co-ordinators contact the United Kingdom Transplant Support Service Authority in order to access the Register
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as this information is not available centrally. There are currently 7.5 million names on the Register with 58,000 applications to be processed. In the vast majority of cases, families of potential donors are content that the donation should go ahead knowing that their relative wished to be an organ donor or had registered with the NHS Organ Donor Register.
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