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MRSA
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will commission an independent inquiry into the incidence of MRSA; [115928]
- (2) what was the incidence of MRSA in hospitals in England and Wales for 1996. [115927]
Yvette Cooper: MRSA is the antibiotic-resistant form of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium which is carried harmlessly on the skin by at least a third of the population. About 80 per cent. of the population who acquire MRSA similarly carry it harmlessly on the skin and do not suffer from any infection. Neither the number of hospitals recording MRSA outbreaks nor the total number of patients in National Health Service hospitals who have MRSA are recorded centrally. The Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) compiles aggregate data on numbers of incidents of MRSA which are voluntarily reported by NHS trusts. The available data on MRSA for England and Wales show that there were 2,107 reported incidents in 1996. An incident is three or more patients infected or colonised by the same strain of MRSA in the same month from the same hospital. We are working with the PHLS on improving surveillance systems so as to provide more complete data on MRSA and so that we can consider what further action is required.
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his assessment of the total number of deaths which have resulted from (a) MRSA and (b) other hospital- acquired infection in each of the past 10 years. [115946]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 28 March 2000]: There are no centrally held statistics on deaths caused by hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), including Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Different doctors will have different views on the role of HAI in a patient's death.
MRSA infection can take the form of many different diseases from trivial skin infection to pneumonia or septicaemia. Often the causative micro-organism is not specified on the death certificate. MRSA does not have a distinct code within the revision of the International Classification of Diseases used for encoding death registration data at the Office for National Statistics.
Hospices
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received regarding the payments negotiated by NHS trusts and hospices for the provision of services in hospices; and if he will make a statement; [116009]
- (2) what guidelines his Department issues to NHS trusts regarding the purchase of services from hospices. [116008]
Yvette Cooper:
Successive guidance to health authorities has made clear their responsibilities for commissioning services that meet the assessed needs of their local communities. Health Service Circular 1998/99: "Palliative Care" states that commissioners, including primary health care groups need to work together with providers to develop a palliative care strategy which is right for their population, based on health needs assessment.
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HSC 1998/198: "Commissioning in the new National Health Service" makes it explicit that full development of the new commissioning arrangements needs to involve partnership working both in and beyond the NHS. The guidance also states that regional offices should pay particular attention to the commissioning of cancer services in the follow-up to Calman/Hine.
Where services are commissioned from the non-NHS sector, commissioners should ensure the service provided is valuable, effective and offers value for money. The decision to commission services provided by non-NHS facilities will continue to be made locally and will be made in the best interests of the patient.
I met members of the National Council for Hospices and Specialist Palliative Care Services, including representatives of the independent sector and also attended a recent All Party Group on Hospices meeting. On both occasions the issue of funding of hospices was raised.
Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director, is working to develop a supportive care strategy as part of his wider work programme, and this will set the context for future developments in the commissioning of services from hospices.
Mr. Pickthall:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the funding of (a) children's hospices and (b) adult hospices. [117150]
Yvette Cooper:
The funding of adult and children's hospices is a matter for local discussion and agreement and must be based on local health needs assessment. The Health Improvement Programme (HImP) is and will continue to be the funding mechanism for palliative care services. Voluntary healthcare providers are viewed as important players in the planning and provision of services and should be involved in the development of HImPs. From this should flow more detailed plans for commissioning services, including arrangements for palliative care.
Mr. Gill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the incidence of (a) ME, (b) MS and (c) HIV/AIDS, and what was the level of public expenditure, in each of the past five years in respect of each category. [116254]
Ms Stuart:
Information on the incidence and level of public expenditure on Chronic Fatigue syndrome (CFS)/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is not available in the format requested. A number of definitions, disease descriptions or diagnostic criteria have been proposed to describe CFS/ME. However, there is no general agreement as to which should be used. This makes the results from studies on the prevalence of CFS/ME difficult to interpret and there is no agreement on the incidence of the illness.
Services for people with CFS/ME are funded from baseline expenditure.
The Department is currently supporting a number of projects at a total cost of £221,000 on CFS/ME research. In addition, we have also awarded the ME Association a
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total of £30,000 for 1998-99 and 1999-2000 and the Association of Youth with ME a total of £6,200 in 1998-99 under the Section 64 scheme of grants.
Information on the incidence and level of public expenditure on Multiple Sclerosis is not available in the format requested. MS is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system. It is estimated to affect between 80-90,000 people in the UK. However, the incidence (new diagnoses each year) is not known.
Services for people with MS are funded from baseline expenditure.
The Medical Research Council supported about a dozen projects on multiple sclerosis and associated demyelinating diseases in 1998-99 representing a spend of approximately £640,000 in that year.
The Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the National Health Service. The Department is currently spending approximately £150,000 per year on projects related to MS.
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In addition, we have awarded the MS Society £15,000 per year from 1997-98 until 1999-2000 under the Section 64 scheme of grants, for their emerging therapies project.
The table reports new diagnoses of HIV and AIDS for England in each of the last five years.
| Year of diagnosis | New diagnoses of HIV infection | New diagnoses of AIDS |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,412 | 1,587 |
| 1996 | 2,438 | 1,298 |
| 1997 | 2,441 | 960 |
| 1998 | 2,557 | 677 |
| 1999 | 2,289 | 460 |
Notes:
1. Data reported by end 1999.
2. Numbers, particularly for the more recent years, will rise as further reports are received.
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| Year | Health authorities | Local authorities | Voluntary organisations | Public education | Research | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 244.7 | 13.4 | 1.54 | 8.0 | 20.6 | 288.2 |
| 1996-97 | 237.7 | 13.7 | 1.63 | 5.2 | 19.5 | 277.7 |
| 1997-98 | 251.9 | 13.7 | 1.52 | 5.2 | 15.4 | 287.7 |
| 1998-99 | 281.4 | 13.7 | 1.58 | 4.8 | 16.2 | 317.6 |
| 1999-2000 | 286.4 | 15.0 | 1.60 | 4.5 | 16.0 | 323.5 |
| Total | 1,302.1 | 69.5 | 7.87 | 27.7 | 87.7 | 1,494.7 |
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NHS Volunteers
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Training Organisation for Personal Social Services has to incorporate volunteers and their management into the training strategy. [116445]
Mr. Hutton: The training strategy set out to identify how a fully skilled and qualified workforce could be obtained to meet the future requirements for modernised social care. This included determining the qualifications needed to meet appropriate care standards, the career pathways to promote life-long learning, and the recruitment strategies to ensure an adequate supply of suitable people. The strategy has considered the skills needed to manage social care teams, including the use of volunteers.
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