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Cancer Care (Newcastle)
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when it was decided that the Northern Centre for Cancer Treatment in Newcastle required replacement; how many radiotherapy cancer treatment machines were available at that time, and what their ages and downtimes were; how many radiotherapy cancer treatment machines are available; and what are their ages, and downtimes. [140537]
Yvette Cooper: During 1998 Newcastle and North Tyneside Health Authority formally consulted on the relocation of the Northern Centre For Cancer Treatment to Freeman Hospital in association with the timescale for completion of the remainder of the Newcastle strategic review.
In 1998 there were six linear accelerators in use. They were installed in 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992(2) and 1995. In 1998 their annual total downtimes ranged from 280 hours 33 minutes to 694 hours 34 minutes.
The same machines remain in service in November 2000. Downtimes for October 2000 ranged from four hours 38 minutes to 57 hours 39 minutes.
Residential Care (Scotland)
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had about the funding of long- term residential care with his counterpart in the Scottish Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [140473]
Mr. Hutton: I have regular contact with colleagues in the devolved Administrations to discuss the Government's plans concerning the funding of long-term residential care.
Obesity
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the National Health Service of obesity-related conditions for each of the past five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [140105]
Yvette Cooper: The economic costs associated with obesity are direct medical costs incurred during diagnosis, treatment and management of obesity per se and those arising from related conditions. Conditions attributable to obesity are diabetes, coronary heart disease, gallstones, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, gout and several cancers.
While estimates of costs to the National Health Service for most of these specific conditions were reported by the Department in the publication 'Burdens of Disease' 1996, no estimates of the proportion of the costs were attributed to obesity.
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The analysis required to provide these data is complex and at present there is no authoritative estimate of the cost to the National Health Service of obesity related conditions.
Children's Hospices
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review public funding of children's hospices; and if he will make a statement. [140384]
Yvette Cooper: Children's hospices play an important role in supporting children with life threatening and limiting illnesses, and their families. The National Health Service has provision for funding children's hospices and we have recently announced an additional £50 million in new funding to expand specialist palliative care services for adults and children in the community. We are working with the children's hospice movement and other professional groups to define care packages which will be of most benefit to children and their families.
In addition the "Caring about Carers: A National Strategy for Carers" initiative is making available £140 million over three years to meet carer's needs including families who have a child with a life threatening condition.
NHS Trust Employees (Mental Health Problems)
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have adopted policies on the employment of people who have experienced mental health problems; and what steps he is taking to encourage NHS trusts to adopt such policies. [139826]
Mr. Hutton: Information on how many National Health Service trusts have adopted policies on the employment of people who have experienced mental health problems is not collected centrally but may be held locally by individual employers. The NHS Executive is currently working with representatives of professional bodies, unions, management and voluntary organisations from the mental health field to draft guidance on mental health and employment. This guidance, which we intend to publish in the spring, will encourage NHS employers to adopt inclusive policies.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trusts providing mental health services have a user employment programme or similar scheme; and what steps he is taking to encourage the setting up of such schemes. [139825]
Mr. Hutton: Information on how many trusts providing mental health services have a user employment programme or similar schemes is not collected centrally.
To ensure the sharing of best practice, the National Health Service Employment Policy Branch recently funded the production of a "Good Practice Guide" developed within South West London and St. George's NHS Trust. The trust has pioneered efforts to tackle employment discrimination within the trust against people who have experienced mental health difficulties.
The guide was circulated to delegates at a conference the trust held in London in March 2000, and the Department will be disseminating this guide more widely to the NHS.
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Carers (Abuse)
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will strengthen the right of access to files of persons who have complained of abuse while (a) in care and (b) their carers were under investigation; and if he will make a statement. [138761]
Mr. Hutton: Provision has already been made for those wishing to access personal information held on file. This is provided by the Data Protection Act 1998, which came into force on 1 March 2000. Any living person, who is the subject of personal information held and processed by a social services authority, or someone acting on its behalf, has the right of access to those records. This access can be limited only where it is not possible to disclose information without disclosing information about another person who has not provided their consent and it is not reasonable in all the circumstances to comply with the request or disclosure would be likely to prejudice the carrying out of social work by causing serious harm to the physical or mental health or condition of the individual or another person. Where access is refused there is a right of appeal to the Courts or the Data Protection Registrar.
The provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 apply regardless of whether the person, who is the data subject, has complained of abuse and of whether any alleged abuser, who is or was a carer, is or has been under investigation.
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will disclose relevant personal files held by (a) public authorities and (b) voluntary organisations to those who allege abuse while (i) in care and (ii) their cases were being dealt with by such agencies. [138762]
Mr. Hutton: Where records are manual and can be classed as health records, educational records, local authority housing records or local authority social services records, the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 relating to an individual's right to access information about themselves apply. Where manual records are held by a public authority or voluntary organisation that do not fall into these categories, the subject access provisions presently apply only to records created after 24 October 1998. Those records created before 24 October 1998 will not come within the scope of the Data Protection Act until 24 October 2007. Where records are automated, if they were created after 24 October 1998, the subject access provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 will apply; otherwise they are exempt until 24 October 2001.
Thus, the Data Protection Act 1998 makes specific provisions to enable individuals to exercise that right to access, which apply whether or not allegations of abuse have been made.
Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was allocated by West Kent health authority to Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital day unit for the treatment of mental illness in (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97, (c) 1997-98, (d) 1998-99 and (e) 1999-2000; and how much will be allocated in 2001-02. [140360]
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Mr. Hutton: Information is not available centrally in the requested format. Information on West Kent health authority's expenditure on mental illness is shown in the table.
| Year | HA expenditure on mental illness |
|---|---|
| 1996-97(41) | 37,857,000 |
| 1997-98 | 42,814,000 |
| 1998-99 | 46,498,000 |
| 1999-2000(42) | 37,217,000 |
(41) West Kent health authority came into existence on 1 April 1996 so data before that date are not comparable.
(42) The 1999-2000 figure excludes PCG expenditure on mental illness of £19,275,000.
Note:
No data are available for 2000-01.
Sources:
Health authority audited accounts 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99
Health authority audited summarisation schedules 1999-2000
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