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Nursing Care Payments
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is towards nursing homes passing on an administration charge to residents for the payment of the free nursing care money. [46575]
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Jacqui Smith: The allocations made to health authorities for NHS funded nursing care include an amount for general administration. In implementing the arrangements, the national health service has been asked to ensure that the administrative burdens on both the NHS and homes should be kept to a minimum. Care homes with concerns about the administrative burden should raise this with the responsible local NHS service body.
NHS Procurement
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 304W, on Procure 21, if he will list the pilot areas for the NHS procurement initiative Procure 21; and what the minimum financial level will be of the contract which will be awarded in relation to NHS Procure 21. [46322]
Mr. Hutton: Procure 21 comprises programmes to improve the performance of the NHS as a client of the construction industry, to improve design, and to introduce partnering frameworks. "Best Client" and design initiatives apply nationally. Partnering frameworks are being piloted in the North West and West Midlands regions of the NHS. The minimum financial value of contracts that will be awarded under NHS Procure 21 will be £1 million (this is the works cost as defined in the NHS Capital Investment Manual). This information was detailed in the Contract Notices placed in the Supplement to the European Journal in April 2001 (refs Works Contracts (Publicly Funded Schemes) 2001/S 71–048469, Services Contracts (PFI/PPP Schemes) 2001/S 71–048708).
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when a decision was made after the pilot scheme on the best use of a Government procurement card in his Department. [45721]
Ms Blears [holding answer 25 March 2002]: On 7 April 2000, it was decided that use of the Government procurement card should be made available to any units across the Department who can justify its issue in terms of the transactions they undertake.
Autism
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was made available to the Medical Research Council for research into autism each year from 1992 to 2001; and how the £2.5 million funding available to the Medical Research Council for continued research into autism will be used. [46423]
Jacqui Smith: The Medical Research Council (MRC) funds a large amount of work on the causes and treatment of autism, and to increase the knowledge base of issues surrounding autism. In recent years the MRC has spent the following amounts on autism research:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 826,000 |
| 1997–98 | 905,000 |
| 1998–99 | 1,041,000 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,114,000 |
| 2000–01 | 1,182,000 |
Information for earlier years is not readily available.
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I announced on 14 February an extra £2.5 million to the MRC to help them to take forward recommendations on further research contained in their report of their review of the epidemiology and causes of autism. The additional funds provide the opportunity for the MRC to accelerate research on autism, building on existing strengths and addressing gaps which were identified in the report. It will complement and add to the MRC's current support for research in this field. It is likely that the range of research supported will be broader than that of the MRC review and may include research to develop and evaluate interventions. Previous research has not been supported from ring-fenced funding. We will continue to pursue our constructive dialogue with the MRC on autism research.
Schizophrenia
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason he has not yet issued guidance on atypical and traditional anti-psychotic medication for schizophrenia; when he expects to issue guidance to NICE to investigate the use of atypical and traditional anti- psychotic medication for older people in care settings; and if he will make a statement. [46554]
Jacqui Smith: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is appraising atypical anti-psychotic drugs for schizophrenia. NICE has produced its final appraisal determination which is subject to appeal. We are not in a position, until the result of the appeals is known, to state when guidance will be issued.
There are no plans at present for NICE to consider separately the use of anti-psychotic drugs for older people in care settings. Through measures such as the National Service Framework for Older People and the Care Standards Act, we have set out clear requirements for the proper management of medicines for older people.
Pharmacies
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the limited opening hours of local pharmacies on Sundays. [44040]
Ms Blears: Under the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992 arrangements for pharmacies to open on Sundays are determined locally.
"Pharmacy in the Future—Implementing the NHS Plan" commits the NHS, in partnership with NHS Direct, local pharmacies and patient representatives, to review arrangements so that patients who need medicines out of hours will get them easily. We plan to issue advice for the NHS later this year.
Residential Care
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions have taken place with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs concerning the use of rural leisure accommodation for residential care for the elderly. [47028]
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Jacqui Smith: No discussions have taken place on this subject with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. There are no proposals that rural leisure accommodation should be used to provide residential care for the elderly.
Public Relations Companies
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which public relations companies have been used by the NHS; how much money has been spent in the past 12 months on each of them; and on which projects. [47850]
Ms Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Intermediate Care Beds
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the composition in terms of location of the extra intermediate care beds which have been introduced, and are planned to be introduced, under the National Plan. [47843]
Jacqui Smith: A survey of NHS intermediate care in England was carried out in August 2001. Local health and social care communities were asked to provide data for intermediate care services in place in 1999–2000, and those planned at that time for 2001–02, to enable progress in achieving the NHS Plan targets for intermediate care beds and places to be measured.
The results of the survey showed that by the end of 2001–02 there would be, compared to the baseline of 1999–2000, around an additional 2,400 intermediate care beds. The full results of the survey, giving data by region and by health authority, are in the Library.
Haemodialysis Stations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) new and (b) replacement haemodialysis stations have come into operation since the publication of the NHS National Plan. [47009]
Jacqui Smith: Since the publication of the NHS Plan in July 2000, capital modernisation allocations from the Department have wholly or partly funded the delivery of 277 new and 22 replacement haemodialysis stations in England. These are in addition to those implemented locally by the NHS in line with regional expansion and development programmes.
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Mental Health
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the London region of the NHS decided to reduce the number of mental health services bought from outside London. [47500]
Jacqui Smith: London is developing local national health service mental health services, in line with the adult mental health national service framework and NHS Plan. The development and expansion of local services will also reduce London's reliance on out of London placements in the independent sector and on other NHS facilities. This will mean less travelling for patients and their carers and is therefore supported by them. Where local services do not exist, London will continue to use mental health facilities outside of London based on clinical advice and appropriate services being available.
Mental Illness
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of people, broken down by age, were (a) admitted and (b) discharged from hospital in each of the last five years where the main diagnosis was mental illness, but the patients also suffered malnourishment. [40579]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 5 March 2002]: There was one admission and one discharge from NHS Hospitals in England in 2000–01 with a main diagnosis of mental illness and with malnutrition as a secondary diagnosis. The admission and discharge were aged over 85. There were no discharges or admissions in the previous four years (1996–97 to 1999–2000).
- Note:
- Malnutrition = ICD-10: E40-E46; mental illness = ICD-10: F00-F99.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of people, broken down by age, were (a) admitted and (b) discharged from hospital in each of the last five years where the main diagnosis was malnourishment, but the patients also suffered from mental illness. [40578]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 5 March 2002]: The figures represent the number of discharges (table 1) and admissions (table 2) to NHS hospitals in England, where the main diagnosis was malnutrition and mental illness was a secondary diagnosis, by age in each of the last five years.
Between 0 per cent. and 0.002 per cent. of all discharges and admissions had a main diagnosis of malnutrition with mental illness as a secondary diagnosis.
- Note:
- Malnutrition = ICD-10: E40-E46; mental illness = ICD-10: F00-F99.
| Age | 2000–01 | 1999–2000 | 1998–99 | 1997–98 | 1996–97 | All 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–16 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 17–24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 25–44 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 41 |
| 45–64 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 75 |
| 65–74 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 40 |
| 75–84 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 20 |
| 85+ | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Total | 32 | 42 | 52 | 22 | 37 | 185 |
Notes:
1. Admissions are defined as the "first" period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
2. Discharge episodes are defined as the last period of in-patient care and ends with death, discharge or a transferred to other hospital.
3. The main diagnosis is the first of seven diagnosis fields in the HES data set, and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
4. Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 2000–01 which is not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health
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