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Hospital Standards
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what safeguards are in place to maintain standards for waiting times and other services for patients of the host hospital trust when two trusts enter into a contractual agreement for services. [52236]
Mr. Hutton: The NHS Plan clearly sets out the waiting times standards for both in-patients and out-patients and the staged improvements to be made each year. It is the responsibility of commissioners, including national health service trusts, to ensure that any contractual agreements entered into meet the extant waiting time standards set out in the NHS Plan.
The Department regularly collects data from the NHS to monitor progress and achievement towards the NHS Plan targets.
Organ Donation
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefits of conducting targeted campaigns to encourage organ donation. [52454]
Jacqui Smith: The South Asian Campaign was launched in 1999. Research into the attitudes on general health issues and organ donation in particular helped to inform the development of this campaign. An evaluation of the campaign was carried out in October 2000 and this helped to inform phase III which was launched last September.
The black campaign was launched in March 2002. The campaign focuses on the fact that black people are three times as likely to develop kidney failure and that under 1 per cent. of organ donors are black. Research to help develop this campaign was undertaken through Central Office of Information Communications. The Department will monitor the progress of the campaign carefully.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Black and Asian organ donors there were in each of the past 10 years. [52452]
Jacqui Smith: Number of Black and Asian organ donors in the last 10 years in the United Kingdom is shown in the table.
2 May 2002 : Column 994W
| Year | Black/ Black British | As percentage of adonors where ethnic origin recorded | Asian/ Asian British | As percentage of donors where ethnic origin recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0 | 0.0 | 9 | 4.7 |
| 1996 | 2 | 0.7 | 13 | 4.7 |
| 1997 | 2 | 0.7 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 1998 | 5 | 1.9 | 2 | 0.8 |
| 1999 | 4 | 1.5 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 2000 | 3 | 0.4 | 11 | 1.5 |
| 2001 | 6 | 0.8 | 7 | 0.9 |
| 2002(25) | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 1.0 |
(25) To 24 April 2002
The ethnic origin of donors only started being recorded on the National Transplant Database in 1995 and in the years 1995–99 there are still many cases where the ethnic origin is not recorded so the figures for these years may be underestimated.
Pariamentary Questions
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many named day written questions were tabled between 1 November 2001 and 26 March 2002; and how many that received a holding answer were given a substantive answer (a) within three days, (b) within seven days, (c) within 14 days, (d) within 28 days and (e) over 28 days; [52268]
- (2) how many named day written questions were tabled between 1 November 2000 and 26 March 2001; and how many that received a holding answer were given a substantive answer (a) within three days, (b) within seven days, (c) within 14 days, (d) within 28 days and (e) over 28 days; [52269]
(3) how many named day written parliamentary questions tabled between (a) 1 November 2000 and 26 March 2001 and (b) 1 November 2001 and 26 March 2002 received (i) a substantive answer on the named day and (ii) a holding answer. [52270]
Ms Blears [holding answer 25 April 2002]: 1,887 named day written questions were tabled to this Department between 1 November 2001 and 26 March 2002. A manual count shows that around 50 per cent. received a holding reply.
985 named day written questions were tabled to this Department between 1 November 2000 and 26 March 2001. A manual count shows that around 45 per cent. received a holding reply.
The information on the current database does not support the further analysis sought, which could be obtained only by a manual count and which would incur a disproportionate cost. We are developing an improved database capable of providing more sophisticated analysis of information which should be introduced before the next parliamentary Session.
Ministerial Training
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department on training in leadership skills for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years. [52726]
2 May 2002 : Column 995W
Ms Blears [holding answer 26 April 2002]: The Department spent approximately £5.7 million training and developing its staff in 2000–01. Leadership is often one element of a wider personal development programme. Information on the amount attributed to development of leadership skills from such programmes could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department on training by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years. [52749]
Ms Blears [holding answer 26 April 2002]: The Department's records indicate that the Department has not paid for any Minister or official to receive training from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in any of the last five years.
Suicide
Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Suicide Prevention Strategy will address the issue of assisted suicide; and if he will make a statement. [53196]
Jacqui Smith: The National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, launched on 26 April for public consultation, does not address the issue of assisted suicide.
We have no plans to change the law in this respect.
Scanners
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRI scanners there are in London. [53225]
Mr. Hutton: There are approximately 47 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners installed in the national health service in London. It is estimated that there are a further 20 MRI scanners installed in the private sector in London.
Disability Facilities
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that no elderly or disabled person should have to wait more than six months for aids and adaptations to enable them to take a bath or shower. [53314]
Jacqui Smith: Community equipment services that provide aids and adaptations determine local standards for assessing and responding to clients' needs. The national project to integrate health and social services' equipment services encourages those services to review and improve their standards with the expectation that they will use the new funding for these services announced in January 2001 to make waiting times as short as possible.
Care Homes
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care home places there were in Wiltshire in (a) 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [52988]
Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of places in residential and nursing care homes in Wiltshire at 31 March 1997 and 2001 is shown in the table.
2 May 2002 : Column 996W
| 1997 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential places | 4,510 | 3,990 |
| Nursing places | (27)2,220 | 2,060 |
| Total | 6,730 | 6,050 |
(26) Figures are based on boundaries prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1997 and so for 2001 include Swindon unitary authority.
(27) Information relates to registered beds during the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997.
Source:
Department of Health's annual returns.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the number of care home beds in the Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust area since 1997. [53304]
Jacqui Smith: Information on care home places is not available at primary care trust level. The table shows the number of residential and nursing places in Cheshire at 31 March each year.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential places(28) | 5,090 | 5,320 | 5,360 | 5,730 | 5,530 |
| Nursing places(29) | (30)5,390 | 5,910 | 5,750 | 5,560 | 5,470 |
| Total | 10,480 | 11,240 | 11,110 | 11,290 | 11,000 |
| Percentage change | — | 7 | -1 | 2 | -3 |
(28) Information is based on the boundaries for Cheshire county council prior to local government re-organisation on 1 April 1998. Information for 1999 onwards therefore includes Halton and Warrington unitary authorities.
(29) Information is presented for North Cheshire and South Cheshire health authorities
(30) Information for 1997 relates to registered beds during the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997
Source:
Department of Health's annual returns
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