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Medical Devices Directive
Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to ensure that the European Medical Devices Directive is in accordance with the Furniture and Furnishing Regulations of 1988 with respect to flame resistance tests for furniture. [67637]
Mr. Lammy: The Medical Devices Agency, an executive agency of the Department, has consulted the European Commission about the mechanism for requiring manufacturers of orthopaedic mattresses who place their products on the market as a medical device to also meet the national measures relating to the flammability of furniture in the United Kingdom and is waiting a response.
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Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met the (a) Chairman of the Council of the BMA, (b) President of the Royal College of Physicians, (c) President of the Royal College of Surgeons, (d) President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, (e) President of the Royal College of General Practitioners, (f) President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and (g) President of the Royal College of Nursing. [68061]
Mr. Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, my Ministerial colleagues and I meet regularly, formally and informally, with key stakeholders, including representatives of the medical and nursing professions and other bodies.
NHS Funding
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 991W, on NHS-funded activity, if he will share the key findings referred to. [68266]
Mr. Hutton: We are considering how best the findings might be made available.
Surplus Property
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations in the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on "The Management of Surplus Property by Trusts in the NHS in England"; and if he will make a statement. [68059]
Mr. Lammy: Departmental officials are making substantial progress in implementing the recommendations contained in the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on "The Management of Surplus Property by Trusts in the NHS in England".
A letter to all National Health Service trust and primary care trust (PCT) chief executives requiring them to have an estate strategy by 31 December 2002 with progress being monitored by NHS Estates.
"Amendments to Estatecode" which incorporate the report's recommendations which is being published this month.
A training session for all staff involved in corporately overseeing sales by NHS trusts and PCTs.
The publication this month of an information guide to local planning authorities and the NHS on development plans and NHS modernisation.
European Law
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department takes to ensure that it follows procedures for procurement in accordance with European law. [68048]
Mr. Lammy: The Department maintains comprehensive guidance covering all aspects of procurement activity, including the European Union Public Procurement Directives. This information and guidance is posted on the Department's Intranet to which all its staff has access.
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In addition to written instructions, the Department's central procurement policy and advisory unit exists to instruct and provide support to anyone in the Department who may be engaged in any procurement activity. It is a specific Departmental requirement that all procurements in excess of £50,000 involve the services of a trained purchaser.
Correspondence
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 22 April regarding the treatment of bowel cancer. [68289]
Ms Blears: A reply was sent on 11 July.
E-injuries
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken on children with (a) repetitive strain injury, (b) text message injury and (c) long-term injuries from playing gaming consoles. [68097]
Jacqui Smith: The main Government agency for medical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which is funded via the Department of Trade and Industry. The MRC funds research into repetitive strain injury and spent £97,000 on research into this condition in 2000–01. The MRC is not supporting any research into children with repetitive strain injury, text message injury or long term injuries from playing gaming consoles.
Eden Strang
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role his Department has played in the (a) release and (b) post-release arrangements of Eden Strang; and if he will make a statement. [67854]
Jacqui Smith: Mr. Strang was managed as a voluntary National Health Service patient.
His pre discharge and discharge plan was in line with the care programme approach which in general terms involves a multi-disciplinary assessment of health and social care needs, including risk assessment, and an appropriate care plan.
Community Equipment Services
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people benefited from the use of community equipment services in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001. [68271]
Jacqui Smith: It is estimated that 1,300,000 individual people benefited from National Health Service and social services community equipment services in the year ending 31 March 2001. An estimate is not available for the year ending 31 March 2000.
Defibrillators
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures his Department has put in place to ensure that members of staff at sites where automated defibrillators have been installed have been appropriately trained in the use of such equipment. [68275]
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Ms Blears: A defibrillator advisory committee (DAC) was established at the outset of the initiative to assist the government with the implementation of the defibrillator initiative. One of its tasks was to recommend criteria for the training competencies of those individuals who may be required to use an automated external defibrillator (AEDs) at sites identified. An initial four hour training programme was agreed that covered the training outcomes of basic life support (BLS) and the use of an AED. Trainees are not certified if they fail to achieve the crucial competencies. Refresher training occurs at six monthly intervals to ensure skill and knowledge retention. All trainees who pass the course are issued with a training record card that is certified by the trainer to show they have attended a training course in BLS and the use of an AED; this is updated following the successful completion of subsequent refresher training courses.
A formal procurement process to purchase training services was undertaken to meet the training requirements of the programme's national roll-out and to ensure the appropriate training of personnel at sites identified. Training contracts were awarded under the direction of the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) and in conjunction with medical and educational advisors from the resuscitation council (UK) Training contracts for five National Health Service regions were awarded to ambulance service training departments, St. John Ambulance was awarded contracts for two regions, and the British Red Cross was awarded a contract for one region.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new automated defibrillators have been installed in public places since 1 May. [68276]
Ms Blears: Since 1 May 2002, fifty-five automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been installed across seventeen public sites in England. Since the launch of the first site in April 2000, 542 AEDs have been installed across eighty-two sites.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff at each of the sites where automated defibrillators have been placed have participated in training programmes in their use. [68274]
Ms Blears [holding answer 10 July 2002]: By the end of June 2002, 2914 personnel across seventy-five sites identified for the Defibrillators in Public Places Initiative had received training in basic life support and the use of an automated external defibrillator. A breakdown of training activity at each site is illustrated below:
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