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Inappropriate Medication
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 10 July 2002, Official Report, column 1037W, on inappropriate medication, how many people died from (a) suffering adverse reactions and (b) being prescribed inappropriate medication in each (i) health authority and (ii) region in each of the last five years. [71946]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 22 July 2002]: Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to medicines are collected by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the yellow card scheme. There are approximately 20,000 reports of ADRs reported to the MCA and CSM through the yellow card scheme each year, of which approximately 3 per cent. report a fatal suspected ADR.
There are four regional monitoring centres (RMCs) that act locally on behalf of the CSM to collect reports of ADRs and to stimulate ADR reporting through local initiatives. These are CSM Mersey, CSM Wales, CSM Northern and CSM West Midlands. The table shows the total number of suspected ADR reports and reports with a fatal outcome received via the Yellow Card Scheme from 1997 to 2001. It includes the number of suspected ADR reports and reports with a fatal outcome received in each of the RMCs. A breakdown of ADR data by health authority is not available. Data from the yellow card scheme cannot be used to measure the frequency of an ADR in a particular region or health authority as ADR reporting is associated with an unknown and a variable degree of under reporting.
It is important to note that submission of a suspected ADR report does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the drug. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication and the underlying disease.
Separate figures are not available on adverse reactions resulting from patients being prescribed inappropriate medication. shirley
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*The total number of ADR reports (and reports with a fatal outcome) received by the Medicines Control Agency includes all ADR reports (and reports with a fatal outcome) received by the regional monitoring centres in addition to other sources.
Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health Authority
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the financial allocation to the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health Authority has been made on the basis of the combined allocation of its two predecessor health authorities in each year since its creation; and what those levels were;[71891]
- (2) what progress he has made in working with IW Stakeholders to recognise island factors in the process of financial allocations for local health services. [71892]
Ms Blears [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The issue of any additional costs associated with being an island was considered by the advisory committee on resources action (ACRA) in September 2002. ACRA concluded that the arguments presented in a local consultancy report on behalf of Isle of Wight health bodies did not constitute a convincing case. It recommended that there should be no adjustment to the Isle of Wight's target under the resource allocation formula. Ministers accepted ACRA's recommendation.
The initial allocations for 2001-02 were made on an aggregated basis of the two former health authorities. The 2002-03 allocation was made on a combined population of the merged authority. These figures are shown in the table.
| Health Authority | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|
| Isle of Wight HA | #108,678,000 | — |
| Portsmouth & South East Hants HA | #397,591,000 | — |
| Isle of Wight, Portsmouth & South East Hants HA | — | #561,429,000 |
From 2003-04 the intention is that allocations will be made directly to primary care trusts.
Local Consultations
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information and guidance he issues to strategic health authorities, NHS trusts and primary care trusts about involving the public in Local Consultations on the provision of health care and social services; and what plans he has to develop this. [72192]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 23 July 2002]: Section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 places a duty on National Health Service Trusts, Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and Strategic Health Authorities (StHAs) to make arrangements to involve and consult patients and
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the public in planning of service provision, involvement in the development of proposals for changes and involvement in decisions about changes to the operation of services.
Currently, work is in progress to develop guidance to support NHS organisations deliver this new requirement. The draft guidance is being developed and overseen by a reference group including representatives from: the local government association, the NHS confederation, Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales (ACHCEW), the society of community health councils staff, cancer link, Wolverhampton CVS, NHS leadership centre, directorates of health and social care, NHS Estates, general practitioners, PCTs and StHAs. In addition, many NHS organisations have contributed to the development of the draft document by providing examples of good practice and commenting on a recent draft version—to ensure that the final document enables effective policy development and a range of involvement strategies.
We also intend one of the key initial NHS demonstrators for fulfilling section 11 requirements will be for all NHS organisations to be signed up to, and working within, a geographically relevant local compact. The voluntary and community sector also have a key role to play in working with their local NHS organisations to enable as many people as possible to become involved in local NHS decision making processes to help ensure that patient and the public are at the centre of NHS decision making.
EU Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mandate of the EU Scientific Committee on veterinary measures relating to public health is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the United Kingdom representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if he will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [63639]
Ms Blears: The mandate for the Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures relating to Public Health is to answer scientific and technical questions, posed to it by the European Commission, concerning consumer health and food safety, and relating zoonotic, toxicological, veterinary and notably hygiene measures applicable to the production, processing, and supply of food of animal origin.
The committee has met five times in the last 12 months. It is composed of independent experts, one of whom is British.
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The committee is accountable solely to the European Commission, which pays the travel and subsistence costs. There are no additional costs to United Kingdom public funds. The minutes of its meetings and the opinions it produces are posted on the Commission's web site.
Acute Hospitals
Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services are included in the definition of core services with respect to an acute hospital in the NHS. [57295]
Mr. Hutton: There is no national definition of core services with respect to an acute hospital in the National Health Service. Each local service will reach agreement on where services can best be provided, and any substantial variation in services must be the subject of full public consultation.
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