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23 Oct 2002 : Column 395W—continued
GP Tsar
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many visits the GP tsar has made to Worthing in that capacity since his appointment. [75512]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: Professor David Colin-Thome, the National Clinical Director for Primary Care, has made two visits to Worthing since coming into office on the 1 May 2001.
Health Protection Agency
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with the transfer of the Public Health Authority to form the proposed new Health Protection Agency. [75507]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: Following plans in ''Getting Ahead of the Curve'' to transfer functions of the public health laboratory service (PHLS) and a number of other bodies to the proposed Health Protection Agency, we issued a consultation document on the necessary legislation in June 2002. We are now considering the replies and will announce our final decisions as soon as possible. Decisions about the transfer of the majority of the PHLS laboratories to the National Health Service were announced in September.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the headquarters of the new Health Protection Agency will be located. [74811]
Ms Blears: This would be for decision by the proposed Agency.
23 Oct 2002 : Column 396W
NHS Property Sales
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS properties sold in each of the last five years, with the proceeds raised; and what further sites have been identified for future disposal. [75526]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 21 October 2002]: Details of individual National Health Service properties sold and the proceeds raised in each of the last five years are not collected centrally. The table shows the total proceeds raised from the sale of NHS properties in each of the last five years.
| Year | Total Proceeds #million |
|---|---|
| 1997–1998 | 471 |
| 1998–1999 | 500 |
| 1999–2000 | 593 |
| 2000–2001 | 676 |
| 2001–2002 | 511 |
The total proceeds include transfers to and between trusts.
Attached is a list of major NHS properties that have either been identified as surplus to requirements or may become surplus has been placed in the Library. In some instances no formal decision to sell has been made. In some cases only part of a site will or is likely to be sold.
MRSA
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of MRSA have been reported in the last (a) six months and (b) year; and what new plans he has to combat this disease. [75567]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 21 October 2002]: The most recent data available from the mandatory surveillance system are up to June 2002. The total number of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia reports in England received during from January to June 2002 and July 2001 to June 2002 are shown in the table.
| No of MRSA bacteraemia reports | |
|---|---|
| (a) Jan 2002–June 2002 | 3525 |
| (b) July 2001–June 2002 | 7203 |
Source:
Public Health Laboratory Service
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 15 Apr 2002, Official Report, column 790W, which set out the main policy initiatives. The Chief Medical Officer's infectious disease strategy, Getting Ahead of the Curve, identified healthcare associated infection and antimicrobial resistance as priority areas and new targeted action plans to address both areas are currently being developed.
Extending Patient Choice
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what hospitals were shortlisted by his Department to undertake heart operations under the Extending Patient Choice initiative. [75505]
23 Oct 2002 : Column 397W
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: Following a tender exercise to identify non-National Health Service hospitals for the treatment of patients under the coronary heart disease patient choice initiative, the following hospitals were shortlisted:
- United Kingdom
- BMI Park, Nottingham
- BMI Priory, Birmingham
- BMI, London Independent
- BMI Thornbury, Sheffield
- BUPA Bristol
- BUPA Cambridge
- BUPA Chalybeate, Southampton
- BUPA Leeds
- BUPA Leicester
- BUPA Washington
- HCA (Harley St Clinic, London Bridge Hospital, Wellington Hospital)
- HCI, Glasgow
- King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst, Sussex
- Nuffield Leicester
- Yorkshire Clinic
- This shortlist does not preclude local commissioners from contracting with other hospitals, provided they have satisfied themselves that the relevant units satisfy value for money, quality of care and patient convenience criteria.
- European
- Azienda Ospedaliera Niguarda, Milan, Italy
- Clinique University UCL de Mont Godinne, Yvoir, Belgium
- Hopital Foch, Paris, France
- Imelda Hospital, Bonheiden, Belgium
- St Jan, Brugge, Belgium
- St Jean Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
- UZ University Hospital Gent, Belgium
- The shortlisted European hospitals are not guaranteed a contract and a team led by an NHS overseas treatment lead commissioner is taking forward discussions with these hospitals.
Renal Services
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what paediatric (renal services are available in (a) East Anglia and (b) Wales. [75541]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 21 October 2002]: Paediatric renal services are highly specialised. Children in the East Anglia area requiring treatment in a paediatric renal unit are referred to one of the national centres.
The provision of health services in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.
Upper Age Bars
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason there is an explicit upper age bar to (a) coronary care units and (b) cardiac rehabilitation units. [76131]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: It is an underlying principle of National Health Service care that access to services is based on clinical need alone. We are not aware of any NHS coronary care unit or rehabilitation service in England that restricts access to its services on the basis of age.
23 Oct 2002 : Column 398W
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason there is an explicit upper age limit for routine breast screening. [76130]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: The Forrest report, on which the National Health Service breast screening programme was based when it began in 1988, recommend that women aged 50 to 64 should be invited for breast screening. The Forrest report found that, in view of poor response rates, there was insufficient benefit to be gained by actively offering screening to women aged 65 or over. Women aged 65 and over are able to self-refer for breast screening every three years. Women who have participated in the programme are informed of this right at the age of 64.
Government funded pilot studies have now shown that extending routine invitations for breast screening to women aged 65 to 70 is both feasible and cost-effective. The NHS Cancer Plan gave the commitment that the programme will be extended to women aged 70 by 2004.
There is little research evidence to show whether population screening in the over 70s is effective in reducing mortality. What little evidence there is suggests that screening in this way may not be effective and could even do more harm than good to some women. However, for some individual women there will always be a clear benefit in screening. Women aged over 70 will be offered free three yearly screening on request, as are women aged 65 and over now.
Hospital Trusts (West Surrey)
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what basis the #16.9 million cut in the income for 2002–03 was apportioned between the three acute hospital trusts in West Surrey; [75491]
- (2) for what reason an extra #16.9 million has been added to the 2002–03 income of the primary care trusts in West Surrey; [75492]
(3) for what reason #7.9 million was cut from the 2002–03 income of the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust in August; [75490]
(4) for what reason #16.9 million was cut from the 2002–03 income of the three acute hospital trusts in West Surrey in August. [75494]
Ms Blears [holding answers 21 October 2002]: The allocation to the local health community has, in real terms, increased by 6.89 per cent. over the previous year. The apportionment to the trusts of this increased income has been set on the basis of service level agreements and the additional investment will help deliver the NHS Plan targets locally.
However, these agreements and the related trust budgets have had to be set on the basis of managing a long standing underlying financial deficit for the West Surrey health service community. The financial position last year was only achieved through the use of non-recurrent support of #15.6 million.
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional financial and staff resources are being made available to the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust to enable the implementation of its franchise plan. [75489]
23 Oct 2002 : Column 399W
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: Additional growth, modernisation and specific financial assistance is being made available to the local health community representing a real uplift in allocation of 6.89 per cent. over the last year. Special assistance is being made available to the trust for reforming emergency care from the modernisation agency and additional resource of #8.4 million is being made available.
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to bring to an end the Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust running a deficit budget. [75493]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: The management of the trust is a matter for the local health community managing within the context of Shifting the Balance of Power, local partnership and agreement. The underlying deficit will be resolved by the primary care trusts and National Health Service trusts within their three year plans. This will be performance managed through the local development plan which is currently being formulated by the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority.
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why the Franchise Plan for the Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust presented to the Government were not published until 10 October 2002. [75488]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: I am advised by Surrey & Sussex Strategic Health Authority that this was the planned date for publication.
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates the 2002–03 budget was (a) formally finalised and (b) published for (i) the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust and (ii) North Surrey Primary Care Trust. [75487]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 October 2002]: The financial framework was first received by the Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals National Health Service Trust board in June 2002.
The allocation for the North Surrey Primary Care Trust, established in April 2002, was set in December 2001 and the primary care trust agreed the financial framework in September 2002.
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