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6 Nov 2002 : Column 428W—continued
HEALTH
Faith Communities
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list projects involving faith communities which are supported by his Department. [71847]
Ms Blears: The Department recognises the diverse health needs within communities and the key role played by faith organisations, supporting National
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Health Service and social care organisations, to improve the health and well-being of local people. The Department's central funding should be viewed as complimentary to additional funding by local NHS and social care organisations working with local faith communities.
The Department's main funding support to voluntary / not for profit organisations is the Section 64 General Scheme under the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.
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Additionally there are smaller budgets managed by policy teams within the Department which are used to develop initiatives to improve access to healthcare, for example working through faith communities with black and minority ethnic groups on priority areas such as coronary heart disease, mental illness and cancer.
Grants Awarded, in the information provided, represents the amount of funding made available from 2002–3 onwards. The grant awarded will reflect, in some cases, the final year of a funding phase a three year funding ending in 2002–3.
| Organisation | Purpose of funding | Grant Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Muslim Khatri Association | To take forward the Department of Health's cancer and coronary heart disease prevention campaign by undertaking community education and health development activities in the Highfields area. | #102,000 |
| Arab Women's Group (Muslim | ||
| organisation) | To organise road shows within Arab catchment areas in Britain including community centres, Places of worship to provide information in Arabic on health, legal and welfare issues targeted at the Arab community. | #72,000 |
| Muslim Doctors and Dentists | ||
| Association | To promote healthy living in minority ethnic community centres run by the Muslim Doctors and Dentists Association specialists by organising seminars and producing leaflets. | #87,000 |
| Jewish Care | The Mental Health Outreach Project was originally piloted by Jewish Care in 2001. Support is tailored to the individual needs of service users and in line with the aims of the NSF. The team work to encourage and empower service users, to combat discrimination and to promote social inclusion both nationally and within the context of Jewish tradition and culture. The pilot has been successful and a waiting list now exists particularly as outreach targets people who are hard to engage. | #121,000 |
| Asian Family Counselling Service | The Naya Rasta—''New Hope'' project aim is to reduce the dependence of depressed Asian men and women on anti depressants. The project aims to offer clients one-to-one counselling as well as being part of a self-help group. | #105,000 |
| AIDS Care Education and | ||
| Training (ACET) | ACET's aim is to deliver prevention initiatives through a programme of sexual health education, and training for those who are working for and with young people. | #154,000 |
| The CARA Trust | The Trust provides pastoral care for people affected by HIV/AIDS; their relatives and friends; professional and voluntary carers. | #71,000 |
| Jewish AIDS Trust | Jewish AIDS Trust (JAT) provides culturally and religiously sensitive HIV and sexual health education/prevention programmes to a wide range of Jewish organisations. JAT is the only agency in the UK targeting this particular minority ethnic community. | #25,000 |
| Mildmay Mission Hospital | Mildmay is the UK's only specialist provider of HIV/AIDS palliative care services offering an integrated package of residential and day care services to people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. | #420,000 |
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Growth Hormone Deficiency
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to deal with medical problems associated with growth hormone deficiency. [73351]
Jacqui Smith: Clinicians are currently able to prescribe growth hormone, also known as somatropin, to patients with growth hormone deficiency.
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence did recommend the use of growth hormone in children earlier this year. It is currently appraising the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of human growth hormone in adults. There was an appeal against their 20 August 2002 final appraisal determination. This appeal has been partially upheld. Further work will be done in this area with a final decision expected early in the new year.
Oxygen Therapy
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many users of oxygen therapy there are in Huntingdonshire. [74231]
Ms Blears: The number of users of oxygen therapy is not available centrally.
Breast Cancer
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent representations he has received on the availability of taxanes; and if he will make a statement; [74214]
- (2) how much was spent on taxanes for breast cancer for the most recent financial year available, broken down by (a) health authority and (b) health trusts; and if he will make a statement; [74212]
(3) what estimate he has made of the number of women benefiting from treatment for breast cancer (a) before and (b) after publication of the most recent NICE guidance; and if he will make a statement. [74213]
Ms Blears: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its review of taxanes (docetaxel and paclitaxel) for the treatment of breast cancer in September 2001.
There have been no recent representations on the availability of taxanes.
All health authorities have confirmed that they are implementing the NICE appraisals. However, the Department does not hold central data on the number of patients treated with a particular drug or on the amount spent on individual drugs. NICE estimate the additional cost to the National Health Service of
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implementing the guidance on taxanes to be around #16 million per annum for England and Wales and that around 5,000 women are likely to benefit from the guidance.
Hospital Staffing Levels
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on staffing levels at Oldchurch Hospital, Romford. [75106]
Mr. Hutton: The annual workforce censuses do not provide information for individual trusts. Oldchurch hospital is part of Barking, Havering and Redbridge National Health Service Trust, which was formed in April 2001. There is therefore no comparable historical information.
The Department's vacancy survey collected information for the whole trust as at 30 March 2002. The trust has been ensuring that the impact of vacancies on the quality of care provided to its patients is minimised by being one of the first trusts in London to use the NHS Professionals service. NHS Professionals is a NHS temporary staffing service aimed at reducing reliance on expensive nursing agencies. The trust is also very active in pursuing the Improving Working Lives initiative. A steering group, with cross-trust representation, including staff-side, has been meeting since April to take forward the Improving Working Lives action plan, aimed at achieving practice status early in 2003.
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