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19 Nov 2002 : Column 99W—continued
Continuing Care
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people are receiving NHS-funded
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continuing care in (a) NHS hospitals and (b) nursing homes in each strategic health authority area in the UK; [80489]
- (2) how many continuing care assessments have been made each year since 1996 in the area of the former North Staffordshire health authority; and of those, how many have been deemed (a) eligible and (b) not eligible to receive NHS-funded continuing care. [80487]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally. Data for newly eligible patients in North Staffordshire for the period 1996–97 to 2000–01 are in the table. Data for patients who are not eligible have never been collected. No more recent data exists. From March 2003, the Department will be collecting information on the total number of people receiving continuing national health service health care and the number of people newly meeting eligibility criteria for continuing NHS health care.
| Physically ill | Mentally ill | Others | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 90 | 45 | 51 | 186 |
| 1999–2000 | 87 | 42 | 48 | 177 |
| 1998–99 | 90 | 42 | 49 | 181 |
| 1997–98 | (27)— | (27)— | (27)— | 215 |
| 1996–97 | (27)— | (27)— | (27)— | 289 |
(27) Data not subdivided
Delayed Discharges
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place a copy of the Quarter 2 2002–03 emergency readmission and delayed discharge figures for over 75s in the Library. [81720]
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Jacqui Smith . The Quarter 2, September 2002, figures on delayed discharge and emergency readmission should be available in December and when it is available I will put a copy in the Library.
Diabetes
Mr. Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will publish the National Service Framework delivery strategy for diabetes before the end of this year; [80788]
- (2) if he will ensure that the diabetes National Service Framework makes it clear to local health bodies that diabetes is a funding priority; and if he will make a statement. [80787]
Mr. Lammy: We shall be publishing the delivery strategy for the diabetes national service framework in the next few weeks. We have included two national targets for diabetes, for retinal screening and for practice-based registers and structured care, in 'Improvement, Expansion and Reform', which sets the priorities for the National Health Service for the next three years. We shall make announcements on funding for the NHS shortly.
European Food Safety Authority
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will be making nominations for the membership of the European Food Safety Authority's Scientific Panels; if he has made nominations for the panel on genetically modified organisms; whom he has nominated; which criteria were used to make nominations; and whether stakeholders and the public will be asked to make nominations. [80720]
Ms Blears [holding answer 18 November 2002]: The Government will not be making nominations. All members of the European food safety authority's scientific panels will be independent scientific experts selected following an open call for expressions of interest and appointed by the authority's management board.
Foster Carers
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many foster families were recruited in each of the last five years; [82033]
- (2) how many foster carers were (a) single and (b) couples in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [82032]
(3) how many foster parents have been recruited in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [81105]
Jacqui Smith: There is no national data collection of the number of foster parents recruited by local authorities and independent foster agencies.
Hepatitis C
Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the national strategy on hepatitis C will be implemented; what funding will be available; and what timetables are proposed. [80809]
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Ms Blears: The hepatitis C Strategy for England will form the basis of an action plan as proposed in the Chief Medical Officer's infectious diseases strategy, Getting Ahead of the Curve. This action plan will be drawn up by the end of 2002, following the consultation exercise. It will serve as a clear framework setting out actions that need to be taken by Government, the national health service and others to secure improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C.
A number of funding streams will support the strategy. A major component has been included in health authority allocations to support the National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommended combination drug treatments for moderate/severe liver disease caused by hepatitis C. Other funding streams are:
- Central funding of #1.3 million over two years, 2002–03 and 2003–04, has been allocated for raising professional and public awareness and improving surveillance. Funding for future years has yet to be decided.
- Funding for the voluntary sector specifically for hepatitis C projects and for projects which are directed at prevention activities for injecting drug users in general has been increased and currently stands at around #0.2 million for 2002–03.
- HIV prevention funding includes health promotion for injecting drug users. From 2002–03, HIV prevention is funded through main national health service allocations and #55 million has been included for the coming year. From the returns collected under the AIDS (Control) Act, approximately 14 per cent. in 1999–2000 of the separate allocation before mainstreaming was spent on prevention work on injecting drug use.
- The Department also has a central budget for drug misuse for the National Treatment Agency of #175.7 million for 2002–03.
MMR Vaccinations
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate supplies of single component MMR vaccinations for those parents (a) whose children have already started a course of such vaccinations and (b) who wish their children to start a course of such vaccinations. [82020]
Ms Blears: The Department does not purchase single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines for children. This is because the triple MMR vaccine provides the best protection against these three potentially fatal diseases.
Children who have started a course of single measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations can complete it using the triple MMR vaccine. Children wishing to start a course of single vaccines are recommended to use the triple vaccine.
Royal United Hospital, Bath
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the length of ambulance waits outside casualty at the Royal United Hospital, Bath; [80722]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the length of trolley waits at the Royal United Hospital, Bath; [80724]
(3) what assessment he has made of current and foreseeable wait time data at the Royal United Hospital, Bath. [80723]
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Ms Blears: Information on ambulance waits outside accident and emergency departments is not collected centrally. However, I have been advised by Wiltshire Ambulance Service national health service trust that waiting times at the Royal United Hospital, Bath have substantially improved in the past two months and average waits are not disrupting ambulance services.
I am also advised by Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority that Royal United Hospital Bath NHS trust has had no trolley waits over 12 hours since July 2002 and that the trust is meeting waiting time targets for both in-patients and out-patients. The trust is continuing to work to minimise trolley waits and to improve waiting times. It is aiming to hit both the 12-month target for in-patients and also the 21-week target for out-patients by the end of March 2003.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the financial position of (a) Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust, (b) West Wiltshire NHS Primary Care Trust and (c) Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. [80725]
Ms Blears [holding answer 18 November 2002]: The Royal United Hospital Bath is reporting a forecast income and expenditure deficit of #25.2 million for the financial year 2002–03. This deficit is acknowledged to be part of a wider Bath health community financial deficit of #30.7 million and is not wholly attributable to any individual organisation. Bath health community is working in conjunction with the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority to develop plans leading to financial balance.
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust is predicting a year-end deficit of #1.4 million. West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust also has a deficit of #1.2 million. The trusts continue to work with partner agencies to develop solutions to address these problems. Progress has been made in a number of localities and a consultation on service development is under way in others.
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