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21 Nov 2002 : Column 241W—continued
Patient Prospectus Initiative
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Department in conjunction with the strategic health authorities are overseeing with regard to the delivery of the patient prospectus initiative. [80136]
Mr. Lammy: The Department is working closely with strategic health authorities' communication functions to maintain a progress overview of distribution. While it is for individual primary care trusts to organise local
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delivery arrangements, the Department is continuing to act in a facilitative role and to identify local support needs through StHAs.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department estimates has been spent by each primary care trust on the patient prospectus initiative. [80403]
Mr. Lammy: The responsibility for funding and compiling the prospectus leaflets was placed with primary care trusts (PCTs), who were encouraged to select the most appropriate and efficient local means of managing all aspects of prospectus production. The Department does not collect centrally the cost to each PCT of the patient prospectus initiative.
Physiotherapy/Chiropody
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the action he has taken to protect titles for physiotherapists and chiropodists. [81572]
Mr. Hutton: The Health Professions Order provides a register which will be divided into parts in respect of which there will be designated titles.
Under transitional arrangements a person who has not previously been registered may qualify for registration on the basis of safe and effective practice for a specified period or by satisfying the Health Professions Council (HPC) that additional experience and training give him the requisite standard of proficiency to be registered. To benefit from the transitional arrangements a person must apply within two years of the opening of the relevant part of the register. The HPC expect to open the new register in April 2003. Once the register is open no one can use the designated title lawfully unless he is registered or benefits from transitional arrangements.
Poultry
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many samples of poultry, by category, had a water content of (a) 0–10 per cent., (b) 11–20 per cent., (c) 21–30 per cent, (d) 31–40 per cent., and (e) 41 per cent. and more in each of the last 10 years. [81584]
Ms Blears: The Food Standards Agency has undertaken two surveys investigating added water in poultry and poultry products. The survey reported in October 2000, in the Food Survey Information Sheet 8/00, focused on added water in whole chicken and chicken parts, including half, quarter, boneless and skinless breast, thigh, drumstick and wing, sold mainly in the retail sector. The second survey reported in December 2001, in the Food Survey Information Sheet 20/01, investigated added water, chicken content and hydrolysed protein in frozen chicken breast products supplied to the catering trade. Copies of the two survey information sheets have been place in the Library.
The water content found in the poultry samples analysed in the two surveys is summarised in Tables 1 and 2.
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| Poultry category | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of samples found with added water (percentage of those sampled) | |||
| Percentage water content of chicken | Whole chicken(4) | Boneless and skinless chicken breast(5) | Chicken thigh(6) |
| No added water | 37 (49%) | 72 (72%) | 36 (88%) |
| 0–10 | 25 (33%) | (7)16 (26%) | (8)5 (12%) |
| 11–20 | 14 (18%) | 4 (4%) | 0 |
| 21–30 | 0 | 1 (1%) | 0 |
| 31–40 | 0 | 6 (6%) | 0 |
| 41+ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
(4) 76 total samples
(5) 99 total samples
(6) 41 total samples
(7) 9 (9 per cent.) of these breast samples had not more than 2 per cent. water
(8) All of the thigh samples had not more than 2 per cent. water
| Percentage water content in chicken | Frozen, skinless chicken breasts products(9) Number of samples found with added water (percentage of those sampled) |
|---|---|
| No water added | 1 (1%) |
| 0–10 | 4 (6%) |
| 11–20 | 8 (12%) |
| 21–30 | 35 (51%) |
| 31–40 | 16 (24%) |
| 41+ | 4 (6%) |
(9) 68 total samples
Prescribing
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on anticipatory prescribing following the observations made by the Commission for Health Improvement following publication of their report 'Portsmouth Healthcare NHS Trust at Gosport War Memorial Hospital'. [80113]
Ms Blears: The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) expressed serious concerns about anticipatory prescribing of medicines to older people on two wards in Gosport War Memorial hospital in 1998. During the course of its investigation in 2002, the CHI welcomed the introduction and adherence to policies regarding the administration, review and recording of medicines. Anticipatory prescribing was no longer evident on these wards.
The decision when and how much to prescribe is a matter for the clinical judgement of the doctor caring for the patient.
Pre-Payment Prescriptions
Mr. Flook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the time taken to issue pre-payment certificates for NHS prescription charges is; and if he will make a statement. [80608]
- (2) when the issuing of pre-payment certificates for NHS prescription charges was centralised in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. [80609]
(3) what estimate he has made of when the issuing of pre-payment certificates for prescription charges will meet the contract delivery target; and what that target is. [80610]
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(4) for what reason the telephone number for inquiries about slow processing of pre-payment certificates now centralised in Newcastle-upon-Tyne was not included in the information sent to existing users. [80611]
(5) where the call centre that handles inquiries about delays in processing pre-payment certificates for prescription charges is physically based. [80612]
Mr. Lammy: The Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA) became responsible for the issue of pre-payment certificates (PPCs) in respect of applications received on or after 1 October. Applications sent before 1 October should have been dealt with by health authorities and the PPA telephone number for inquiries should therefore have been irrelevant to people who applied for PPCs before that date. A number of health authorities did, however, send applications received before 1 October to the PPA. Rather than return them and thus add further to the time taken to issue certificates, the PPA decided that they would issue the certificates themselves.
The target for issuing pre-payment certificates ordered by telephone is 14 days and that target is being met. The target for issuing PPCs by post is 21 calendar days of the application being received (as shown on the application form) and that target is being met. On 19 November applications received by post on 1 November were being processed. Applications made by phone are generally being processed within seven days. These targets will be kept under review.
The call centre that handles telephone requests for PPCs and inquiries is based in Nottingham. A further inquiry line is based in Newcastle.
Royal Hospital, Haslar
Mr. Viggers : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the financial cost of (a) retaining services at the Royal Hospital Haslar and (b) bringing such services together on the Queen Alexandra Hospital site in Cosham. [80729]
Ms Blears: A review of the private finance initiative scheme to develop the Queen Alexandra Hospital site was undertaken in July 2002. I am advised by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic health authority that the review clarified that the revenue consequences of the development of the Queen Alexandra Hospital site amounted to #44 million per annum.
The strategic health authority has also advised me that the review also considered the Xdo minimum option", which included the assumption that the Royal Hospital Haslar was retained. The revenue consequences of this option amounted to #43.2 million per annum. However, the overall conclusion of the review was that this option, including the retention of Haslar, was no more financially advantageous than the preferred development of the Queen Alexandra Hospital site. Moreover, the Xdo minimum" option failed to deliver the strategic service changes and clinical benefits required.
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Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the development of a Diagnostic and Treatment Centre at the Royal hospital Haslar. [80799]
Ms Blears: The first phase of the diagnosis and treatment centre at Royal hospital Haslar has been implemented and is progressing well. The second phase of the project is due for completion in December 2002 and at present, is on course to meet this target.
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