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XChanging Habits"

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of the Audit Commission recommendations from their report Changing Habits, have been adopted by the Government. [82275]

Ms Blears: The recommendations in the Changing Habits report were very much in line with the Government's drugs policy and were therefore accepted. In fact, work on the areas highlighted in the report had been either undertaken prior to the publication of the report or was in the process of being developed.

XValuing People" White Paper

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress made delivering

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the commitments in the White Paper 'Valuing People', published in March 2001, with particular reference to (a) the Learning Disability and Development Fund, (b) the Implementation Support Fund, (c) the Quality Protects programme, (d) the Schools Access Initiative, (e) the Standards Fund, (f) funds invested in the development of advocacy services for people with learning disabilities, and (g) the development of a national learning disability information centre and helpline. [87379]

Jacqui Smith: I reported progress to the House on 1 February, Official Report, column. 535 and on 26 September in my reply to the hon. Member for Daventry, Official Report, column 391W. The Learning Disability Task Force, which monitors and supports implementation of the Valuing People programme, expects to publish its first annual report in January. I will be responding to that report when I publish my own report on learning disability services shortly afterwards. My report will give a full account of progress made with the delivery of Valuing People.

We continue to make good progress. This was acknowledged by the recognition given to Valuing People in the recent Institute for Public Policy Research/Guardian Public Involvement awards.

Accident and Emergency Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of minor injuries services in A and E departments are nurse-led. [87532]

Mr. Lammy: Data on the proportion of minor injuries services in accident and emergency (A and E) departments that are nurse-led is not available centrally.

The Reforming Emergency Care Strategy, launched in October 2001, introduced a new streaming system so that patients with minor injuries or illness are separated from those with more serious problems. #40 million was invested to recruit 600 additional A and E nurses to help deliver streaming in A and E departments.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the additional accident and emergency nurses announced by his Department on 23 October 2001 have been recruited; and where they are located. [87529]

Mr. Lammy: On 25 October 2001, the Reforming Emergency Care Strategy was announced including #40 million to fund an additional 600 accident and emergency nursing (A&E) posts.

At 30 November 2002, 743 additional A&E nurses announced on 25 October 2001 had been recruited and 679 of these were in post.

The location by strategic health authority (StHA) of these additional nurses is shown in the table.

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			Number of these nurses in post by 30 November	Number of these nurses appointed but not yet in post by 30 November
DHSC	StHA		Whole time equivalent
		England	679.35	63.95
Y21		London	154.9	12
Y22		Midland and Eastern	159.22	14
Y23		North	194.8	30.35
Y24		South	170.43	7.6
Y21	Q04	North West London StHA	45	4
Y21	Q05	North Central London StHA	25	1
Y21	Q06	North East London StHA	35.4	1
Y21	Q07	South East London StHA	32.5	5
Y21	Q08	South West London StHA	17	1
Y22	Q24	Trent StHA	26	5
Y22	Q25	Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland StHA	14.06	0
Y22	Q26	Shropshire and Staffordshire StHA	9.8	1
Y22	Q27	Birmingham and the Black Country StHA	37	0
Y22	Q28	Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire StHA	16	0
Y22	Q01	Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire StHA	10	3
Y22	Q02	Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire StHA	27.82	5
Y22	Q03	Essex StHA	18.54	0
Y23	Q09	Northumberland, Tyne and Wear StHA	15.9	1.5
Y23	Q10	County Durham and Tees Valley StHA	19	22.65
Y23	Q11	North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire StHA	12	0
Y23	Q12	West Yorkshire StHA	33.2	1.2
Y23	Q13	Cumbria and Lancashire StHA	26	0
Y23	Q14	Greater Manchester StHA	34.75	0
Y23	Q15	Cheshire and Merseyside StHA	40.4	5
Y23	Q23	South Yorkshire StHA	13.55	0
Y24	Q16	Thames Valley StHA	21.5	0
Y24	Q17	Hampshire and Isle of Wight StHA	25.69	2
Y24	Q18	Kent and Medway StHA	13	0
Y24	Q19	Surrey and Sussex StHA	58.29	1.6
Y24	Q20	Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire StHA	36.85	0
Y24	Q21	South West Peninsula StHA	8.6	1
Y24	Q22	Somerset and Dorset StHA	6.5	3

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used for streaming patients on waiting lists in A&E units. [87528]

Mr. Lammy: The Reforming Emergency Care Strategy launched in October 2001, introduced a new streaming system in accident and emergency (A&E) departments so that patients with minor injuries or illness are separated from those with more serious problems. Each stream is seen in parallel by staff dedicated to that stream.

Streaming patients ensures that patients with minor conditions do not wait disproportionate lengths of time whilst safeguarding immediate treatment for the more seriously ill or injured. #40 million was invested to recruit 600 additional A&E nurses to help deliver streaming in A&E departments.

It is for clinical decision in individual A&E departments to decide which patients have minor injuries or illnesses that can be treated in a separate dedicated stream.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the additional Accident and Emergency consultants envisaged in the Government's strategy document have been recruited. [87531]

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Mr. Lammy: The Reforming Emergency Care Strategy was launched in October 2001. It states that an additional 183 accident and emergency (A&E) consultants will be recruited by 2004, an increase of 40 per cent., as part of the planned expansion of consultant numbers in the NHS Plan.

As at 31 March 2002, there were 486 consultants in A&E. This represents an increase of 26 per cent. since September 1997.

Current workforce projections suggest that by March 2004, there may be sufficient trained specialists to increase numbers in A&E by around 190 over a 2,000 baseline. This takes account of expected numbers of additional recruits and numbers leaving due to retirement.

Acute Care

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cleaning contractors have lost their contracts as a result of non-performance in acute hospitals in each of the past three years. [88764]

Mr. Lammy: Figures for private sector cleaning contractors who have had their contracts terminated by

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National Health Service trusts for poor performance in each of the past three years are as follows:

In 2000—one contract terminated


In 2001—two contracts terminated


In 2002—six contracts terminated

Adverse Drug Reactions

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adverse drug reactions have been reported by nurses to the electronic yellow card scheme in each of the last three months. [88246]

Ms Blears: The Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) launched a new electronic yellow card on the 31 October 2002. To date the MCA and CSM have received four reports of suspected adverse drug reactions submitted by nurses using the electronic yellow card. Three electronic reports were received from nurses during November and one report was received during December, out of a total of 29 electronic reports.

Ambulance Service

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it the policy of the Government that access to the NHS ambulance service should be available to patients travelling to private hospitals when referred by NHS GPs; and if he will make a statement. [87730]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 17 December 2002]: National health service ambulance services are available to patients travelling to private hospitals when they are receiving NHS treatment at that hospital or if they are receiving treatment at a private hospital within the trust's normal catchment area.

Ambulance Trusts

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which ambulance trusts he and his ministerial colleagues have visited in the past year. [88161]

Mr. Lammy: The Ministerial Team has visited the following ambulance trusts in 2002.

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London Ambulance Trust—21 January 2002, 25 June 2002 and 4 September 2002.

Greater Manchester Ambulance Services National Health Service Trust—24 April 2002.

Warwickshire Ambulance Trust—26 September 2002.

West Country Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust—14 November 2002.

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