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27 Feb 2003 : Column 702W—continued
National Institute for Mental Health
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) clinical and (b) non-clinical staff work for each regional centre for the National Institute for Mental Health. [97876]
Jacqui Smith: The table shows the numbers of clinical and non-clinical staff currently working in each development centre of the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMHE). Further staff may be employed in the future for short-term specific projects. These will in most cases be clinically trained. Development centres will also be engaged in supporting and facilitating networks of clinical staff to undertake region wide developing activity. The majority of people involved in the work of NIMHE's Development Centres will therefore be clinically trained and engaged in clinical activity.
| Regional Development Centres | Clinical staff(23) | Non-clinical staff(23) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 2.8 | 3.6 |
| West Midlands | 3.8 | 5 |
| East Midlands | — | 1.5 |
| London | 1.1 | 5.8 |
| South West | 2.5 | 5.5 |
| North West | 2 | 3 |
| North East/Yorkshire and Humberside | 7.8 | 11 |
| South East | — | 7.2 |
(23) Whole time equivalent
NHS Dentistry
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists (a) are practising in south-west Hampshire and (b) have left the NHS in south-west Hampshire in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [99034]
Ms Blears: The latest information available is for the general dental service (GDS) for Southampton and South West Hampshire Health Authority (HA) area at 30 September 2002. 206 dentists were working in the GDS in Southampton and South West Hampshire HA
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area at 30 September 2002, six more than in September 2001. Eleven dentists previously practising in the HA area left the GDS in the 12 months to 30 September 2002.
Information is not collected centrally on dentists leaving and joining other dental services, including the personal dental service, community and hospital dental services.
NHS Direct
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls were made to NHS Direct between (a) 15 October 2000 and 10 February 2001, (b) 15 October 2001 and 10 February 2002 and (c) 15 October 2002 and 10 February 2003. [97821]
Mr. Lammy: 1,279,200 calls were made to NHS Direct between 15 October 2000 and 10 February 2001. 1,862,500 calls were made between 15 October 2001 and 10 February 2002 and 2,000,500 calls made between 15 October 2002 and 10 February 2003.
Nurse Recruitment (Portsmouth)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on nurse recruitment in the Portsmouth area in the last three months. [98348]
Ms Blears: In addition to undertaking a tender procurement exercise to set up a national health service e-recruitment project, the Department of Health is launching the 2003 national recruitment campaign for the NHS in February. The purpose of the national campaign is to provide a national brand for the NHS that is flexible and can be adapted at a local level to increase the impact of local recruitment activities.
I am advised that at local level within Hampshire & Isle of Wight, recruitment initiatives are also on going. These include; restructuring recruitment functions to form specialist teams working on long term and short term needs, implementation of a recruitment and retention strategy group, local and national advertisements, targeted advertisements in RGN student handbook, RCN Bulletin, and Nursing Times, roadshows, events in the hospitals, and other promotional events.
The Portsmouth City Primary Care Trust has recently launched its own website, which includes a job shop page advertising all vacancies including qualified nurses and there are a limited number of secondment opportunities to Southampton University to undertake qualified nurse training in adult mental health.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was from April to December 2002 of prescribing (a) Yasmin and (b) Marvelon. [97954]
Ms Blears: During the six months April to September 2002, the net ingredient cost of the hormonal contraceptive pills Yasmin and Marvelon prescribed and dispensed in the community in England was £786,400 and £1.71 million respectively. The number of prescription items of Yasmin and Marvelon that were dispensed in the community over this time was 44,800 and 162,300 respectively.
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Net ingredient cost refers to the cost, which the dispenser is reimbursed, of the drug before discounts and does not include any dispensing costs or fees. Data have been provided from the prescription cost analysis (PCA) system and data to September 2002 are the latest available. PCA does not cover items dispensed in hospitals or private prescriptions. PCA only covers drugs that are on a prescription. Therefore contraceptive pills dispensed in family planning clinics are not included in these data.
Parkinson's Disease
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ban the use of tissue from aborted foetuses in research for Parkinson's disease; and what assessment he has made of the side-effects caused to patients by its use in research. [97986]
Ms Blears: There are no plans to ban the use of foetal tissue in therapeutic research programmes. In accordance with the Polkinghorne guidelines research ethics committees need to examine all such proposals. Research or innovative therapy involving foetal tissue must be assessed on the merit of the individual proposal and the ethical issues involved. Any adverse effects observed would need to be reported through the appropriate systems in accordance with the Research Governance Framework for Health and Social Care (2001).
Pompe's Disease
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what trials are taking place on methods of treatment for Pompe's disease; and if he will make a statement. [98819]
Jacqui Smith: We recognise and are sympathetic to the problems experienced by people who have Pompe's disease, and understand the difficulties and distress caused for them and their families. Current treatment consists of symptomatic management of cardiac and respiratory failure, provided through mainstream health services. We are aware that some trials are taking place overseas of the effectiveness of enzyme replacement therapy with a view to producing specialist effective therapy over the next few years.
The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry. The MRC is not currently funding any treatment trials into Pompe's Disease. However, the MRC always welcomes high quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands in funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health. As a rule, the MRC does not earmark funds for particular topics.
Rohypnol
Rev Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to reclassify Rohypnol; and how many doses of Rohypnol have been prescribed in each country of the United Kingdom in each year since 2000. [98364]
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Ms Blears: Rohypnol, the proprietary name for the substance flunitrazepam, is one of the benzodiazepine family of drugs, and is controlled as a Class 'C' drug. There are no plans to reclassify it. Rohypnol has not been dispensed in the community in England since 1985.
Information relating to Wales and Scotland are for the devolved administrations to respond to. Whilst institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.
Stroke Units
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of stroke patients were treated in a stroke unit for the minimum effective time in the last three months. [99318]
Jacqui Smith: We do not routinely collect the information requested. The most comprehensive source of information on stroke services is the National Sentinel Stroke Audit, carried out by the Royal College of Physicians. The results can be found at http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/pubs/strokeaudit01–02.pdf.
Sustainable Communities
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions he has made in his departmental budget for the spending entailed in the Sustainable Communities plan on healthcare in Ashford; and if he will make a statement. [98635]
Ms Blears: Sustainable Communities Plan is an initiative of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and has indicated a sum of £164 million available over the next three years for Milton Keynes/South Midlands, Ashford, London-Stanstead and Cambridge.
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Ashford Borough Council and strategic partners have been working for some time on an "Ashford's Future" study, and I am advised that in December 2001, key capacity issues were examined including a health profile of Ashford together with a health and modernisation plan produced by Ashford Primary Care Group. The study addressed current deficits and the vision for primary and community care looked at how many general practitioner surgeries would be needed over the growth period. "Ashford's Future The Overarching Report", published December 2002, included an indication of the number of primary care centres that would be required, phased over time.
Ashford Primary Care Trust and the Kent & Medway Strategic Health Authority will be key partners in the planning process as action planning becomes more detailed. The PCT will use the local delivery plan process and the StHAs capital funding process to progress development in Ashford.
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