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7 Apr 2003 : Column 94W—continued
Asthma
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to improve services for people with asthma; and if he will make a statement; [102663]
- (2) what the average amount spent in 2002–03 on asthma care by primary care trusts in (a) the north-west region and (b) England is. [102661]
Jacqui Smith: That information is not held centrally. However we estimate that the net ingredient cost of prescriptions dispensed in the community for the treatment of asthma, in England for 2001–02 is 574 million. Patients with asthma are able to access the full range of National Health Service support services in both primary and secondary care settings.
People with asthma will benefit from the emerging expert patients programme which will, via the NHS, provide training in self-management skills for people with long term chronic conditions. We have now commenced on a fourth wave pilot phase for the remaining selected primary care trusts, with activity taking place on a generic basis.
The previous pilots have been well received by the course participants.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on asthma inhalers for children. In September 2000 it issued guidance on the use of inhalers for children under five. NICE also published guidance on inhaler devices for older children, age range five to 15, on 11 April 2002.
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Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that people with asthma have their inhaling technique monitored on a regular basis; and if he will make a statement. [106803]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 3 April 2003]: We do not have specific plans to ensure that inhaling techniques are monitored on a regular basis. However the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) produced guidance on inhaler devices for older children (age range five to 15) on 11 April 2002, which mentions the importance of considering the monitoring of effective inhaler techniques. Additionally on 8 September 2000 NICE issued guidance on the use of inhalers for children under five. This guidance states that general practitioners/community health carers have an essential role in providing support and guidance to aid the management of a child's condition, and advice on general management may result in additional improvements in clinical effectiveness.
Additionally people with asthma will benefit from the emerging expert patients programme which will, via the national health service, provide training in self-management skills for people with long term chronic conditions.
Expert groups such as the British Thoracic Society have also developed clinical guidelines for the management of asthma.
A new general medical services contract agreement was launched on Friday 21 February 2003, which if accepted by the profession, will lead to an unprecedented level of new investment in general practice to deliver a wider range of high quality services with better clinical outcomes for all patients.
Care Assistants
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to encourage people to take up jobs as care assistants caring for (a) elderly and (b) disabled people. [106545]
Jacqui Smith: The Department is conducting a national recruitment campaign for social care to support employers. The campaign includes actions to encourage the recruitment of social carers. This aspect of the campaign, to undertake more work on the recruitment of social careworkers which includes care assistants for disabled and older people, will be stepped up during this year.
The Government is funding a new human resource development specific grant to local Councils, worth £9.5 million, in 2003–04. One of the central purposes of this grant is to enable social care employers across the statutory, private and voluntary sectors to tackle problems of recruitment and retention.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with (a) local authorities and (b) care agency companies regarding shortages of care assistants. [106546]
Jacqui Smith: While we have not directly had discussions with care agency companies, local authorities and independent sector service providers are represented on a number of groups that advise the Department on recruitment policy.
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Care Homes
Mr. Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 21 March 2003, Official Report, column 963W, on care homes, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of writing to care home providers on passing on the free nursing care contribution to residents. [105883]
Jacqui Smith: As a result of this exchange of correspondence an announcement of a package of measures to address this was made in a press release on 11 March 2002, 2002/0124. A copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Child Abandonment
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance is available to families (a) in difficulty and (b) with a child with disability to prevent potential abandonment. [105936]
Jacqui Smith: In England and Wales, section 17 of the Children Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need and, so far as is consistent with that duty, to promote the upbringing of such children by their parents. Councils can meet that duty by providing services to families, where this is the best way to meet the needs of the child. The criteria in the Children Act, which defines those are in need, includes all disabled children.
Children in Care
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken into the wraparound model for caring for looked after children. [106784]
Jacqui Smith: The Department of Health recognises that some looked after children displaying severe levels of challenging or anti-social behaviour require a specialised approach. The care planning process used for all looked after children seeks to ensure that the most appropriate carers, services and supports are available to meet the child's identified developmental needs. For some children, a specialised multi-agency approach, that will address the child's individual needs by providing specific therapeutic and behavioural management, will be required. The Department is therefore funding a Treatment Foster Care Intervention to provide structured support to the child, his/her foster carers and birth or adoptive families that addresses all the child's needs simultaneously. The model being used has been extensively evaluated in the United States and the Department of Health is commissioning evaluation of the English model.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 31 March 2003, Official Report, columns 39–40WS, on children in care, what the outcomes are for 11-year-old looked-after children in (a) English and (b) maths in each of the last five years; and what results will be measured for 11-year-old looked-after children under the new PSA target. [107002]
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Jacqui Smith: Data were first collected for the year ending 30 September 2000. This data and the data from 2001, are shown in the table. Data for year ending September 2002 will be available at the end of June 2003.
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The revised target measures the relative proportions of children in care achieving level 4 in English and Maths at Key Stage 2 compared with the proportions of all 11-year-olds achieving that level.
| Looked-after children | All children | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | Percentage | ||||
| Year 6 | 2000 | 2001 | 2000 | 2001 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Number eligible to sit Key Stage 2 tasks and tests | 2,700 | 2,800 | — | — | — | — |
| Number who attained at least Level 42 in the following: | ||||||
| English | 860 | 940 | 32.3 | 33.3 | 74 | 74 |
| Mathematics | 810 | 820 | 30.4 | 29.1 | 71 | 70 |
(19) Children who had been looked after continuously for at least 12 months at 30 September
(20) Target level for age group
Sources:
1. For 'all children': DfES statistical bulletin 'National curriculum assessments of 7, 11 and 14-year-olds in England—2001'.
2. For 'looked after children': OC2 return. Annual publication: 'Outcome Indicators for Looked after Children, year ending 30 September 2001, England'.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 31 March 2003, Official Report, columns 39–40WS, on children in care, what targets will be set for looked-after children who undergo less than one year of continuous care. [107003]
Jacqui Smith: The attainment of children who spend shorter times in care is important. We will, therefore, be consulting stakeholders on how best to achieve the introduction of individual education targets for all children in care. The Government will also put in place arrangements to analyse data from the new pupil level annual school census, in order to improve our understanding of outcomes for those young people who have spent any time in care. The results of this analysis will be used to inform the development of future policy.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 31 March, on children in care, whether a child who has entered a period of foster care is classified as a child in continuous looked-after child care. [107005]
Jacqui Smith: Yes. If a local council provides foster care for a child, under the Children Act 1989, that child is regarded as being looked after by the council.
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