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12 May 2003 : Column 108W—continued
Domiciliary Oxygen
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response he has made to the recommendations of the Royal College of Physicians on ambulatory and domiciliary oxygen supply. [111780]
Mr. Lammy: We have been reviewing the domiciliary oxygen supply in the light of the report from the Royal College of Physicians. I hope to announce the outcome of that review shortly.
Pharmacies
Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to safeguard the future of local pharmacies and chemists within the national health service. [111744]
Mr. Lammy: We are committed to improving access to pharmacies and to driving up the quality of the services they provide for patients. We are currently discussing with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and the NHS Confederation a new national contractual framework to support these objectives. We aim to have this in place by April 2004. Additionally,
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national health service primary care trusts can devise contracts for local pharmaceutical services, which address particular needs.
Public Health
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department intends to take to implement the recommendations in the 1988 Public Health in England report by the Chief Medical Officer on revising the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. [110922]
Ms Blears: Public Health in England was commissioned by a previous Government. Its recommendation, that the then Department of Health and Social Security
"should revise the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 with a view to producing a more up to date and relevant legislative backing to control of communicable disease and infection", was taken forward by publication of a consultation document Review of Law on Infectious Disease Control in 1989. However, the then Government did not subsequently put before Parliament proposals for changes to the 1984 Act.
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a consolidating piece of legislation which defines citizens' rights to access to public health services. [109974]
Ms Blears: There are no plans to do so.
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional financial assistance will be given to the Royal Shrewsbury hospital in 2003–04 to improve cancer services. [111920]
Mr. Lammy: In the financial year 2003–04, the Royal Shrewsbury hospital National Health Service Trust will receive the following funding for cancer services:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Breast cancer prognostic testing | 24,000 |
| NICE allocations for cancer | 225,000 |
| Endocopy/colonoscopy | 125,000 |
| General growth in clinical oncology and clinical oncologists | 34,000 |
Source:Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust
Salt
Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on salt intake in food in the UK. [111211]
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Ms Blears: At the request of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Scientific Committee on Nutrition has reviewed the evidence on the public health implications of dietary salt intakes of the United Kingdom population. It is expected that the committee will publish its report on this shortly. Papers relating to the Committee's work on this matter are available on its website at www.SACN.gov.uk.
It is likely that the committee will support previous expert advice that significant public health gains would be achieved if consumers, including children, reduced their salt intake. In anticipation of this the FSA, working in conjunction with the Department of Health, has been in discussion with food industry organisations about reducing salt levels in processed food which contributes most to current salt intakes in the UK.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the alert on severe acute respiratory syndrome was disseminated to (a) health professionals and (b) the public. [108180]
Ms Blears: The Department of Health issued information and advice to all general practitioners, trusts and public health professionals on Friday 14 March and on Monday 7 April via the Chief Medical Officers Public Health Link System. The Department also issued advice to the public and travellers about severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) through its website, which is reviewed on a daily basis.
Following the statement in the House by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, on 28 April, a letter went to all chief executives of national health service primary care trusts, reminding them of the precautionary action they need to take in their own organisations in case of further possible cases of SARS presenting to the NHS.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will allocate funding for a vaccine to counter severe acute respiratory syndrome. [107930]
Ms Blears: The probable causative pathogen of severe acute respiratory syndrome has only recently been identified. There is still a certain amount of scientific work to be carried out before we can start research into the development of a vaccine.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the level of satisfaction amongst health professionals with the (a) adequacy and (b) timeliness of information on severe acute respiratory syndrome. [108181]
Ms Blears: We have provided early, accurate information to both the public and the health service in response to the World Health Organisation (WHO) global alert about severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) contacted all doctors on 14 March and subsequently on 7 April with detailed information on the symptoms and signs of SARS, and what to do if they encountered a possible case. Up to date information on SARS is also available to the public on the WHO, Health Protection Agency
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and Department of Health websites, as well as through the NHS Direct telephone helpline, which many members of the public have contacted.
The CMO issued advice to people travelling abroad on 2, 23 and 30 April in line with WHO recommendations. He strongly advised against travel to specific SARS affected areas. That remains his very strong advice.
As a result of this timely response, to date we have had only six probable cases of SARS in the United Kingdom against a total of 6,583 in 27 countries.
Statutory Instrument(Food Supplements Directive)
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the Statutory Instrument on the Food Supplements Directive. [111026]
Ms Blears: The Food Standards Agency expects The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 to be published in June 2003.
Stroke Treatment
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to conduct an investigation into the treatment of stroke patients at Eastbourne District General Hospital since 1992; and if he will make a statement. [108433]
Ms Blears: The Department has no plans to investigate the treatment of stroke patients at Eastbourne District General Hospital.
The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) was set up by the Government to improve the quality of patient care in the National Health Service across England and Wales. CHI started operating on 1 April 2000 and has a programme underway which aims to reduce unacceptable variations in care and ensure that every NHS patient receives a high level of care. The patient's experience is at the heart of CHI's work and one of CHI's four statutory functions is to conduct investigations into serious service failures in the NHS.
Sunbeds
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the British Medical Association regarding health risks associated with the use of sunbeds; and if he will make a statement on health risks associated with the use of sunbeds. [110589]
Ms Blears: No discussions have taken place with the British Medical Association regarding health risks associated with the use of sunbeds.
Available evidence suggests that it is likely that ultra violet radiation (UV) exposure from sunbeds will contribute to the risk of adverse health effects, particularly skin cancers (and cataracts, if protective eyewear is not worn) and that certain groups of people will be at an increased level of risk.
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The report from the National Radiological Protection Board's Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR): Health Effects of Ultra Violet Radiation, published in January 2002 (ISBN: 0–85951–474–7), recommended that the use of sunbeds and sunlamps for cosmetic tanning should be discouraged. This only applies to cosmetic tanning and not to the use of sunbeds and sunlamps as part of medical treatment, where the benefits and potential risks need to be assessed in a clinical context.
The International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection's report, published in February 2003, concluded, "any use of suntanning appliances is likely to raise the risk of skin cancer". It recommended "against the use of W-emitting appliances for tanning or other non-medical purposes" and set out the groups of people who should not use sunbeds. The report concludes that there is no conclusive direct evidence that sunbed exposure causes skin cancer.
For those people who choose to use cosmetic tanning equipment, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advise in its leaflet "Controlling Health Risks From The Use of UV Tanning Equipment" (IND (G) 20910195) that it is best not to exceed 20 sessions per year and that certain groups of people are advised not to use tanning equipment.
No sufficient conclusive direct evidence is available at present to justify a ban on the use of UV sunbeds.
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