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Enuresis

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on research into enuresis and the effects on long-term mental health. [114767]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department of Health has not commissioned research into enuresis and its effect on long term mental health. However, there is a well documented association between enuresis and psychiatric disorder in community samples of children,

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though the causal relationships between the two may vary from child to child. A survey of the mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain (commissioned by the Department of Health and conducted by the Office for National Statistics in 1999) found that 23 per cent. of children who wet their beds had a mental disorder compared with a prevalence of mental disorder of 10 per cent. for all children assessed in the survey. No single specific disorder nor psychiatric symptom is associated with enuresis and the majority of children cease to wet their beds by adolescence. Persistence of enuresis, particularly beyond adolescence and into adulthood, can cause significant distress, affect self-esteem and may interfere with the confidence required to establish close relationships.

Hospital Funding

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds were made available to (a) Newark Hospital, (b) Ashfield Community Hospital, (c) Mansfield Community Hospital and (d) the Kings Mill Centre for Health Care Services in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003. [119222]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 16 June 2003]: Figures are not collected on a hospital basis, but on a trust basis. The figures shown in the table are the total income, including all income from activities and all other operating income, for Sherwood Forest Hospitals National Health Service Trust and Newark and Sherwood Primary Care Trust.

£000

	Total income
Year	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust	Newark and Sherwood Primary Care Trust
2001–02	102,773	76,730
2000–01	74,933	65,708
1999–2000	73,397	—

Notes:

1. In 1999–2000, Sherwood Forest NHS Trust was formerly known as The Kingsmill Centre for Healthcare Services.

2. With effect from 1 April 2001, Sherwood Forest Hospitals absorbed the acute services of Central Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. Because of reconfigurations to services within the Nottinghamshire area, the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust income is not directly comparable over this period.

3. Primary Care Trusts were not established until 2000–2001.

Source:

Audited summarisation schedules of the Kingsmill Centre Healthcare Services NHS Trust 1999–2000 (see note 1), Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust and Newark and Sherwood Primary Care Trust 2000–01 to 2001–02.

Genetic Testing

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is being consulted and what guidelines are planned to ensure that patients who take advantage of genetic testing to identify and combat hereditary or latent genetic predispositions toward certain conditions do not have such information made available to third parties through doctors and other medical practitioners; and if he will make a statement. [118177]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Data Protection Act 1998, the Access to Medical Reports Act 1998 and the common law of confidentiality already provide the

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foundation for ensuring the confidentiality of such information. Following a public consultation exercise, which finished in January 2003, the Government will also be introducing a Code of Practice on confidentiality for the national health service in summer 2003.

Hayfever

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research he has carried out to establish the extent to which the incidence of hayfever can be ascribed to environmental causes. [119540]

Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 16 June 2003]: The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC) which receives its funding from the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office for Science and Technology.

The MRC spent an estimated £11.9 million in 2001–02 on its respiratory disorders portfolio. Although this does not include any specific research into hayfever, it does include work on allergies.

There is no ongoing research in the Department of Health into hayfever but the Department commissioned a study on air pollution and general practitioner consultations for allergic rhinitis (hayfever) from St. George's Hospital, London, as part of its last air pollution and health research programme. The study (by Hajal et al) was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (volume 153, page 704) in 2001.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of hayfever sufferers in each year since 1997, broken down by county; and if he will make a statement on current trends. [119541]

Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 16 June 2003]: It is not possible to state the number of people who have been diagnosed as suffering from allergies that include hayfever. This is due to the fact that many people diagnose themselves, and buy remedies at their local pharmacy, or are diagnosed by their general practitioner or appropriate clinic. It is however estimated that at least 15 per cent. of the population is affected by some form of allergy.

Information on the number of admissions to national health service hospitals in England between 1997–98 and 2001–02 where the primary diagnosis could be described as hayfever (allergic rhinitis due to pollen), is shown in the table.

Primary diagnosis (ICD10 J30.1) allergic rhinitis due to pollen, finished consultant episodes (FCEs), count of finished in year admissions, NHS hospitals,England 1997–98 to 2001–02

	FCEs
1997–98	69
1998–99	88
1999–2000	182
2000–01	95
2001–02	119

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Social Services

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on why, under Clause 73 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill, the Commission for Social Care Inspection will have a duty to keep only the Secretary of State informed about the provision of English local authority social services. [120279]

Dr. Ladyman: The Commission for Social Care Inspection will be under a duty to lay an annual report of its findings before Parliament and to make public the results of any reviews and investigations that it has carried out into English local authority social services. Since the Secretary of State for Health has overall responsibility for the provision of social care throughout England, Clause 73 of the Bill makes specific provision for the Commission to keep him informed. This is necessary for the Secretary of State to fulfil his accountability to Parliament for services and to make him aware of any issues on which he may need to take particular action.

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons, under Clause 81 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill, the Commission for Social Care Inspection must obtain the consent of the Secretary of State before publishing statements about the criteria to be used in the exercise of its functions. [120327]

Dr. Ladyman: It is the responsibility of Ministers to set priorities and standards for social services on behalf of service users and the public generally. The Commission for Social Care Inspection's (CSCI) inspection criteria must be approved by Ministers to ensure they reflect these priorities and standards.

CSCI will, of course, be responsible for drawing up the criteria in the first instance. This will allow CSCI to satisfy itself that the criteria against which local authorities will be reviewed are appropriate and reflect the needs of service users.

Kidney Disease

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to reduce the period between (a) the emergence of symptoms and (b) diagnosis, and referral to nephrologists for kidney patients; and what estimate he has made of the costs of such changes. [119334]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 13 June 2003]: Guidelines are being developed by the relevant professional organisations for the referral and early management of people with chronic kidney disease. For people with diabetes, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has published guidelines for regular testing for renal disease in its document, "Management of Type 2 diabetes: Renal disease-prevention and early management".

Health Services (Leeds)

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients (i) the Leeds acute teaching hospitals NHS trust and (ii) its predecessor acute trusts treated in each year since 1995. [114815]

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Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the tables.

Hospital episode statistics: finished consultant episodes (FCEs⁽³¹⁾) for the Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust, 1997–98 to 2000–01

Period	Number of in-patients treated
1997–98	(32)197,138
1998–99	203,104
1999–2000	197,381
2000–01	207,764
2001–02	204,307

⁽³¹⁾ An FCE is defined as a period of patient care under one consultant in one health care provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as one person may have several episodes within the year.

⁽³²⁾ In 1997–98 the hospital was two organisations. St. James and Seacroft university hospitals NHS Trust (104,538) and United Leeds teaching hospital (92,600).Data in this table are not grossed for both coverage and unknown/invalid clinical data.Source:

Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Period	Out-patients first attendances seen	Subsequent attendances seen	Total attendances seen
	Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust
2002–03 Quarter 3	42,654	137,070	179,724
2002–03 Quarter 2	42,419	140,016	182,435
2002–03 Quarter 1	42,050	139,371	181,421
2001–02	172,679	540,788	713,467
2000–01	180,943	569,441	750,384
1999–2000	175,990	555,463	731,453
1998–99	181,372	634,317	815,689
	St. James's and Seacroft university hospital
1997–98	75,988	255,799	331,787
1996–97	72,766	236,428	309,194
1995–96	74,506	233,073	307,579
	United Leeds teaching hospitals
1997–98	105,688	366,475	472,163
1996–97	99,752	424,546	524,298
1995–96	93,330	425,245	518,575

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