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HEALTH
Leicester Royal Infirmary
10. Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to visit the accident and emergency department at the Leicester Royal Infirmary to review recent changes in working practices. [122428]
Mr. Hutton: I have no current plans to visit the accident and emergency department at Leicester Royal Infirmary. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation and thanks to all those working in the A&E department for their dedication and commitment to NHS patients.
Smoking
11. Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for further measures to combat smoking. [122429]
Miss Melanie Johnson: We are implementing a comprehensive tobacco programme to help the 7 in 10 smokers who want to quit and to prevent people starting. As well as introducing legislation, we are investing £138 million in the National Health Service stop smoking services over the next three years and £39 million in the next year on prevention.
The most recent estimated cost to the NHS of treating smoking related diseases was for 1997 and was between £1.4 billion and £1.7 billion for England 1 . As total net NHS expenditure for the year 1996–97 was £33.0 billion, the percentage of expenditure this represents is between 4.2 per cent. and 5.4 per cent.
1 "Cost Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Interventions" by the Health Education Authority, in collaboration with the University of York published in 1997.
Preventive Healthcare
12. John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve preventative healthcare. [122430]
Miss Melanie Johnson: This Government places the highest priority on preventing illness, promoting the health of all, and improving the health of the poorest people as a priority. This means tackling inequalities, reducing mortality from cancer and coronary heart disease as well as reducing the burden caused by infectious disease.
Smoking-related Diseases
13. Mr. Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost of treatment of smoking-related diseases within the NHS; and what percentage that represents of the annual NHS budget. [122431]
Miss Melanie Johnson: We are implementing a comprehensive tobacco programme to help the seven in 10 smokers who want to quit and to prevent people starting. As well as introducing legislation, we are investing £138 million in the national health service stop smoking services over the next three years and £39 million in the next year on prevention.
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The most recent estimated cost to the NHS of treating smoking related diseases was for 1997 and was between £1.4 billion and £1.7 billion for England 1 . As total net NHS expenditure for the year 1996–97 was £33.0 billion, the percentage of expenditure this represents is between 4.2 per cent. and 5.4 per cent.
- 1 "Cost Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Interventions'' by the Health Education Authority, in collaboration with the University of York published in 1997.
Foundation Hospitals
14. Mr. Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the governance of foundation hospitals. [122432]
Mr. Hutton: The governance arrangements for NHS Foundation Trusts are set out in schedule 1 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill. For the first time in the history of the NHS, local people and staff will have the right to choose the Governors of their local hospitals, helping to improve the responsiveness and delivery of health care services.
21. Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of hospitals wishing to apply for foundation trust status. [122439]
Mr. Hutton: Subject to legislation, the first wave of national health service foundation trusts will be established in April 2004. 29 NHS trusts are entering the preparatory stage for NHS foundation trust status. Each application for NHS foundation trust status will need the support of the Secretary of State. The applications will be submitted by autumn 2003.
The applicant NHS trusts must retain three stars in the performance ratings to be published in the summer. They must also satisfy the requirements of the preparatory phase, outlined in The Guide to NHS Foundation Trusts, before they can be approved to become NHS Foundation Trusts.
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his oral answer of 3 June 2003 to the hon. Member for Sunderland South, Official Report, column 9, how candidates for membership of the governing boards of foundation hospitals will be selected; and if he will make a statement. [118173]
Mr. Hutton: Local people, patients and staff who become members of a national health service foundation trust will elect patient and public representatives onto a Board of Governors. It will be up to each individual NHS foundation trust to determine the detail of the arrangements for the membership and the election to the Board of Governors, within certain parameters. In particular, there must be fair and transparent elections. Governors elected by the public or staff constituency may hold office for a period of three years and are eligible for
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re-election at the end of that period. Amongst other things, a NHS foundation trust's constitution will set out:
- eligibility requirements for membership and what membership means;
the constitution of the Board of Governors, eligibility requirements for governors, provisions for the election and appointment of governors (including how prospective governors can be nominated) and the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Governors; and
the membership and functions of the Board of Directors.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME)
16. Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the conclusion of the Donaldson Report on myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. [122434]
Dr. Ladyman: On May 12 we announced £8.5 million for the development of services with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalitis. We asked the Medical Research Council to develop a research strategy for advancing biomedical and health services research on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalitis, subsequently published on 1 May. These actions will improve treatment and care for people with this debilitating condition.
GP Prescribing Practices
18. Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on innovation in prescribing practices by GPs. [122436]
Mr. Hutton: The NHS continues to expand investment in General Practitioner prescribing to meet the needs of patients. For instance, increasing the use of clinically effective drugs to prevent further heart attacks after an initial heart attack. Spending last year went up by 11.5 per cent.
Thrombo-embolic Disease
19. Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to record the incidence of thrombo-embolic disease among air travellers treated within the national health service. [122437]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The national health service does not currently record the travel history of patients with thrombo-embolic disease as a matter of routine. However we fully support the World Health Organisation's research into the subject and any plans to record such information will be informed by the results of the project.
Care Homes
20. Sir George Young: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of residential care for the elderly. [122438]
Dr. Ladyman: In recent years, the Government have provided substantial increases in the level of funding for social services which councils can use to increase fee levels if that is what is needed to increase local provision or re-balance the care home market.
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We are also committed to improving the quality of care, and this is evident in the development of national minimum standards for care homes.
22. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what constitutes personal care under the services provided by the care home sector. [122440]
Dr. Ladyman: Care of an intimate nature, including help with bathing, dressing and feeding, is usually considered to be personal care.
Arthritis
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) England, (b) South Sefton, (c) Southport and (d) Formby have arthritis; if he will make a statement on Early Day Motion No.220; and if the Government will make arthritis a health care priority. [122234]
Dr. Ladyman: According to Arthritis Care, arthritis and rheumatism together account for one quarter of all visits to general practitioners. More than eight million people in the United Kingdom consult their family doctor about some form of arthritis. This includes about one million adults under the age of 45 and about 15,000 children. Figures are not available for South Sefton, Southport and Formby.
Our policies to improve general hospital care, especially through the new single assessment process, will ensure that the health care needs of older people—who are the main sufferers from arthritis—will be properly targeted. This will ensure that the services that are provided are most appropriate to older people's needs, including people with arthritis.
In the past year, two new classes of drugs, Cox II inhibitors and anti-TNF therapy have been made available to arthritis patients, following reviews by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). In addition, NICE is reviewing the drug, Anakinra, for its clinical and cost-effectiveness in treating rheumatoid arthritis.
We have issued directions obliging strategic health authorities and primary care trusts to provide appropriate funding for treatments recommended by NICE. This is in line with our manifesto commitment to ensure that patients receive drugs and treatments recommended by NICE on the national health service if considered appropriate by their clinicians.
Priorities for health and social care are set out in "Improvement, Expansion and Reform", the Priorities and Planning Framework for 2003–6. Although arthritis is not identified specifically, people with this condition stand to benefit from the improvement in access to specialist care for patients suffering from any form of orthopaedic condition. Maximum waiting times have fallen over the past few years and will continue to do so, so that, by the end of 2005, the maximum waiting time for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant will fall to three months and the maximum wait for inpatient treatment will fall to six months. Also, the older people's national service framework set standards which will improve treatment and care for a range of older people, including those with arthritis.
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