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7 Jul 2003 : Column 658W—continued
Hospital Mortuaries
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has held in the last six months with strategic health authorities concerning security at hospital mortuaries. [122158]
Mr. Hutton: There have been no general discussions with strategic health authorities concerning security at national health service mortuaries within the last six months. Day-to-day responsibility for security lies with the particular NHS body that manages the mortuary.
The Counter Fraud and Security Management Service, launched on 1 April 2003, is currently reviewing the management of security within the NHS.
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of security at hospital mortuaries. [122171]
Mr. Hutton: The Department has made no general assessment of security at hospital mortuaries. This is a matter for local national health service trusts.
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The Counter Fraud and Security Management Service, launched on 1 April 2003, is currently reviewing the management of security within the NHS.
Hospital Radio Services
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the provision of hospital radio services. [122196]
Mr. Hutton: Hospital radio stations have provided an invaluable service to patients for many years. It is for the national health service trust to determine the provision of hospital radio services within its area.
Local Authority Fees
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average fees are which local authorities pay each week for the care of (a) an elderly resident in a care home and (b) a child with behavioural and emotional difficulties in residential accommodation. [123351]
Dr. Ladyman: Information is not available in the detail requested. However, the average gross weekly expenditure per person on supporting older people in residential and nursing care is £336, which includes the fees of those who meet the full cost of their care and those whose costs are met by councils in England. This data relates to the year ended 31 March 2002, which is the most recent data available. Information about the costs of children in residential accommodation is the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills.
Mental Health
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the recommended square meterage of living space per patient in a mental health hospital is. [122388]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Space standards are identified in schedules of accommodation, as part of Hospital Building Notes for individual new hospital departments. Health Building Note 35 provides guidance on accommodation for people with mental illness, including a recommended area of 15 square metres for individual bedrooms with en-suite facilities.
MRSA
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is available to NHS trusts on communicating a diagnosis of MRSA to patients. [120077]
Miss Melanie Johnson: There is no specific national guidance on how to inform patients of a methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection.
As patients with MRSA and other conditions may need supporting information, the Department has produced a generic toolkit for creating patient information locally. This is available at http://www.doh.gov.uk/nhsidentity/toolkit-patientinfo.pdf. Alternatively, trusts may prefer to use existing materials such as the Health Protection Agency's new leaflet "MRSA—Information for patients".
Neonatal Intensive Care
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 20 June 2003, Official Report, column 484W, if he will list the NHS trusts and the
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number of special care baby unit cots which were added in error to the number of neonatal intensive care cots in March 1999. [122209]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 30 June 2003]: The information requested is not currently available. The Department is starting a project to correct the historical data with the national health service trusts involved, so that an accurate time series of neonatal intensive care cot provision can be provided.
NHS Performance Monitoring
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the star ratings system of performance monitoring in the NHS; what plans he has to amend the arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [123055]
Mr. Hutton: The National Health Service star ratings system is based on assessment of performance against key targets, other performance indicators and reports published by the Commission for Health Improvement.
Improvements have been made to the star ratings since they were first published in September 2001, with the inclusion of consultation exercises with the NHS when deciding new performance indicators. We expect this to continue when, subject to Parliamentary approval, the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection is established and takes on responsibility for the future development of publication of star ratings.
National Institute for Clinical Excellence
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommendations that are not being met. [122241]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Dr. Desmond Turner) on 20 June 2003, Official Report, column 483W.
Organ Retention
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the Isaacs report on organ retention in the NHS; what plans he has to change procedures; and if he will make a statement. [123035]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We are considering the report by Her Majesty's Inspector of Anatomy and will publish our response shortly. Following earlier advice from the Chief Medical Officer, we have already made significant changes to procedures and communications with families at the time of post mortem. We shall introduce a new Human Tissue Bill as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Osteoporosis and Related Fractures
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the incidence was of osteoporosis and related fractures in 2002–03; [122318]
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Dr. Ladyman: Information on osteoporosis and related fractures in 2002–03 are not yet available. Information for 2001–02 shows that there were 9,524 finished consultant episodes (FCEs) where osteoporosis with related fracture was recorded in national health service hospitals in England.
The number of FCEs where hip fracture was recorded in NHS hospitals in England in the last five years is shown in the table.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 19,628 |
| 1998–99 | 16,416 |
| 1999–2000 | 16,596 |
| 2000–01 | 16,374 |
| 2001–02 | 16,315 |
The average (mean) FCEs per year over the five year period is 17,066.
Parliamentary Questions
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the questions from the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham refs. 108820 and 108822, tabled on 8 April and refs. 116467 and 116468 tabled on 3 June. [124043]
Mr. Hutton: The table shows the dates on which the hon. Member's questions were answered.
| UIN | Date reply sent | Official Report |
|---|---|---|
| 108820 | 28 April | 87W |
| 108822 | 28 April | 86W |
| 116467 | 3 July | 484W |
| 116468 | 3 July | 484W |
Patient Safety
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the operation of the national system for reporting and preventing accidents and errors in the NHS and the work of the National Patient Safety Agency; [121635]
- (2) what steps he is taking to tackle incidents of clinical negligence resulting from identity errors occurring in NHS facilities. [121636]
Mr. Hutton: The Government has established the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) to improve the safety of national health service patient care by promoting an open and fair culture and by introducing a national reporting and learning system for patient safety incidents.
The NPSA has completed an extensive testing and development phase for its national reporting and learning system, which has involved work with 39 NHS trusts in England and Wales, reflecting a range of healthcare settings, and wide consultation with experts in data collection, risk management and statistical analysis. The NPSA will begin to roll out the reporting system nationally from the autumn of 2003.
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A vital part of the NPSA's work is to identify key areas of concern for patient safety in the NHS and to develop solutions to prevent errors being repeated.
As one area for potential patient safety solutions, the NPSA is examining the role of manual and technological solutions in ensuring that patients receive the healthcare which is intended for them. It has commissioned research to identify best practice already in place in the NHS, and explore the potential to transfer technologies in use in other sectors, such as biometrics (for example, using iris recognition or thumb printing as a unique identifier). The national reporting and learning system will, in time, enable the NPSA to develop a much clearer national picture of the extent of patient mismatching.
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