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10 Jul 2003 : Column 1006W—continued
Foundation Hospitals
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he will take to ensure that information collected about patients as part of the charging policy on insurance payments within foundation hospitals (a) will not be passed to other agencies and (b) will meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. [121646]
Mr. Hutton: The requirement to provide information necessary to administer the proposed scheme for recovery of national health service charges, set out in Part 3 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill, would apply to NHS foundation trusts in the same way as any other NHS
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hospital. The provisions in the Bill for the collection of patient information for the scheme comply with the Data Protection Act 1998. They do not allow patient information to be passed to other agencies but do allow the compensation recovery unit, which administers the existing state benefits recovery scheme and is expected to administer the NHS costs recovery scheme, to share information between the two schemes where it is appropriate to do so.
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Co-operative Party and other bodies in the wider Co-operative movement on foundation hospitals. [110404]
Mr. Hutton: My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn), has met the hon. Members who are involved in the Co-operative movement. A number of leading experts in the co-operative movement are members of the External Reference Group on Governance, which is providing applicants for national health service foundation trust status expert advice on governance issues.
GM Products
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what GM products are used in (a) fish feed for farmed fish and (b) fishmeal contained in feedstuffs for ruminants. [124511]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 8 July 2003]: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that feed for farmed fish consists primarily of fishmeal and fish oil, although feed producers have been turning increasingly to vegetable ingredients such as maize gluten feed and soya bean meal. Whether this is likely to contain a proportion of genetically modified-derived material will depend on its source, although I understand that the fish farming industry endeavours to avoid the use of GM or GM-derived ingredients.
The feeding of fishmeal to ruminants is currently prohibited as part of European Union controls on the use of processed animal protein in animal feed. Fishmeal is solely derived from fish and at present, genetically modified fish are only reared and kept under laboratory conditions.
GP Survey
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the results of the NHS GP survey; what plans he has to act on the findings; and if he will make a statement. [123053]
Mr. Hutton: Information from patient surveys is central to informing local service improvements. We expect primary care trusts to use the information from the national health service general practitioner survey to develop action plans to improve services to better meet the needs of local people.
Results were disseminated in March 2003, on a strategic health authority (SHA) basis. This enabled the cross-comparison of the results, for local benchmarking purposes. Such an approach enables the SHAs, as the local headquarters of the NHS, to maintain an overview of how results are formulated into local follow-up plans.
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Health Records
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking against hospital trusts who fail to keep the records of patients with lifelong conditions for the required period after their deaths; and if he will make statement. [124893]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department of Health does not directly monitor or enforce record-keeping arrangements in national health service trusts or strategic health authorities (SHA). Each NHS trust and SHA is legally responsible for managing records and complying with legislation and guidance on disclosing information.
In the NHS, guidance and governance arrangements have been designed to ensure compliance with law and good practice, while minimising the overheads of managing and auditing detailed procedures. Independent authorities, such as the Audit Commission, Health Service Commissioner and Information Commissioner, oversee the governance arrangements and may impose sanctions where there is a significant failure to comply.
Trusts keep records to support patient care and other legal requirements, but it is also necessary to destroy records when they are of no further value. Destruction should be controlled by formal retention and disposal arrangements based on the NHS Retention and Disposal Schedule issued by the Department of Health.
Hip Replacements
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hip replacements were performed in (a) England, (b) South Sefton, (c) Southport and (d) Formby in each year since 2000. [122245]
Mr. Hutton: The table shows the number of hip replacement operations carried out in each year since 2000 in the appropriate national health service trusts and the total number of hip replacement operations carried out in England. Southport and Formby are covered by the same NHS trust, so figures are not available separately.
| Total number ofepisodes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Trust | 2000–01 | 2001–02 |
| South Sefton | Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust | 326 | 330 |
| Southport/Formby | Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust | 325 | 374 |
| England | 70,258 | 72,241 | |
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.
2001–02 is the last year for which figures are currently available.
Hospital Dispensing
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals do not have one stop dispensing or dispensing for discharge schemes. [124588]
Ms Rosie Winterton: "Pharmacy in the Future—Implementing the NHS Plan" sets out an agenda for change in the hospital pharmaceutical service, which
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includes the re-engineering of services, putting more emphasis on to clinical services, self administration schemes, the continued use of patient's own medication and dispensing for discharge.
Results from the Department's Medicines Management Performance Framework and from the Audit Commission report, "A Spoonful of Sugar", suggest that the majority of trusts have introduced dispensing for discharge, or one stop dispensing, where appropriate. More detailed information is not collected centrally.
The next revision of the Medicines Management Framework is expected later this year and will build on current good practice.
"Pharmacy in the Future" made a commitment to establish a collaborative programme to share and spread best practice. The Department is exploring options for delivery including discussions with the National Prescribing Centre and other stakeholders.
Maternal and Child Health
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is of merging the confidential inquiry into maternal deaths and the confidential inquiry into stillbirths and deaths in infancy. [122454]
Dr. Ladyman: The cost of merging the two inquiries during 2002–03 was £130,000. The merger will bring an annual saving of around £800,000, which is being re-deployed to extend the remit of other confidential inquiries.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations are being conducted in the Confidential Inquiry into Maternal and Child Health. [122455]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There have been two consultations on the constitution and structure of the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH). The first took place in 2001, following the overall review of the confidential inquiries carried out by Sir John Grimley-Evans in 2000. The second consultation, on the specific constitution and structure of CEMACH, took place from October to December 2002.
Maternity Care
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total clinical negligence bill in obstetrics and gynaecology was in each year since 1997. [124225]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the total clinical negligence bill in obstetrics and gynaecology is not collected centrally.
Media Training
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was to his Department of media and voice training for Ministers and officials in each year since 1997. [123122]
Ms Rosie Winterton: While media training is offered to Ministers and officials, the cost of providing this training is not separately identified in the Department's records.
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