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14 Jul 2003 : Column 121W—continued
Health Service Contracts
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the new (a) GP and (b) dental contracts will include provision for compulsory clinical negligence indemnity; and if he will make a statement. [124028]
Ms Rosie Winterton: General medical and dental practitioners working under local contracts are already obliged to carry indemnity cover by their contracts with primary care trusts. Practice providers of primary medical services under a general medical services contract will also be required to ensure indemnity cover for the practice as a result of the new contracts they will
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hold with primary care trusts from April 2004. Similar provision is expected under the new general dental services contracts.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the introduction of foundation hospitals on Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust. [124902]
Mr. Hutton: In line with the principle of earned autonomy for the first wave of national health service foundation trusts, only acute and specialist NHS trusts which have attained three stars in the NHS performance ratings were eligible to apply.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has two stars, which means that it is not eligible to apply for NHS foundation trust status at present. However, with mechanisms, including the recently announced improvement programme, in place to raise the performance of all NHS trusts, it is expected that all NHS trusts will have the opportunity to apply for NHS foundation trust status within the next five years.
Male Impotence Drugs
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been of male impotence drugs to the national health service in each year since they were added to Schedule 11 of the Selected List Of NHS Drugs. [123430]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Number of prescription items (Thousand) | Net ingredient cost | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 518.1 | 17,465.1 |
| 2000–01 | 720.8 | 23,393.1 |
| 2001–02 | 914.2 | 29,301.7 |
| 2002–03 | 1,097.0 | 35,261.9 |
Notes:
1. The therapeutic classifications are based on British National Formulary section 7.4.5 (Drugs for erectile dysfunction).
2. The data is based on prescriptions prescribed in GP practices in England which are dispensed in the community. Hospital and private prescriptions are not included.
3. The net ingredient cost (NIC) refers to the cost of the drug before discounts and does not include any dispensing costs or fees. It does not include any adjustment for income obtained where a prescription charge is paid at the time the prescription is dispensed or where the patient has purchased a pre-payment certificate.
Source:
Prescribing Analyses and Cost (PACT) from the Prescription Pricing Authority.
Independent Review
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 7 July 2003, ref 123300, what the terms of reference are of the independent review; and when it will report. [125383]
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Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 11 July 2003]: The review will cover the process of reviewing eligibility criteria, arrangements to ensure that those criteria are applied consistently, the information provided to patients and the operation of complaints procedures. It is expected to report in March 2004.
Medical Devices
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce national standards for training in the use of medical devices. [124173]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The training in the use of medical devices is the responsibility of national health service hospital trusts' chief executives, who must follow the guidance of the Controls Assurance Standards to ensure that all staff are adequately trained to use all equipment they need to work with.
Mental Health
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he will take to improve the treatment of those suffering from acute personality disorders. [124877]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government are committed to improving the care, treatment and management of people with personality disorder. One component of the work is the provision of appropriate assessment and treatment services for the small number of people with severe personality disorder (probably less than 2,500 nationally) who pose a continued risk to others. New facilities, in both prisons and secure psychiatric hospitals, will evaluate what the most effective methods of treatment are and consider how people can be helped back into society. This is known as the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) Programme.
In addition, "Personality disorder: no longer a diagnosis of exclusion"—policy implementation guidance for the development of services for people with personality disorder—was published by National Institute for Mental Health in England in January 2003. This guidance builds on standards four and five in the national service framework for mental health and sets out how services for people with personality disorder should be developed. It brings this often neglected and isolated area of mental health into focus for the first time.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on the separation of mental health patients with differing degrees of mental illness. [125094]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Clinical assessment of need is the key to effective ward organisation. "Mental Health Policy Implementation Guide on Adult Acute Inpatient Care Provision" (2002) and "Safety, Privacy and Dignity in Mental Health Units" (2000) provides the principles of achieving such effective organisation in detail.
The guides state that the focus should be on admission to the most appropriate setting in line with the patient's needs within a whole system approach. It also reiterates the need to have clear admission and bed management protocols in place, as well as the necessary clinical governance arrangements to monitor and address concerns in respect of unmet needs.
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MRI Scanners
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the staffing levels for operating the MRI scanners in Shropshire NHS trusts. [125146]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 11 July 2003]: The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how old the MRI scanner at the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford is. [125148]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 11 July 2003]: I understand that the magnetic resonance imaging scanner at the Princess Royal Hospital was originally manufactured in 1989. It was installed at the Princess Royal Hospital in January 1995. In 1998, a major upgrade was carried out, which brought the scanner up to the latest specification.
National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has to locate staff within the Government Office of the North West area during 2003; and when this will be. [124384]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Since 7 July 2003, the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has had one regional manager and two support staff based in the Government office in the North West. Two additional members of staff are expected to take up their posts later this summer.
NHS Dentistry
Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to ensure that patients seeking a new dentist are able to continue receiving NHS treatment. [124626]
Ms Rosie Winterton: General dental practitioners are independent contractors and, as such, are free to choose the proportions of national health service or private dentistry they wish to provide. Under NHS terms of service, dentists who stop offering NHS treatment are required to complete any outstanding treatment on the NHS or notify the appropriate primary care trust (PCT) if this is not possible.
Where dentists withdraw from providing NHS dentistry, PCTs can apply to the Secretary of State for agreement to fund salaried dental practitioners under section 56 of the 1977 NHS Act.
NHS Direct can put patients in touch with sources of NHS dentistry including community dental services, dental access centres and general dental practitioners offering treatment under general dental services.
Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to prevent dentists removing from their list patients who receive NHS treatment. [124627]
Ms Rosie Winterton: General dental practitioners are independent contractors and, as such, are free to choose the amount of national health service or private dentistry they wish to provide.
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Under the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill, the intention is to move to practice based contracts which will allow alternative ways of rewarding dentists to provide a defined level of service for a given number of people. Dentists will receive a more secure income in return for making a longer term commitment to the NHS.
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