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Blood Transfusions

Mr. Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the National Blood Service education programme for transfusion medicine will be published. [123385]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The National Blood Service (NBS) has no plans to publish an education programme for transfusion medicine.

The NBS provides training for scientific and medical staff in hospitals and has recently identified the need to train hospital nurses and midwives in various aspects of transfusion medicine. NBS is currently discussing these training requirements, which will include training on the appropriate use of blood.

The NBS is also establishing a network of transfusion liaison nurses who will facilitate training in collaboration with similar staff in national health service trusts. This initiative is part of the NBS response to Health Circular HSC 2002/009, "Better Blood Transfusion—Appropriate Use of Blood", which is available at: www.doh.gov.uk/publications/coinh.html

Cancer Nursing

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what calculations his Department has made of (a) current and (b) projected demand for cancer nursing within the NHS. [123248]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Cancer networks should work in partnership with workforce development confederations and strategic health authorities to put in place a sustainable process to assess, plan and review their workforce needs and the education and training of all staff linked to local and national priorities for cancer.

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS cancer nurse posts are (a) pump-primed and (b) part-funded by the voluntary sector; and if he will list the voluntary sector organisations. [123251]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Marie Curie and Macmillan Cancer Care both pump prime cancer nurse specialist posts. Information on the number of posts is not collected centrally by the Department of Health.

Cancer Services

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what written directions his Department has given to the strategic health authorities to ensure the methods for calculating and presenting cancer allocation data in local delivery plans are transparent and nationally consistent; and when these directions were given. [124346]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Strategic health authorities were sent guidance at the end of April 2003 detailing information needed to monitor the cancer investment element of local delivery plans. A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library.

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Care Homes

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to strengthen the rights and protection of residents in elderly persons' care homes from eviction; [125634]

(2) what assessment his Department has made of the impact on life expectancy of residents of (a) care home closure and (b) eviction from a care home. [125635]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department of Health recognises that moving between care homes can be difficult and stressful for any long-term resident, particularly vulnerable older people. Such moves, including ones made as a result of care home closures, should be handled as sensitively and appropriately as possible. Proper arrangements should be made for the safe and satisfactory transfer of all residents to other suitable homes. There should be adequate time for this to be done, in a way that allows both residents and their relatives a choice in where they are to move to, and which creates the minimum possible discomfort to all concerned.

For each resident supported under section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948, councils should agree a contract with independent care homes that includes a statement of terms and conditions covering matters such as fees and period of notice. This is in accordance with Standard 2 of the National Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Older People. Councils should play a part in facilitating transfers from one home to another as and when appropriate. With respect to supported residents who are transferring, councils should ensure that residents' needs are re-assessed and alternative and appropriate accommodation is arranged promptly, with due regard to the Choice of Accommodation Directions 1992.

With respect to residents who fund their own care, Standard 2 of the National Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Older People also states that contracts agreed by the residents and care homes should cover fees payable, the period of notice and other matters. If, when homes close or residents transfer for other reasons, self-funding residents require advice on other homes to enter and how to go about it, councils should provide this advice. If self-funding residents lack the capacity to make their own arrangements, following an assessment of their needs, councils should take over the arrangements.

Carers

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of ill and disabled people who are dependent on care from more than one carer or from a changing pattern of carers. [125960]

Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not centrally available.

Commission for Social Care Inspection

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the scale of fees to be paid in different cases

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and different classes of case will be under clause 83(3) of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill. [122931]

Dr. Ladyman: It would be for the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) to determine any scale of fees to be paid under clause 84 (formerly 83) of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill. Before making any such provision, CSCI must consult such persons as appear to it to be appropriate.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria the Government have set for the right of entry to be considered necessary or expedient under clause 86(1) of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill; and if personal records inspected under the right of entry will be protected under the Data Protection Act 1998 under clause 85(1)(a). [122953]

Dr. Ladyman: The Commission for Social Care Inspection will determine what conditions will be considered necessary or expedient under clause 87(1) (formerly clause 86(1)).

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the CSCI will be required to give notice where it requires a person to provide it with any information, records or other items under clause 87(1) of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill; where a person is required to provide the CSCI with any information or records (including personal records), whether these will be protected under the Data Protection Act; and where the CSCI requires a person to provide it with information, records and other items, whether the Government will put in place safeguards to ensure that only records, with particular reference to those held on computer, which are relevant to an investigation are requested and that an individual's right to privacy is protected. [122965]

Dr. Ladyman: We expect that Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) will normally obtain information by agreement. Where it exercises the power in clause 88 (formerly clause 87) to require the provision of information or documents, we expect that it will normally do so in writing.

Individuals' rights to privacy will be protected by the common law duty of confidentiality and the Data Protection Act 1998. Under clause 88 (1)(b), CSCI may only request information and documents which it considers necessary or expedient to have for the purposes of chapter 5.

Fluoridation

Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to hold a referendum before new schemes for fluoridation of the public water supply are implemented. [124192]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Amendments to the Water Bill agreed on 9 July in the Other Place provide for regulations to be made on the local consultations that strategic health authorities will be required to undertake before making any arrangements with a water undertaker to have their water fluoridated. In drafting

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the regulations we shall carefully consider the range of options available for assessing public opinion. This House will debate the Water Bill in due course.

General Practitioners

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners working in the

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(a) Taunton Deane, (b) South Somerset, (c) Mendip, (d) Somerset Coastal and (e) North Devon primary care trusts are aged (i) under 40, (ii) 40 to 55, (iii) 55 to 65 and (iv) over 65. [124434]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.

General medical practitioners⁽¹²⁾ by age-band for specified primary care trusts—England, as at 30 September 2002Number (headcount)

	Primary care trusts
	Mendip	North Devon	Somerset Coast	South Somerset	Taunton Deane
PCT code	5FX	5FQ	5FW	5K1	5K2
All practitioners	87	125	112	108	81
of which
under 40	29	44	31	31	35
40 to 54	45	65	70	64	41
55 to 64	13	16	11	11	5
65+	0	0	0	2	0
of which
Unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs)(13)	63	105	94	92	74
of which
Under 40	15	28	22	21	30
40 to 54	38	61	63	59	39
55 to 64	10	16	9	10	5
65+	—	—	—	2	—

⁽¹²⁾ All practitioners includes UPEs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other and GP retainers.

⁽¹³⁾ UPEs include GMS unrestricted principles, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried.

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

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