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8 Sept 2003 : Column 183W—continued
Ealing Hospital Trust
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the resignations of the non-executive team of the Ealing Hospital Trust. [127640]
Ms Rosie Winterton: A joint press release was issued by the National Health Service Appointments Commission and the North West London Strategic Health Authority on 26 June 2003 announcing resignations from the board of the Ealing Hospital Trust. This stated that the chair and three non-executive directors were standing down because of a break down in relationships, and to make it easier for an independent review of corporate governance systems at the trust to be carried out by the trust's auditors. A caretaker chair is now in post and the three non-executive positions have been advertised.
East and North Hertfordshire Trust
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the findings of the external investigation into presentation of waiting figures by East and North Hertfordshire Trust are to be published. [127695]
Dr. Ladyman: Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority published the report of the independent external inquiry into the management of waiting lists at East and North Hertfordshire National Health Service Trust on 8 July 2003.
Copies of the report are available on the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority website, at www.bhha.nhs.uk.
Electronic Foetal Monitoring
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each hospital trust (a) the measures used to collect information and (b) the information collated on electronic foetal monitoring. [127097]
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Dr. Ladyman: Trusts are required to collect information on maternity care through the Department of Health's Hospital Episodes Statistics system. This information is published in the National Health Service Maternity Statistics Bulletin, England 2001–02. The most recent bulletin, number 2003/09, was published on 16 May 2003. A copy is available in the Library and is also available on the Department of Health's website at www.doh.uk/public/sb0309.htm
Information on other measures used by each hospital trust to collect information, including information on electronic foetal monitoring is not collected centrally.
Emergency Services
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) emergency journeys and (b) emergency calls there were in each year from 1995–96 to 2001–02. [127715]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of emergency journeys and emergency calls for ambulance trusts in England are contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletins, "Ambulance Services, England".
Copies of the bulletins are available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0313.htm (covering the period 1997–98 to 2002–03) and www.doh.gov.uk/pub/docs/doh/amb9899.pdf (covering the period 1994–95 to 1998–99).
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response times for emergency calls were in each health authority in each year from 1995–96 to 2001–02. [127717]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on average response times in each health authority is not collected centrally.
The Department collects information on the proportion of emergency calls resulting in an ambulance arriving at the scene of the reported incident within the Government's
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target response times for all ambulance trusts in England. These are contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletins, "Ambulance Services, England".
Copies of the bulletins are available in the Library and also on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0313.htm (covering the period 1997–98 to 2002–03) and www.doh.gov.uk/pub/docs/doh/amb9899. pdf (covering the period 1994–95 to 1998–99).
The information relating to Wales and Scotland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
While the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) front line ambulances, (b) patient transport vehicles, (c) fast response cars, (d) medical motorbikes and (e) special care baby units (i) serve and (ii) served Essex in May 1997. [127467]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many 999 calls were made to the Essex Ambulance Service in the last 12 months for which figures are available for which it was decided an ambulance was not necessary; and what proportion of calls over this period such calls represented. [127469]
Dr. Ladyman: I am advised by Essex Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust that it answered 141,775 999 calls in the period 1April 2002 to 31 March 2003.
I understand that these calls resulted in the trust responding to 124,063 incidents. Of these incidents, 1,364 were cancelled before the ambulance arrived due to hoax calls. The remaining 122,699 incidents resulted in 107,343 patients being taken to hospital. This results in 16,720 incidents where an ambulance was not required, which equates to 13.47 per cent.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) front line ambulances, (b) patient transport vehicles, (c) fast response cars, (d) medical motorbikes and (e) special care baby units serve Greater London. [127478]
Mr. Hutton: This information is not held centrally. Information from the London Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust is shown in the table.
| Vehicles and units serving Greater London | |
|---|---|
| Front line ambulances | 395 |
| Patient transport vehicles(48) | 252 |
| Fast response cars (RRUs) | 59 |
| Medical motorbikes (MRUs) | 11 |
| Special care baby units (SCBUs) | 8 |
(48) Made up of six generic types of vehicles
Endometriosis
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to produce a public information campaign to raise awareness of endometriosis. [124189]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: We recognise the very important role that voluntary organisations such as the National Endometriosis Society (NES) and Simply Holistic Endometriosis (SHE) Trust have in promoting awareness of this debilitating condition.
We are currently making funds available to NES to produce an information leaflet for women encouraging those with symptoms to discuss them with their general practitioner. They will also produce a leaflet for GPs, which will be the first point of contact for women with this condition, highlighting the symptoms and encouraging early referral.
Mr. Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been carried out by or on behalf of his Department on the use of complementary medicine in treating endometriosis. [127873]
Miss Melanie Johnson: No such research has been undertaken.
Epothilones
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement regarding Government funding and support of research and development of epothilones. [127555]
Miss Melanie Johnson: No research on epothilones is currently being funded by the Medical Research Council or the Department. Commercial trials are in progress.
Eye Surgery
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the recovery time and success rates of those patients undergoing (a) LASIK, (b) LASEK, (c) PRK and (d) ALK; and what the side effects of each are; [127535]
- (2) what recommendations have been made to the NHS with regard to the range of (a) myopia and (b) hyperopia that would benefit the most from refractive surgery. [127536]
Mr. Hutton: The majority of laser eye surgery to correct refractive errors takes place in private hospitals, which are regulated by the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC), which is currently monitoring developments in this area. Providers of laser eye surgery are required to be registered with the NCSC and to keep records for inspection by the NCSC of each surgical procedure undertaken, including accidents or adverse events. Service providers are subject to annual inspection by the NCSC.
The National Health Service does not routinely provide laser eye surgery to correct refractive errors. However, it is considered when a specific clinical need could justify its use. Examples could include adjustment of the refractive error of one eye to make it similar to the other (a) condition known as anisometropia) or patients shown to be severely depressed by the need to wear glasses (and where contact lenses are contra-indicated). These are rare occurrences and are evaluated on an individual patient basis.
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