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14 Oct 2003 : Column 82W—continued
Ashford (Middlesex) Hospital
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many treatments are planned to be provided at the new treatment centre at Ashford (Middlesex) hospital during the five year contract; and what proportion of these will be in addition to the number that would be provided during the same period in the facilities that will be used by Mercury Health Ltd. [130936]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 18 September 2003]: The treatment centre at Ashford plans to provide treatment for 1,711 patients annually, a total of 8,555 patients over the five years of the contract.
The treatment centre is a refurbishment of a facility that is currently out of commission. The development allows this capacity to be made available for national health service care.
Cancer Nursing
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent meetings Ministers (a) have had and (b) are planning with (i) nursing, (ii) clinical, (iii) voluntary sector and (iv) service user organisations about the development of cancer nursing to meet (A) current and (B) projected demand for cancer nursing within the NHS. [123249]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I will be meeting my hon. Friend on 29 October 2003, to discuss cancer nursing.
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Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards meeting targets on cancer care. [129486]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Thanks to major additional investment and the hard work of those working in the national health service we are making real progress in implementing the NHS Cancer Plan. Patients are benefiting from improvements across all aspects of cancer care.
For example there are an extra 1,000 cancer consultants compared with 1997; nearly 99 per cent. of people with suspected cancer are now seen by a specialist within two weeks of being referred by their general practitioner; we have improved the quality of breast screening by the introduction of two view mammography and have extended the breast screening service to include women aged 65 to 70 resulting in nearly 200,000 extra women being invited since April 2001. The introduction of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has meant that over 31,000 extra patients can benefit from new cancer drugs. We have increased the NHS funding of specialist palliative care by £50 million a year, an increase of nearly 40 per cent. and latest figures show a reduction of 9 per cent. in the death rate from cancer.
Community Health Councils
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has had from community health councils in England about the operational difficulties they face from extending their activities beyond September 2003. [127683]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Since the announcement of 4 June 2003 to postpone the abolition of community health councils (CHSs) until 1 December 2003, representations have been made by a number of CHCs highlighting potential difficulties. The exact number of cases could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Discussions have taken place with various stakeholder groups, including the relevant trades unions and the Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales, to gain a better understanding of the operational issues involved. Guidance and advice has been made available to local managers.
Consultant Numbers
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many extra consultants between 1999 and 2004 were already planned for when the target of 7,500 extra consultants was published in July 2000; and whether these consultants were included in the figure of 7,500. [128916]
Mr. Hutton: The Department was already planning for a substantial expansion in consultant numbers. The NHS Plan target of 7,500 consultants was based on identified need for additional growth to meet the service targets.
Delayed Discharges
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the targets that his Department has set (a) Suffolk county council and (b) primary care trusts for delayed discharges in Suffolk. [131846]
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Dr. Ladyman: The Department does not set individual councils or primary care trusts targets for reductions in delayed discharges. The Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) Act 2003 has established a system of reimbursement, fully operational from January 2004, that provides an incentive for councils and health bodies to work closer together to reduce delays. Continued reductions in the levels of delayed discharges are therefore expected.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the national delayed discharges figures for each quarter in 2002–03. [129845]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 15 September 2003]: Delayed discharge figures for each quarter of 2002–03 have been published and are available in the Library.
E.coli
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to the public on the risk of contracting E.coli while camping. [128927]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson in his Annual Report for 2001 alerted the public to the risks of contracting Escherichia coli 0157 infection and provided advice as to how to avoid infection.
The Department of Health works in close collaboration with other Government Departments, particularly the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and with the Scottish Executive in providing to the public, to farmers and others responsible for farmland that might be used for recreational purposes, information on the risks of E.coli 0157 and how to avoid infection.
Following the recommendations of the joint FSA/Scottish Executive Task Force on E.coli 0157 relating to access to and use of rural land, advice was issued nationally in 2001 by the Scottish Executive to relevant organisations, including the National Farmers Union, the National Scout Association and the Guide Association on how to avoid ill health during recreation on farmland. This advice was re-issued in 2003.
The key points of this advice are that where possible, fields used for grazing or stockholding of animals should not be used for camping, picnicking, or play areas.
If fields that have been used for grazing or stockholding animals are to be used for recreational purposes, the following precautions should be taken:
- keep farm animals off the fields for the three weeks prior to and during the event/use;
remove any visible dung/faeces—preferably at the beginning of the three week period;
mow the grass—keep it short and remove the clippings before fields are used for recreation;
inform leaders of recreational/leisure groups (for example scouts, guides etc.) of the need for good hygiene practice (such as hand washing) and to treat drinking or personal washing water taken from streams.
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for farmland of this guidance in 2001. This guidance supplemented existing guidance, revised in 2001, for farmers contained in the HSE's Agricultural Information Sheet 23 "Avoiding ill health at open farms". The HSE has also produced a video which highlights the risk of contamination from farm animals, buildings and equipment and advises on the need for good hygiene and the importance of hand washing before eating and drinking in preventing infection with E.coli 0157. The advice and the video are available on the HSE's website.
The Department of Health disseminated this advice through the website www. wiredforhealth.gov.uk.
Advice for the public on the importance of handwashing prior to eating or drinking in preventing E.coli 0157 infection is reinforced through the FSA's five year Food Hygiene Campaign which reiterates seasonal food safety messages at regular intervals.
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) research effort and (b) clinical specialism is provided by the NHS to help sufferers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; and if he will make a statement. [131441]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department keeps its priorities for research under review. Priorities for departmental research and development support for the development of policy are determined through discussion with policy colleagues and Ministers. In the national health service, priorities are identified through widespread consultation with those using, delivering and managing services. They take account of the burden of disease, potential benefits and departmental objectives, as well as the responsibilities and work of other funders—including the charities.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is not currently funding any research into Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, though it does fund a number of research projects into connective tissue and also into collagen physiology. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.
The provision of treatment for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome patients is part of the responsibility of health authorities. They must make arrangements for the health of their populations, as they are closest to the people they serve and so best placed to respond sensitively to their needs. People with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome have access to a range of specialists depending on the individual diagnosis. These include orthopaedic surgeons, rheumatologists, cardiologists, vascular surgeons, neurosurgeons, dermatologists and clinical geneticists.
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