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17 Nov 2003 : Column 582W—continued
Emergency Care Strategy Unit
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the (a) priorities and (b) work programme of the Emergency Care Strategy Unit. [138073]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The emergency care strategy team within the Department of Health is responsible for managing and developing government policy relating to emergency care. The scope of this work includes accident and emergency ambulance services and critical care, with priorities to reflect NHS Plan targets.
Further information can be found on the emergency care pages on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/emergencycare.
Emergency Services
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many times in each of the last 12 months an ambulance has taken over (a) 15 minutes, (b) 30 minutes, (c) 60 minutes and (d) 90 minutes to respond to category B emergency calls in East Sussex; and if he will make a statement; [136044]
- (2) what percentage of emergency calls from GPs surgeries were answered within 15 minutes in East Sussex in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement; [136045]
(3) what percentage of emergency calls were answered within 19 minutes in East Sussex in each of the last 12 months, broken down by category; and if he will make a statement. [137191]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect this information by general practitioner surgeries. Information is collected on National Health Service trust basis. A copy is available in the Library and at http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/sbQ313.pdf.
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Eye Tests
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pensioners in the Haltemprice and Howden constituency received free eye tests in the last two years for which figures are available. [135924]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The table shows the number of National Health Service sight tests paid for in East Riding and Hull Health Authority for 2001–02 and 2002–03. Figures for the number of sight tests by constituency or age are not collected centrally. The table shows the number of sight tests where "patient aged 60 and over" was given as the eligibility category and all sight tests.
Eligibility to NHS sight tests was extended to those aged 60 and over from 1 April 1999.
| Total sight test for patients aged 60 and over | All sight tests | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 44.6 | 111.0 |
| 2002–03 | 41.3 | 108.0 |
Note:
Data on eligibility category is derived from a 2 per cent. sample.
Fatal Operations
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people died during operations in the hospitals in the London borough of Havering in 2002. [137322]
Mr. Hutton: This information is not collected centrally.
Flu Vaccine
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the take-up rates for flu vaccine were at (a) 1 November and (b) 1 December 2002 for each health authority. [138158]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Influenza vaccine uptake rates in those aged 65 years and above for 1 November and 1 December 2002 by strategic health authority are shown in the following table.
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Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged 65 years or over have been immunised against influenza in (a) South Tyneside, (b) Tyne and Wear, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. [133215]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Monitoring of influenza vaccinations given to those aged 65 and over started in 2000. The number of people receiving flu vaccine since 2000 are shown in the table.
| Health Authority/Primary Care Trust | Number of people immunised | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | Gateshead and South Tyneside(82) | 42,093 |
| Tyne and Wear(83) | 128,644 | |
| North East(84) | 157,190 | |
| England(85) | 4,965,370 | |
| 2001–02 | Gateshead and South Tyneside(82) | 43,082 |
| Tyne and Wear(83) | 124,226 | |
| North East(84) | 162,909 | |
| England(85) | 5,113,036 | |
| 2002–03 | South Tyneside | 19,480 |
| Tyne and Wear(84) | 128,521 | |
| Northumberland Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority(85) | 167,742 | |
| England(86) | 5,487,645 |
(82) Data recorded by Health Authority only until 2002, when they became primary care trusts (PCTs). Gateshead and South Tyneside were one health authority (HA) in 2000–01 and 2001–02.
(83) Tyne and Wear not recorded as a HA or PCT. We have therefore used current strategic health authority (SHA)/PCT data to record Tyne and Wear as the following Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland Teaching PCT.
(84) North East data based on current SHA/PCT breakdown (see next point).
(85) PCTs covered by Northumberland Tyne and Wear SHA are Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland Teaching PCT and Northumberland. We have therefore used the same PCTs to provide the North East figure for 2000–01 and 2001–02.
(86) Devolved territories record their own information on flu uptake.
Food Manufacturers
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from manufacturers of foods for particular nutritional uses. [136892]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Food Standards Agency officials have met recently with various stakeholders to discuss issues affecting foods for particular nutritional uses. Topics discussed include the draft European Regulation on health and nutrition claims, the proposed European Directive on 'sports foods' and gluten-free foods.
17 Nov 2003 : Column 585W
Manufacturers of foods for particular nutritional uses have concerns about the potential impact of the proposed regulation on health and nutrition claims on the labelling of these foods.
Food Supplements
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Food Standards Agency will meet representatives of (a) the Health Food Manufacturers Association, (b) the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and (c) other stakeholder organisations to discuss ways of improving the evidence base for the assessment of nutrient safety. [136610]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency has been in regular dialogue with stakeholders. This has included meeting manufacturers' associations and other stakeholders to advise on the requirements for submission of dossiers on nutrient sources to European Food Safety Authority, and advising, where requested, on the types of research needed to fill data gaps on the safety of individual vitamins and minerals.
Foundation Hospital Trusts
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will require chief executives of putative NHS foundation hospital trusts to publish details of their consultations with the public on the proposal for foundation hospitals together with an assessment of the results. [138521]
Mr. Hutton: Before authorising a national health service foundation trust, the Independent Regulator must be satisfied that consultation has taken place and has been satisfactory. Documentation submitted to the Independent Regulator by applicants must therefore show evidence of consultation with key stakeholders. This document will be public.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with putative NHS foundation trusts concerning the means whereby the token sum required for people to become members might be collected. [138557]
Mr. Hutton: The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill was amended in House of Lords Committee to remove the requirement on prospective members of national health service foundation trusts to commit to paying a sum of up to a pound.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether doctors who have been struck off the medical register are eligible for election to the board of governors of a foundation trust. [138558]
Mr. Hutton: Subject to Parliament, the legislation on national health service foundation trusts will allow a NHS foundation trust's constitution to make further provision as to the circumstances in which a person may not become or continue as a member of the Board of Governors. It will be up to each NHS foundation trust to decide whether to include in their constitution a provision that doctors who have been struck off the medical register are not eligible to sit on the Board of Governors.
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If a NHS foundation trust's constitution did not include any such provision, then a doctor who had been struck off the medical register would be eligible to sit on the Board of Governors if elected by any of the public, patient or staff constituencies, provided that they were otherwise eligible to stand.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 4 November 2003, Official Report, column 585W, on foundation hospitals, if he will place in the Library copies of the material produced by putative NHS foundation hospital trusts which seek public support for such status. [137591]
Mr. Hutton: Copies of the documents requested will be placed in the Library shortly.
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