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Health Care (Manchester)

Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what adjustment he will make to the funding of (a) primary health care trusts and (b) other health trusts in Manchester following the adjustment to the census figures for Manchester made by the Office of National Statistics on 4 November. [137224]

Mr. Hutton [holding answer 10 November 2003]: Revenue allocations for the provision of health care, made to primary care trusts for 2003–04 to 2005–06, were announced on 11 December 2002.

Any changes in population figures will be used for the next round of allocations. Preparatory work will begin early next year.

Market Research

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on (a) opinion polling and (b) market research in the last financial year; and if he will make a statement. [139982]

Ms Rosie Winterton: A list of expenditure incurred on opinion polling, and market research in the last financial year could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

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A list of research projects carried out by the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies for the financial year 2002–03 is available in the Library. These lists may not include all research projects, as some information is not centrally available.

We are committed to consulting and involving the public to help inform both policy formulation and the delivery of better quality public service. Responsive public services are an important part of the Modernising Government initiative.

We only conduct or commission market or opinion research when it is justified by the needs of the policy programme and is the most economical, efficient and effective way to achieve the purpose.

Medical Research

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what impact assessment the Department has made of the adoption of the EU Clinical Trials Directive (2001/20/EC) on the UK non-commercial medical research sector. [136417]

Miss Melanie Johnson: As part of the consultations on the UK regulations, a partial regulatory impact assessment (RIA) was provided revealing potential increased costs. Universities, national health service trusts and charities were invited to submit estimates on

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recurring and non-recurring compliance costs for non-commercial trials. The comments received revealed the difficulty of estimating costs with so much uncertainty surrounding the Commission Directives.

The Government has taken further steps to attempt to influence the Commission in its consideration of a Commission Directive on Good Clinical Practice and also in reviewing guidance that the Commission published earlier this year with a view to avoiding any unnecessary costs. This work is continuing.

In another initiative designed to reduce the cost impact, the Department and the Medical Research Council are working with experts to find practical solutions to the issues identified in the partial impact assessment. Details of the project can be found on www.ncchta.org/eudirective/index.asp.

Further information on the partial regulatory impact assessment and the proposed UK implementing regulations is available on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's website at www.mhra.gov.uk in the MHRA Consultative Documents: MLXs issued in 2003, MIX 287.

Mental Health

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which and reasons why people with mental health problems self-fund their (a) medication, (b) treatment and (c) care. [140108]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department of Health has made no assessment of the extent to which and the reasons why people with mental health problems seek treatment and care within the independent sector.

However, we are concerned to ensure that all those who are assessed as needing treatment and care should be able to receive it within the national health service at the appropriate time.

This is why we have made mental health a priority for reform and have increased investment in mental health services. It is also why we welcomed the report published by Mind, entitled "The Hidden Cost of Mental Health", as a helpful contribution to our understanding of the needs of people with mental health problems and why we are engaged in an extensive public consultation to consider what more we can do to improve choice, responsiveness and equity in services.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of seasonal affective disorder there were in each winter since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [139869]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department of Health does not capture central information about the numbers of people with depression that varies seasonally. Diagnosis of depression is a matter for the responsible clinician taking into account all the various factors that may contribute. Although seasonal affective disorder is not listed in the International Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders (ICD-10), we do understand that there are a number of people that appear to be affected in this way. Whatever the causes, and we do not fully understand them all, serious depression is a matter of

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great concern to those delivering mental health services. Improving mental health services is a priority for the Government.

Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place a copy of the occurrence log kept by Mersey Regional Ambulance Service for the weekend of 1–2 November in the Library. [137780]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 11 November 2003]: The information requested is not held centrally.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures have been put in place by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to ensure that information from patient report forms is (a) collated effectively and (b) used as part of the clinical audit process. [138435]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Mersey Regional Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust has introduced a revised procedure which ensures that the collation of data from the patient report form is audited daily by the station officer to ensure both completion and quality of documentation. The patient report forms are also sorted into the correct clinical areas and delivered on time and to the central audit department. In addition a random selection of all patient report forms are checked against a set standard.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the salary is of the communications manager at the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service; and if he will place a copy of the job description for this post in the Library. [138437]

Miss Melanie Johnson: A copy of the job description for the post of communications manager at Mersey Regional Ambulance Service has been placed in the Library.

The salary information requested is not available.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place a copy of the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service lone worker policy in the Library. [138714]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 17 November 2003]: A copy has been placed in the Library.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have been introduced by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to ensure that all staff, including those in stations outside Liverpool, receive staff bulletins. [139074]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Mersey Regional Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust has a new communications strategy in place. This ensures that all staff have access to the right information, at appropriate times and places.

Midwifery

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 18 September, reference 127592 on midwives administering, if he will list the non-medical products midwives can supply; what the criteria

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are for such supply; and what financial arrangements apply, with particular reference to the right to reclaim costs incurred. [133328]

Mr. Hutton: There is no list of inclusions or omissions regarding the non-medical products that may be used by midwives within the course of their clinical practice. Such decisions are taken locally by employing organisations. There are no special financial arrangements in place outside normal budgetary procedures.

Those midwives trained as nurse prescribers will be able to prescribe these products, including compression hosiery, listed in Part IX of the drug tariff.

Migraine

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of migraine sufferers being treated in the NHS fall within the target of a maximum 16-week wait between referral and first out-patient appointment; [139876]

(2) what proportion of migraine sufferers treated in the NHS were (a) misdiagnosed and (b) inappropriately treated in 2002. [139877]

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

We are taking steps to improve services for patients with headache. In April 2003, for example, we published guidelines for the appointment of general practitioners (GPs) with special interests in the delivery of clinical services in headache. This should help to raise the profile of headache and migraine with health professionals.

The Modernisation Agency will be managing a project over the next two years to improve access to neurology services. The project will work closely with professionals, patients and other stakeholders, and will complement other initiatives already under way within the Modernisation Agency, the Department of Health and the national health service.

Since 1 April 2003, the NHS aims to see all patients within 21 weeks of a GP referral and, once on an inpatient waiting list, patients should be admitted within 12 months. From 1 April 2004, waiting times will further reduce to a maximum waiting time for a first outpatient appointment of 16 weeks. The maximum waiting time for an inpatient appointment will be cut from 12 months to nine months.

These maximum waiting times will fall on a staged basis each year to three months (for outpatients) and six months (for inpatients) by 2005. The Government aims to reduce the maximum wait for any stage of treatment to three months by 2008 (subject to recruitment and reform).

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