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12 Jan 2004 : Column 620W—continued
Shellfish
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the latest scientific advice he has received on the testing of shellfish for toxins. [146367]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 8 January 2003]: The testing of shellfish for toxins is a public health matter, which falls within the policy responsibility of the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Unusual results have been observed over the last two years in tests for diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxins under the statutory monitoring programmes, which point to the possible presence of a new neurotoxin. These have therefore resulted in the temporary closure, from time to time, of some shellfish harvesting waters, as a precautionary measure to ensure that public health continues to be protected. The FSA is pursuing an extensive programme of work to resolve the issues associated with these findings.
Skin Cancer
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of how the two week wait rule for skin cancer has affected the waiting times for the treatment of urgent non-cancerous skin conditions. [145144]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 5 January 2003]: The two week outpatient waiting time standard was introduced for urgent cases of suspected cancer from December 2000. Performance data is published
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quarterly and currently (as at 30 September 2003) shows that 98.7 per cent. of patients urgently referred for suspected skin cancer who fall within the standard were seen within 14 days.
By 2005, there will be targets of a maximum one month wait from diagnosis to treatment and a maximum two month wait from urgent general practitioner referral to treatment for all cancers.
Comparable data on urgent referrals for non-cancer skin conditions is not collected centrally and therefore no assessment has been made of the impact of the cancer two week wait upon waiting times for treatment of non-cancer skin conditions.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness and benefits of rapid referral clinics for skin cancer. [145145]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 5 January 2003]: The Department has commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop guidance on skin tumours, including melanoma, for use in the National Health Service in England and Wales. This guidance will advise on the optimal configuration of diagnostic and treatment services for patients with skin cancer. In developing this guidance, NICE will assess the best available evidence in order to make recommendations on the optimum provision of skin
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cancer services. This will include consideration of a variety of settings and workforce roles. The guidance is due to be published in March 2005.
In addition, we have asked NICE to update the referral guidelines for suspected cancer published by the Department in April 2000, to assist general practitioners in determining those patients who are most likely to have cancer and therefore need to be referred urgently to see a specialist. Both the existing guidance and the revised guidance will address skin cancers.
St. George's Hospital, London
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what investigations (a) have taken place and (b) are underway into waiting lists at St. Georges' Hospital, London. [145768]
Mr. Hutton: South West London Strategic Health Authority has advised me that no investigations have taken place or are underway into waiting lists at St. George's Hospital, London.
Staffing (Cambridgeshire)
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical and clinical staff and (b) other types of staff were employed in the NHS in Cambridgeshire according to the most recently available survey of staffing. [146451]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
| of which: | of which: | of which: | of which: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All staff | HCHS Staff(26) | Medical Staff | Dental Staff | All General Medical Practitioners(27) | NHS Plan GPs(28) | Unrestricted Principal and Equivalents (UPEs)(29) | |
| 5AF North Peterborough PCT | 708 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 58 | 57 | 57 |
| 5AG South Peterborough PCT | 453 | 8 | 8 | — | 59 | 52 | 52 |
| 5GF Huntingdonshire PCT | 1,045 | 81 | 72 | 9 | 104 | 89 | 89 |
| 5JH Cambridge City PCT | 806 | 7 | 7 | — | 100 | 86 | 86 |
| 5JJ South Cambridgeshire PCT | 562 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 77 | 63 | 62 |
| 5JK East Cambridgeshire and Fenland PCT | 1,108 | 1 | 1 | — | 90 | 78 | 78 |
| RCX Kings Lynn and Wisbech Hospitals NHS Trust | 2,360 | 214 | 205 | 9 | — | — | — |
| RGN Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust | 3,446 | 282 | 269 | 13 | — | — | — |
| RGP James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust | 2,776 | 205 | 193 | 12 | — | — | — |
| RGQ Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust | 3,527 | 297 | 280 | 17 | — | — | — |
| RGR West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust | 2,582 | 201 | 198 | 3 | — | — | — |
| RGT Addenbrookes NHS Trust | 6,186 | 754 | 740 | 14 | — | — | — |
| RM1 Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust | 5,277 | 521 | 504 | 17 | — | — | — |
| RQQ Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust | 1,585 | 121 | 121 | — | — | — | — |
| of which: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice staff(30) employed by UPEs | Total Non-Medical Staff | Professionally qualified clinical staff | Support to clinical staff | NHS infrastructure support | Other and unknown | |
| 5AF North Peterborough PCT | 231 | 415 | 214 | 154 | 47 | — |
| 5AG South Peterborough PCT | 148 | 238 | 140 | 62 | 36 | — |
| 5GF Huntingdonshire PCT | 314 | 546 | 291 | 139 | 116 | — |
| 5JH Cambridge City PCT | 291 | 408 | 208 | 157 | 37 | 6 |
| 5JJ South Cambridgeshire PCT | 247 | 221 | 130 | 48 | 43 | — |
| 5JK East Cambridgeshire and Fenland PCT | 260 | 757 | 387 | 287 | 83 | — |
| RCX Kings Lynn and Wisbech Hospitals NHS Trust | — | 2,146 | 902 | 790 | 451 | 3 |
| RGN Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust | — | 3,164 | 1,447 | 1,270 | 441 | 6 |
| RGP James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust | — | 2,571 | 992 | 1,077 | 501 | 1 |
| RGQ Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust | — | 3,230 | 1,722 | 1,165 | 343 | — |
| RGR West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust | — | 2,381 | 1,175 | 834 | 372 | — |
| RGT Addenbrookes NHS Trust | — | 5,432 | 2,984 | 1,767 | 681 | — |
| RM1 Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust | — | 4,756 | 2,410 | 1,932 | 409 | 5 |
| RQQ Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust | — | 1,464 | 685 | 462 | 315 | 2 |
(26) Excludes Hospital Medical Hospital Practitioners and Hospital Medical Clinical Assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals.
(27) All Practitioners include UPEs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS Other and GP Retainers.
(28) NHS Plan GPs includes GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs, PMS Salaried GPs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, Salaried Doctors and PMS Other.
(29) UPEs include GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.
(30) Practice Staff includes Practice Nurses, Direct Patient Care, Admin and Clerical and Other.
Source:
Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census
Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics
Department of Health Non-medical Workforce Census
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Strategic Health Authorities
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed by strategic health authorities in (a) April 2002 and (b) April 2003; and what the projected figures are for (i) April and (ii) October 2004. [145370]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table for September 2002, the latest available data. Projected figures are not available.
| All HCHS staff (HCHS medical, dental and non-medical) | ||
|---|---|---|
| England | 3,968 | |
| Q01 | Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA | 40 |
| Q02 | Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA | 57 |
| Q03 | Essex SHA | 103 |
| Q04 | North West London SHA | 69 |
| Q05 | North Central London SHA | 104 |
| Q06 | North East London SHA | 140 |
| Q07 | South East London SHA | 84 |
| Q08 | South West London SHA | 43 |
| 009 | Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA | 203 |
| Q10 | County Durham and Tees Valley SHA | 84 |
| Q11 | North and East Yorks and North Lines SHA | 66 |
| Q12 | West Yorkshire SHA | 152 |
| Q13 | Cumbria and Lancashire SHA | 36 |
| Q14 | Greater Manchester SHA | 301 |
| Q15 | Cheshire and Merseyside SHA | 487 |
| Q16 | Thames Valley SHA | 115 |
| Q17 | Hampshire and Isle Of Wight SHA | 188 |
| Q18 | Kent and Medway SHA | 238 |
| Q19 | Surrey and Sussex SHA | 333 |
| Q20 | Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA | 59 |
| Q21 | South West Peninsula SHA | 75 |
| Q22 | Dorset and Somerset SHA | 101 |
| Q23 | South Yorkshire SHA | 257 |
| Q24 | Trent SHA | 142 |
| Q25 | Leics, Northants and Rutland SHA | 188 |
| Q26 | Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA | 62 |
| Q27 | Birmingham and the Black Country SHA | 166 |
| Q28 | Coventry, Warwicks, Herefords and Worcs SHA | 75 |
Sources:
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census, Department of Health non-medical workforce census
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