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27 Feb 2004 : Column 624W—continued
Lupus
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialists there are who see patients suffering from Lupus (SLE). [156162]
Dr. Ladyman: Information on the clinical specialties of individual consultants is not held centrally. Patients with lupus can be seen by a range of specialists, depending on their symptoms. Lupus can mimic other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, making it difficult to diagnose.
Mental Health
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have died under restraint in mental health institutions in each of the last six years; and how many of these were from ethnic minorities. [155631]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information about the number of people who have died under restraint in each of the last six years from an ethnic minority comes from two sources.
The Mental Health Act Commission collects data on individuals who have died while being retained under the Mental Health Act 1983. Data provided by the Commission are shown in the table.
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| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of deaths (from all causes) | 621 | 386 | 403 | 390 | 361 | 304 |
| Number of deaths of detained patients where Control and Restraint was used in the seven days preceding death | 18 | 16 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
| Number of deaths of detained patients where Control and Restraint was used in the 24 hours preceding death | n/a(27) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Number of those from ethnic minorities | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
(27) Data not readily available.
Sudden and unexplained deaths data are collected by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness.
In the study period of March 1999 to February 2002 the following cases were reported:
Cases of Sudden and Unexplained Deaths (SUD) who were physically restrained in the 24 hours before death:
Four patients (4 per cent. of 110).
Cases of SUD who were physically restrained 1 hour before death:
Two patients (2 per cent. of 109).
Cases of SUD who were physically restrained in the 24 hours before death:
One patient (9 per cent. of 11).
Cases of SUD who were physically restrained 1 hour before death:
One patient (9 per cent. of 11).
However, it is important to note that the populations from which these data were selected from are not identical. Therefore the figures should be viewed with caution.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trusts offer women-only mental health day care facilities in England. [154425]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Following "Shifting the Balance of Power", strategic health authorities (SHAs) carry responsibility for the development of local delivery plans that show how proposals for mental health modernisation will be taken forward.
Information to guide local services on applicable service models is available in guidance published by the Department of Health. "Women's mental health: into the mainstream" was made available to services in September 2002. A copy has been placed in the Library.
In addition, a programme of work led by the National Institute for Mental Health in England focuses on the development of services for women, including day care provision.
SHAs carry responsibility for the direct management of trust performance, taking account of national guidance and local population needs and resources. Our annual national assessment of local services1 self-assessment of development shows that progress is being made but information is not captured centrally on a trust by trust basis.
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Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average wait for a mental health bed is in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley. [154743]
Miss Melanie Johnson: As at September 2003, there were five patients from primary care trusts in the Lancashire area waiting for admission to a mental health bed for up to two months. There were no patients waiting for longer than that time in Lancashire. No patients were waiting for admission to a mental health bed in Chorley.
In view of the small numbers involved, it is not possible to calculate average waiting times.
- Source:
- Department of Health Quarterly Monitoring Data
NHS Trusts (Chief Executive Misconduct)
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 616W, on NHS Trusts (Chief Executive Misconduct), what advice was given by the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority to the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service concerning the investigation of a possible case of gross misconduct by the Chief Executive; by whom such advice was given, and when; and what action was taken following such advice by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to investigate the matter, and by whom. [149347]
Miss Melanie Johnson: As an employment issue, this is a matter for the non-executives of the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust.
Breast Screening
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of women in (a) urban and (b) rural areas aged between 50 and 65 have undergone breast screening. [154905]
Miss Melanie Johnson: This information is not held centrally in the format requested. Statistics on breast screening are published annually in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin, Breast Screening Programme, England, a copy of which is available in the Library.
TETRA Masts
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to local authorities regarding health implications of TETRA masts. [155653]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 23 February 2004]: Advice to local authorities on the health implications for all electronic communication developments is contained in Planning Policy Guidance
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Note 8 (revised), issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which has also issued a code of best practice on mobile phone network development.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the findings were of the latest research commissioned by his Department is into health and safety aspects of TETRA masts; and what plans he has to update this. [155654]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 23 February 2004]: The Stewart Report, in 2000, provided a thorough and comprehensive consideration of the public health concerns associated with mobile phone systems and is available on the website of the independent expert group on mobile phones at: www.iegmp.org.uk The report dealt principally with signals from the widely used mobile phone (GSM) technologies, but it did note some contradictory results when examining the biological effects of pulsed radio signals similar to those associated with TETRA (terrestrial trunked radio). While no obvious health effect was suggested, it did recommend a precautionary approach.
The main conclusion about base stations from the Stewart Report was that:
- "the balance of evidence indicates that there is no general risk to the health of people living near to base stations on the basis that exposures are expected to be small fractions of guidelines".
A substantial number of measurements of potential exposures of the public from base station emissions have now been made by a number of bodies, including the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) at: www.nrpb.org and the Radiocommunications Agency (now part of Ofcom) at: www.ofcom.org.uk These measurements include emissions from TETRA base stations. In all cases exposures have been very much lower than the guidelines published by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
The latest report from NRPB's advisory group on non-ionising radiation (AGNIR), entitled "Health Effects from Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields", was published on 14 January 2004. It addressed the base station issue and concluded that:
- "Exposure levels from living near to mobile phone base stations are extremely low, and the overall evidence indicates that they are unlikely to pose a risk to health."
Following a request by the Home Office to the NRPB, the issue of possible health effects caused by signals from TETRA base stations was comprehensively addressed by AGNIR. They published their report, "Possible Health Effects from Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)", in 2001, which is available as Documents of NRPB, Volume 12, No. 2, 2001, or on the NRPB website: www.nrpb.org They noted that whereas the signals from the TETRA handsets are pulsed, those from TETRA base stations are not pulsed. They concluded, therefore, that there is no reason to believe
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that signals from TETRA base stations should be treated differently from other base stations. The AGNIR report also found that exposures of the public to signals from TETRA base stations are small fractions of international guidelines.
TETRA technologies are included within the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme, set by the Government in 2001 and available at: www.mthr.org.uk An associated programme, specifically on TETRA, is being funded by the Home Office (www.homeoffice.gov.uk). A number of projects are already under way, but it will be some time before the results are available.
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