| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
2 Mar 2004 : Column 878W—continued
Avian Influenza
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to protect the population from avian influenza; and whether a vaccine will be made available. [154446]
Miss Melanie Johnson: As soon as avian influenza disease was reported by the Thai and United States authorities, the United Kingdom banned imports of fresh meat of poultry, poultry meat products, raw material for animal feed production, eggs for human consumption, live captive birds such as falcons and finches, unprocessed feathers and untreated game trophies, untreated poultry manure, ratites farmed and wild feathered game from those countries.
Various organisations worldwide are looking at producing a vaccine against avian influenza H5N1 including the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control in the UK. This work is estimated to take about six months.
Cancer
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of cancer cases which were preventable in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by type of cancer. [150232]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 26 January 2004]: There is no safe way to estimate the numbers of cancer cases that were preventable. Smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise all play their part in causing cancers but less controlable factors such as genetic make-up and environment make identifying preventable factors difficult.
2 Mar 2004 : Column 879W
Care Homes (Deaths)
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many care assistants employed in care homes in England and Wales have confirmed the death of a resident in the past 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [153481]
- (2) whether it is his policy to encourage doctors to train care assistants to confirm deaths that occur in care homes; and if he will make a statement. [153444]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 11 February 2004]: Under the Care Homes Regulations and the Care Homes (Wales) Regulations care home providers are required without delay to notify the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) and the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales (CSIW) respectively that a resident has died, including the circumstances of the death. In practice, a member of staff working in the home will notify the regulator. The NCSC and the CSIW do not collect information about which member of staff in a care home has notified them of the death of a resident.
The doctor who attended the resident during his or her last illness is responsible for certifying the cause of death. If a doctor feels unable to complete the death certificate the death is referred to the coroner for investigation.
Care home providers are responsible for ensuring that the staff working in care homes have qualifications suitable to the work they are to perform and the skills and experience necessary for such work. Providers are also expected to arrange appropriate training for their staff. We would expect this to include all aspects of dealing with the death of a resident.
Chiropody Services
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to improve access to chiropody services. [157141]
Dr. Ladyman: It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. Their responsibilities include access to chiropody services locally.
Causes of Death
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths in people over 60 since 1997 were due to (a) cancer, (b) coronary heart disease and (c) falls; and if he will make a statement. [156647]
Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Paul Burstow, dated 2 March 2004:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many deaths in people aged over 60 since 1997 were due to (a) cancer, (b) coronary heart disease and (c) falls. (156647)
2 Mar 2004 : Column 880W
- The latest year for which data are available is 2002. Figures for cancer, ischaemic (otherwise known as coronary) heart disease and falls in persons aged over 60 are shown in the attached table for each year from 1997 to 2002.
| Calendar year | (a) Cancer(22) | (b) Ischaemic heart disease | (c) Falls(23) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 112,147 | 111,658 | 2,198 |
| 1998 | 112,678 | 110,425 | 2,112 |
| 1999 | 110,956 | 104,969 | 2,161 |
| 2000 | 109,564 | 98,862 | 2,460 |
| 2001(22) | 112,711 | 96,532 | 2,058 |
| 2002(22) | 113,552 | 93,578 | 1,967 |
(19) The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9)for the years 1997 to 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) for 2001 and 2002. The codes used are listed below:
Cancer—ICD-9 140–208; ICD-10 C00-C97;
Ischaemic heart disease—ICD-9 410–414; ICD-10 120–125;
Falls—ICD-9 E880-E888 excluding E887; ICD-10 W00-W19.
(20) Persons aged 61 years and over.
(21) Figures are based on deaths occurring in each calendar year.
(22) The introduction of ICD-10 for coding cause of death in 2001 means that data for cancer are not completely comparable with data for years before this date. The data should therefore be interpreted with caution. The effect of the change in classification in 2001 on deaths from cancer is described in a report published in May 2002.*
(23) The data for falls for 1997 to 2000 exclude fractures of unspecified cause (ICD-9 E887), so data for these years are comparable to those for 2001 onwards. The effect of the change in classification in 2001 on deaths from falls is described in an article published in August 2003.*
* Office for National Statistics. Results of the ICD-10 bridge coding study, England and Wales, 1999. "Health Statistics Quarterly" 14 (2002), 75–83.
** Griffiths C and Rooney C. The effect of the introduction of ICD-10 on mortality from injury and poisoning in England and Wales. "Health Statistics Quarterly" 19 (2003), 10–21.
Correspondence
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes dated 16 December 2003 concerning the interpretation of what constitutes a severe abnormality in relation to abortion laws. [155101]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 23 February 2004]: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 6 February 2004.
Cycling
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefits of cycling to the health of the nation. [156103]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department recommends that adults participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, at least five days a week and that young people participate in physical activity of at least moderate intensity for one hour per day. Leisurely cycling (around 10 miles per hour) represents one way of meeting these recommendations.
2 Mar 2004 : Column 881W
Regular cycling improves fitness significantly, reducing the risk of obesity, strokes, coronary heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis. There are also benefits for mental health, with evidence of reduced depression and stress, improved self-esteem and confidence in performing physical tasks.
Foundation Trusts
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer of 11 February, ref 153001, if he will place in the Library the guidance he issued to first wave NHS foundation trusts. [155601]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 23 February 2004]: Copies of the guidance and the model rules for elections to the board of governors of national health service foundation trusts have been placed in the Library.
GM Seed
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department has (a) given to and (b) received from the UK delegates attending European Commission regulatory standing and management committees on GM seed. [153891]
2 Mar 2004 : Column 882W
Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 23 February 2004, Official Report, column 140W.
Health Services (Worcestershire)
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of Malvern Community Hospital. [157972]
Dr. Ladyman: West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority (SHA) reports that South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust continues to be committed to the development of a new hospital in Malvern. The project team is currently working on a business case, which will be submitted to the SHA.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |