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10 Mar 2004 : Column 1594W—continued
A and E Departments
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated in the accident and emergency departments of NHS hospitals in each year from 1990 to 2002. [156014]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The number of patients attending accident and emergency departments in national health service hospitals in England 1989–90 to 2002–03 is shown in the table.
| New attendances | Follow-up attendances | Total attendances | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | 11,207,099 | 2,728,203 | 13,935,302 |
| 1990–91 | 11,204,059 | 2,512,913 | 13,716,972 |
| 1991–92 | 11,035,326 | 2,270,155 | 13,305,481 |
| 1992–93 | 10,993,202 | 2,077,009 | 13,070,211 |
| 1993–94 | 11,364,703 | 1,923,987 | 13,288,690 |
| 1994–95 | 11,942,599 | 1,869,123 | 13,811,722 |
| 1995–96 | 12,461,909 | 1,772,381 | 14,234,290 |
| 1996–97 | 12,483,633 | 1,642,544 | 14,126,177 |
| 1997–98 | 12,793,720 | 1,570,426 | 14,364,146 |
| 1998–99 | 12,811,064 | 1,469,324 | 14,280,388 |
| 1999–2000 | 13,167,495 | 1,461,530 | 14,629,025 |
| 2000–01 | 12,953,432 | 1,339,875 | 14,293,307 |
| 2001–02 | 12,852,702 | 1,191,316 | 14,044,018 |
| 2002–03 | 12,945,413 | 1,100,162 | 14,045,575 |
Source:
Department of Health form KH09
Angiography
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department started collecting the figures for angiography waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for collecting this data centrally. [158965]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Improving angiography access times forms an important part of the national service framework for coronary heart disease. Strategic health authorities outlined their plans to improve access in the local delivery plans (LDPs). Monitoring against the LDPs started in 2003–04. It is expected data will be of sufficient quality to publish shortly.
Hospital episode statistics which have been used previously outline the length of time someone had waited when treated, not the time someone is waiting.
Asthma
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients (a) over and (b) under 45 years were admitted to hospital for asthma in (i) Greater London and (ii) each London borough in the last five years. [158443]
Mr. Hutton: The information is not available in the format requested. Information on patients admitted to London hospitals with a primary diagnosis of asthma by
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primary care trust of residence for the year 2002 to 2003, has been placed in the Library. Information for previous years by PCT of residence is not available.
Bereavement Services
Mr. Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to encourage a co-ordinated approach to bereavement services within his Department. [159966]
Ms Rosie Winterton: A three year training and development strategy was started in 2003 to enable clinical and other staff to manage bereavement well. This required additional funding of £2.7 million per year paid directly to trusts. An additional £300,000 is spent each year by the Department over the three year period for the central preparation of professional standards, training tools and materials to be used by trusts. Joint protocols have been developed between the national health service and coroners to train staff in procedures for obtaining consent for post mortem examinations and for provision of support at the time of death.
Mr. Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS hospitals have staff specially allocated to provide the newly bereaved with sound information on existing laws and procedures so that they can be supported in making quick decisions about funerals. [159967]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The provision of bereavement counselling services within the national health service trusts is a requirement set by the Chief Medical Officer as part of his recommendations following the Alder Hay Inquiry. Families have the right to be provided with sensitive support and advice from NHS trusts at the time of bereavement, responsive to different religious and cultural beliefs. In order to meet this requirement, a three year training and development programme for all trusts was started in 2003. A survey of all trusts will be undertaken in April 2004 to establish the level of support currently in place.
Capital Projects
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for the proposed Droitwich Spa one-stop shop of his decision to change the funding arrangements for the project. [157961]
Dr. Ladyman: Significant new revenue funding is being made available to support public, private capital investment in the primary care estate based on local prioritisation of development proposals.
The funding arrangements have changed as a result of the new general medical services (GMS) contract which has been negotiated between the NHS Confederation and the General Practitioners Committee.
Previously revenue premises costs were funded via both the non cash limited and cash limited GMS routes. From April 2004 this funding will become resource limited and primary care trusts will manage this in conjunction with those resources in their unified allocation.
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The future of the Droitwich Spa development will depend on the priority for investment in this facility relative to other such developments within the west Midland south area.
This will be decided by a planning group compromising all of the primary care trust chief executives within the west Midlands south area.
Cardiac Care
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people from each primary care trust area in England received cardiac treatment at hospitals in Greater London in the last six years for which information is available. [158410]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested for the year 2002 to 2003, has been placed in the Library. Information for previous years is not available.
Chorley Hospital
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list new health services available at Chorley Hospital since 2000; and how much money has been spent on Chorley Hospital since 2000. [157676]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Chorley and South Ribble Hospital was commissioned as a new district general hospital in 1995–96. Since 2000, there has been approximately £10 million of investment in the following areas:
- New medical ward
- 12 station dialysis unit
- new dermatology/diabetes centre
- bedside televisions/telephone system
- multi-faith prayer room
- two new theatres
- new clinic for breast services
- orthopaedic/fracture clinics
- new discharge lounge
- new nursery for staff child care
- new sterile services unit.
- renal dialysis
- extended elective orthopaedic service, serving Chorley and Preston
- dermatology service for Chorley and Preston
- further facilities for admission of medical patients
- plastic surgery outpatients
- vascular surgery outpatients
- additional orthopaedic clinics
- Source:
- Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority.
Coldeast Hospital, Fareham
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future use of the Coldeast Hospital Site in Fareham. [160053]
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Mr. Hutton [holding answer 9 March 2004]: The ownership of the Coldeast Hospital site is split between the Secretary of State for Health, Fareham and Gosport Primary Care Trust (PCT) and West Hampshire National Health Service Trust.
Reserved matters planning consent has recently been granted for a total of 253 housing units on those parts of the site owned by the Secretary of State for Health and the Fareham and Gosport PCT.
Options for the sale of the Secretary of State's land are currently being considered. Fareham and Gosport PCT is firming up its plans for the health service needs of both Fareham and Gosport residents and the health campus on the Coldeast site is a key part of those plans.
Communications Masts
Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action the Department has taken to investigate the potential health risks of Tetra masts in residential areas. [159376]
Miss Melanie Johnson: 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 web site 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)—www.nrpb.org and the Radiocommunications Agency (now part of OFCOM—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-Ionizing Radiation (AGNIR), entitled "Health Effects from Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields" was published on 14 January 2004 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. It published its report, "Possible Health Effects from Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)", in 2001. This is available as
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Documents of NRPB, Volume 12, No 2, 2001, or on the NRPB web site at www.nrpb.org. AGNIR noted that whereas the signals from the TETRA handsets are pulsed, those from TETRA base stations are not pulsed. AGNIR concluded, therefore, that there is no reason to believe 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 2001—www. mthr.org.uk. An associated programme, specifically on TETRA, is being funded by the Home Office—http://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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