| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
23 Mar 2004 : Column 718W—continued
HEALTH
Social Work
13. Ms Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in increasing the number of people applying to courses leading to a qualification in social work. [162791]
Dr. Ladyman: The introduction of the social work degree in September 2003, a non means tested bursary for students not supported through training by their employer and our on-going national recruitment campaign is having a positive effect on applications to approved courses and in widening participation. The last available data in 2002 showed an increase in applications of 6 per cent.
Patients Forums
14. Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase the support given to patients forums. [162792]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Support for patients forums is organised by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health. The budget for the Commission is £35.4 million in financial year 2003–04 and contracts have been awarded for support organisations to provide day to day support for forums.
Obesity
15. Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's policy to tackle obesity. [162793]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Tackling obesity is at the heart of many of the Government's health priority areas. Prevention is the best long-term approach, especially in children, by improving diet and promoting physical activity. The Public Health White Paper will provide the overarching framework for work on diet and nutrition, physical activity and obesity.
Hospital-acquired Infections
16. Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to issue new guidance on treatment and prevention of hospital-acquired infections. [162794]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Our action plan "Winning Ways—Working together to reduce Healthcare Associated Infection in England" is intended to ensure the implementation of existing guidance. It has a strong focus on better information and monitoring at the local level to secure change, with further guidance in due course.
Health Services (West Worcestershire)
17. Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish plans for the future of the health service in the constituency of West Worcestershire. [162795]
23 Mar 2004 : Column 719W
Dr. Ladyman: South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust is responsible for commissioning health care in West Worcestershire, to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
Over the current three year period, South Worcestershire's allocation will increase in cash terms by £60.6 million or over 30 per cent. That is a significant level of investment and will deliver real benefits and results for the people of West Worcestershire.
Blood Donation
18. Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend the ban on blood donations from those who have received a blood transfusion since 1980 to organ recipients; and if he will make a statement. [162796]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Individuals who have had an organ transplant would be excluded from being blood donors because of their underlying condition, which led to that organ transplant.
Mr. Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissues for Transplantation has decided whether to ban recipients of blood from donating blood; and when the decision will be made public. [153864]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissues for Transplantation met on 22 January to discuss further measures to safeguard the blood supply against the possible risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). The Committee advised that the United Kingdom blood services should exclude those people who have previously received a blood transfusion since 1980 as a precautionary measure against the risk of vCJD being transmitted by blood and blood components. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health made a statement to the House on this issue on 16 March.
Sports Provision
19. Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to ensure that primary care trusts, local authorities and others have shared objectives with regard to sport and physical activity. [162797]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The cross-Government Activity Co-ordination Team (ACT), jointly chaired by myself and my hon. Friend, the Minister of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Richard Caborn), is drawing up a plan to increase physical activity levels across England and this will include work by the national health service, local government and others.
Digital Hearing Aids
21. Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on access to digital hearing aids. [162799]
23 Mar 2004 : Column 720W
Dr. Ladyman: The Royal National Institute for Deaf People has successfully managed the Modernising Hearing Aid Services (MHAS) project on behalf of my Department. Already digital hearing aids are available in two thirds of the National Health Service audiology departments in England and by April 2005, they will be available throughout England.
Administration Costs
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake to reduce the administration costs of (a) strategic health authorities, (b) primary care trusts and (c) NHS trusts by setting up shared administration and human resources systems. [157581]
Mr. Hutton: The Department has initiated a number of initiatives to reduce the administration and human resource costs of all National Health Service bodies. These include the setting up of two shared service centres to provide financial services and the sponsoring of a number of projects designed to support the NHS in recruiting, retaining and managing its workforce.
The shared financial service centres in Bristol and Leeds were set up as pilots last year. These have been successful and the Department is currently advertising for a private sector partner to help expand the centres and make their services available across the NHS. The human resources projects cover electronic recruitment and careers, and staff records/payroll. The recruitment and careers project is currently being rolled out across the NHS and staff records/payroll will be piloted this year.
Alcohol-related Violence
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department has taken to ensure that the NHS co-operates with other agencies to tackle alcohol-related violence. [162781]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Crime and disorder reduction partnerships tackle crime at local level. National health service involvement in tackling alcohol-related crime will be strengthened when primary care trusts become responsible authorities within these partnerships from April 2004.
Angiography
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to his Answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1200W, on angiography, how many waits were under (a) three, (b) six, (c) nine, (d) 12 and (e) 15 months; [156246]
- (2) pursuant to his Answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1200W, on angiography, how many waits were under (a) three, (b) six, (c) nine, (d) 12 and (e) 15 months for (i) England and (ii) each Strategic Health Authority. [158964]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
No patient will wait more than nine months from April 2004.
23 Mar 2004 : Column 721W
Berners Willi Syndrome
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the UK have Berners Willi Syndrome; what the cost was to (a) the NHS and (b) social services departments of treating them in the last financial year; and if he will make a statement. [162598]
Dr. Ladyman: There are estimated to be about 1,100 people with Prader Willi Syndrome (PWS) in England. Packages of care reflecting individual needs are drawn up locally. Records of expenditure relating specifically to people suffering from PWS are not collected centrally.
Carers Assessments
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many carers assessments were carried out by each local authority in England during (a) 2002 and (b) 2003. [162233]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 18 March 2004]: Information showing the number of carer assessments carried out by each council in England for the year 2001–02 and 2002–03, has been placed in the Library.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |