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21 Apr 2004 : Column 548W—continued
Blood Donation
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work is being undertaken by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence into the most efficient use of blood donations in the NHS. [163565]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
Erythropoietin for the treatment of chemotherapy induced anaemia, as an alternative to blood transfusion, was referred to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) as part of the ninth wave work programme in October 2003. Full details of the technology appraisal can be
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found on NICE's website at www.nice.org.uk. No other topics on alternatives to blood transfusion are planned for referral to NICE at this time.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health upon what evidence his Department based its position that there is less risk of variant CJD infection via blood transfusions of pooled plasma than via blood transfusions from one blood donor. [163472]
Miss Melanie Johnson: A paper by Llewelyn CA. et al (2004); Lancet; Vol. 363, pp 417–421 reported that the risks from products prepared from large pools of plasma to a recipient are probably less than from blood transfusion. The paper has been placed in the Library. The lower individual risk is also indicated by the risk assessment carried out by Det Norske Veritas.
Cervical Cancer
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the introduction of the new liquid-based cytology method of cervical cancer screening to have been completed in each of the strategic health authority regions, broken down by expected introduction date. [165912]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 19 April 2004]: We expect full implementation of liquid based cytology (LBC) to take up to five years, due to the retraining of all laboratory staff who read cervical screening tests and all sample takers in primary care. We provided £1.2 million in 2003–04 and are providing a further £6 million in 2004–05 to kick-start this process. The intention is that cytology training schools should be converted first in order to be in a position to train the rest of the programme. Strategic health authorities have been issued with advice on how best they can roll out LBC for their local populations, laboratories and primary care, and are developing plans accordingly. A national timetable of conversion over the next five years will become apparent as these plans progress.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in (a) Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency and (b) Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust area; [165407]
(2) when the National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will be implemented by the Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust; [165416]
(3) whether pulmonary rehabilitation is offered by the Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust to patients who consider themselves functionally disabled by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [165417]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
These data are not collected on a constituency basis. However, the Department commissioned the Wessex Institute for Health Research and Development to produce a report on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The report estimated that, in a typical health authority of 500,000 people, around 3,000 in the 45 plus age group would have COPD.
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As part of our commitment to improve services for patients with COPD, we commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to prepare clinical guidelines for the national health service in England and Wales for the prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment of COPD.
Now that the guidelines have been published, primary care trusts, in partnership with local stakeholders, will decide what local service improvements need to be made. They have the responsibility for deciding what services to provide for their populations, including those with COPD and other respiratory diseases. They are best placed to understand local health needs and commission services to meet them.
Civil Servants
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each civil service grade within his (a) Department and (b) Department's executive agencies, the total number of staff employed, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) ethnic group and (iii) age group; and how many are registered disabled. [166393]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is available in the annual publication, Civil Service Statistics, which is published by the Cabinet Office. Copies of Civil Service Statistics 2002, which was published on 24 July 2003, is available in the Library and at www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics. Civil Service Statistics 2003 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.
Committee on Safety of Medicines
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to his answer of 24 March 2004, Official Report, column 913W, on the Committee on Safety of Medicines, what information was assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in 2002; [165299]
(2) pursuant to his answer of 24 March 2004, Official Report, column 913W, on the Committee on Safety of Medicines, what changes were made to the product information on risperidone in 2002. [165300]
Dr. Ladyman: The information assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2002 relating to cerebrovascular events associated with risperidone comprised: a review of serious cerebrovascular events in four randomised placebo controlled trials in dementia; two open-label extension trials in dementia and non-dementia studies; an analysis of non-serious cerebrovascular events (for example, very transient or mild transient ischaemic attack symptoms) in dementia studies; a review of relevant spontaneously reported suspected adverse drug reaction from the marketing authorisation holder's pharmacovigilance database. A review of the scientific literature was performed but did not locate any relevant articles or case reports.
The following warnings were added to the summary of product characteristics for risperidone:
"Cerebrovascular accidents have been observed during treatment with risperidone".
"Risperidal should be used with caution in patients with known cardiovascular disease including those associated with prolongation of the QT interval and the dose should be gradually titrated".
Consequential changes to the side-effects section of the patient information leaflet were made to clearly describe various symptoms of stroke, with an instruction to seek medical attention should these occur.
Consultant Contracts
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS consultants had signed the new consultants' contract at 1 April. [166074]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 20 April 2004]: Data is not available centrally on the take up of the consultant contract as at 1 April. Information on take up during April as a whole should be available by early May.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many of those NHS consultants who have not signed the new contract have reduced their commitment to NHS sessions below that indicated in their workload review; [166075]
(2) how many of those NHS consultants who have signed the new contract are contracted to provide fewer sessions than their workload review indicated they were formerly undertaking in the NHS. [166076]
Mr. Hutton [holding answers 20 April 2004]: Information on the content of individual consultant job plans is not held centrally.
Contraception
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many girls in England of school age were prescribed (a) contraceptive pills, (b) a contraceptive injection and (c) a contraceptive implant in each of the last seven years. [165492]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Contraceptives may be prescribed by general practitioners or by family planning clinics. Information regarding GP prescriptions broken down according to age is not available. The number of girls aged under 16 whose primary method of contraception was the pill, injection or implant obtained from family planning clinics in the period 1996–97 to 2002–03 is shown in the table.
| Pill | Injection | Implant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 23,000 | 1,000 | 100 |
| 1997–98 | 22,700 | 1,200 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | 21,800 | 1,300 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 | 22,700 | 1,500 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | 23,900 | 2,000 | 100 |
| 2001–02 | 24,100 | 2,300 | 100 |
| 2002–03 | 24,500 | 2,500 | 200 |
Source:
Department of Health Statistics Division; return KT31. Numbers rounded to the nearest hundred.
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