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Sure Start

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has further to develop Sure Start programmes in the Workington constituency, with particular reference to rural areas. [171618]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 10 May 2004]: Local authorities are currently developing children's centres as the next phase in the Government's strategy to deliver better outcomes for children and families. Funding has been allocated to Cumbria county council to develop children's centres in their 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards by March 2006, building on existing Sure Start local programmes and other provision. The local authority has determined the location of its children's centres. In the Workington constituency, one major new children's centre will be established in Workington. Children's centres are also being developed from the existing Sure Start West Allerdale rural local programme based around Maryport town and from the existing North Allerdale mini rural Sure Start covering Aspatria and Silloth. Both of these children's centres will continue to serve rural areas within the Workington constituency.
 
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Child Care (West Lancashire)

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many childcare places have been created in West Lancashire since 1997. [171491]

Margaret Hodge: The Department is unable to provide details of childcare places for West Lancashire. However, from April 1999 to March 2004, Lancashire local authority created 22,581 new childcare places helping some 39,808 children. This shows an increase in the stock of childcare places, taking into account turnover, of 9,826, helping some 17,631 children.

HEALTH

Drug Treatment

Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Wigan are receiving drug treatment. [169339]

Miss Melanie Johnson: In 2000–01, there were 882 people receiving drug treatment in Wigan. This is the latest data available. Data broken down by drug action team for 2001–02 and 2002–03 has not yet been published.

Abortions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on medical instruments which are used in abortions in each year since 1994; and if he will make a statement. [169935]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.

Anaesthetists

Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many anaesthetists have been employed in the NHS in each of the last five years. [170429]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Staff with a specialty in Anaesthetics

numbers (headcount)
	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	December 2003 (32)
All Staff	6,731	6,939	7,178	7,517	8,056	8,511	n/a
of which:
Consultants	2,955	3,136	3,293	3.549	3,822	4,053	4,127

⁽³²⁾   All data as at 30 September each year, except for 2003 December where data is at 31 December.
n/a—not applicable.
Source:
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.

The number of consultant anaesthetists increased by 1,172, or 40 per cent, between September 1998 and December 2003.

Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the financial position of Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust. [169782]

Mr. Hutton: Unaudited information on in-year financial forecasts is subject to exemption two of the code of practice on access to Government information.

The audited information in respect of the 2003–04 financial position of all national health service trusts will be published in their individual annual accounts and will be available centrally in autumn 2004.

Cancer

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to repeat the NHS cancer patients survey; and if he will make a statement. [169716]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The responsibility for carrying out future patient surveys now rests with the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection. The
 
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Commission is looking at a number of factors before deciding when the next cancer patient survey will take place.

The recently published secondary analysis of the cancer patient survey to identify variations within and between trusts on various cancer types will be used to inform plans for any future surveys. Copies of the report are available in the Library, and on the Department's website.

In addition to this work, the National Audit Office (NAO) will be publishing a report later in 2004 on improving the patient experience of cancer services in England. As part of this study the NAO have carried out a cancer patient survey. This report forms part of a suite of three NAO studies on the delivery of cancer services. The first of these studies 'Tackling Cancer in England—Saving More Lives' was published on 19 March 2004.

Cancer Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to resolve the patient pathway delays for cancer patients identified by the National Audit Office in its recent report on cancer services. [163987]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Dr. Gibson), today.

Cancer Treatment

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures he is taking to encourage patients to seek medical attention when they have suspicious symptoms which may be cancer; and if he will make a statement; [164232]

(2) what plans he has to extend the national cancer clinical audits to all major cancers; [164238]

(3) what plans he has to ensure that each general practitioner receives a copy of the updated referral guidelines for patients with suspected cancer when they are published; [164233]

(4) what plans he has to ensure that waiting times for radiotherapy are monitored at the local level using standardised national measures; [164234]

(5) what plans he has to develop a mechanism to audit the time taken for assessment and treatment of patients who are referred routinely by general practitioners and subsequently diagnosed with cancer; [164236]

(6) if the Department of Health will issue guidance to primary care trusts on the provision and role of administrative support for multi-disciplinary teams providing cancer services; [164237]

(7) if extra resources will be made available to hospitals providing radiotherapy and radiology services in order to assess local need for extra staff and facilities. [164240]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The primary purpose of the national health service cancer plan is to save more lives. Reducing waiting times is key to achieving this. The ultimate goal in the NHS Cancer Plan is to offer patients a maximum one-month wait from an urgent referral for suspected cancer to the beginning of treatment. Where patients wait longer, this should be because of the needs
 
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of the diagnostic process or their personal choice, not because of in-built delays in the system of care. We hope to achieve this goal by 2008. There is a series of milestones towards this goal: By 2005, there will be a maximum one-month wait from diagnosis to treatment for all cancers. By 2005, there will be a maximum two-month wait from urgent general practitioner referral to treatment for all cancers.

Progress towards these targets is being achieved through increased investment, additional staff working in new ways, installing new radiotherapy and diagnostic facilities and streamlining of cancer care pathways for all cancer patients through the cancer services collaborative 'Improvement Partnership'.

The Department will take the National Audit Office report's recommendations into account as we further develop and improve cancer services. The report will be discussed in detail at a Committee of Public Accounts hearing scheduled for 16 June 2004. Sir Nigel Crisp, chief executive of the NHS and Professor Mike Richards, national cancer director, have been called to give evidence at the hearing. The government will respond to the Committee's subsequent report in the form of a Treasury Minute.

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