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19 May 2004 : Column 1015W—continued

Waiting Times

Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of women in South Ribble with suspected breast cancer saw a specialist within two weeks in each of the last five years. [171668]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not collected on a constituency basis. The information shown in the table relates to the national health service organisations serving the South Ribble area.
 
19 May 2004 : Column 1016W
 

Waiting times for 1st consultant out-patient appointment for suspected breast cancer following urgent GP referral

Seen within 2 weeks
NHS TrustPercentageNumber
1999–2000Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust94.552
2000–01Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust100.0169
2001–02Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust100.0240
2002–03Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust100.0238
2003–04Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust100.0279




Note:
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals was established on 1 August 2002 following a merger of the Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust and Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
Source:
DH form QMCW.



Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of women in Workington constituency with suspected breast cancer saw a specialist within two weeks in each of the last five years. [170717]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not collected on a constituency basis. The information shown in the table relates to the national health service organisations serving the Preston area.
Waiting times for first consultant out-patient appointment for suspected breast cancer following urgent GP referral

Seen within 2 weeks
PercentageNumber
1999–2000Carlisle Hospitals NHS Trust92.9236
2000–01West Cumbria Health Care NHS Trust
2000–01Carlisle Hospitals NHS Trust83.3244
2001–02North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust94.7570
2002–03North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust89.0699
2003–04North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust95.0755




Note:
West Cumbria Health Care NHS Trust and Carlisle Hospitals NHS Trust merged to form North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust in April 2001.
Source:
Department of Health form QMCW.



Health Therapists

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health    how many (a) occupational therapists, (b) physiotherapists and (c) speech and language therapists were employed in the NHS in each (i) NHS region and (ii) strategic health authority in each of the last two years. [172705]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
NHS Hospital and Community Health Services: Qualified occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists employed in the NHS in each Government office region and strategic health authority area in England as at 30 September in each year
Headcount

            Occupational
            therapists
Physiotherapists
Speech and language
therapists
200220032002200320022003
England total14,74915,39116,88517,9225,9606,243
A. North East
Total7267569531,004320344
Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA289283392412123135
Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA437473561592197209
B. North West
Total1,9782,0122,5882,748861911
Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA617602915942264274
Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA559611643700242274
Q14 Greater Manchester SHA8027991,0301,106355363
D. Yorkshire and the Humber
Total1,5771,5871,9172,050568596
Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA410448472528170184
Q23 South Yorkshire SHA475478600638158178
Q12 West Yorkshire SHA692661845884240234
E. East Midlands
Total1,3271,4401,2221,329453462
Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA435471400439145145
Q24 Trent SHA892969822890308317
F. West Midlands
Total1,4441,5151,7831,926591649
Q27 Birmingham and The Black Country SHA597619734792283304
Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA418452540589137157
Q28 West Midlands South SHA429444509545171188
G. East of England
Total1,5191,6071,4571,572554573
Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA322364367431171174
Q03 Essex SHA454460354373131136
Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA743783736768252263
H. London
Total2,0182,1132,3282,4869791,133
Q05 North Central London SHA390450471510178254
Q06 North East London SHA410399390421184179
Q04 North West London SHA455458565597229258
Q07 South East London SHA416456491516219251
Q08 South West London SHA347350411442169191
J. South East
Total2,3112,3942,6082,666998931
Q17 Hampshire and Isle Of Wight SHA436478584625185190
Q18 Kent and Medway SHA411415443449199190
Q19 Surrey and Sussex SHA885898877885303265
Q16 Thames Valley SHA579603704707311286
K. South West
Total1,8491,9672,0292,141636644
Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA814878934991321308
Q22 Dorset and Somerset SHA450463468506125137
Q21 South West Peninsula SHA585626627644190199




Source:
Department of Health Non-medical Workforce Census.





 
19 May 2004 : Column 1017W
 

Healthy Eating

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Department is taking to encourage the production and sale of healthier foods. [160697]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 11 March 2004]: We are working closely with the food industry
 
19 May 2004 : Column 1018W
 
and other stakeholders to encourage the production and sale of healthier foods. Our 5 A DAY programme is promoting the sale of fruit and vegetables.

We are currently consulting stakeholders and the public as part of the Choosing Health? consultation through the consultation document, "Choosing Health? Choosing a Better Diet". This will enable a wide range
 
19 May 2004 : Column 1019W
 
of stakeholders to contribute to the debate on healthier food. The Government will draw up a White Paper in the light of consultation.

Healthy Living Centres

Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of healthy living centres. [170417]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Healthy living centres (HLCs) have a key role to play in reducing inequalities and supporting the work of other statutory and voluntary organisations locally.

The New Opportunities Fund has commissioned the Bridge Consortium to carry out a four-year evaluation of the programme which will focus on health impact monitoring and issues of sustainability, partnership and social exclusion.

The Department has commissioned its own evaluation of the HLC programme through the Tavistock Institute against key health priorities, such as cancer and coronary heart disease prevention. The institute will be encouraged to publish its findings and the Health Development Agency will incorporate the findings into evidence and practice reviews.

Interim findings from the New Opportunities Fund's evaluation are already available on the New Opportunities Fund website at www.nof.org.uk.

Hearing-impaired Patients

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to introduce deaf and disability awareness training for front-line NHS staff. [170967]

Mr. Hutton: NHSU, the organisation set up by the Department to establish a university for the national health service, is leading the development and delivery of disability equality and awareness training tools and resources as part of a wider disability learning and development strategy. An initial prototype learning programme, aimed at providing staff with a broad overview of disability awareness, will be ready for consultation in the autumn.

There are no plans for centrally funded training programmes that deal specifically with deaf awareness.


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