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21 Jun 2004 : Column 1275W—continued
Imaging Tests
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many imaging and radiodiagnostics examinations and tests were carried out in the NHS (a) without intervention and (b) with intervention (i) in total, (ii) in imaging departments and (iii) in other departments in each year since 1997, broken down by (A) CT, (B) MRI, (C) obstetric ultrasound, (D) non-obstetric ultrasound, (E) radioisotopes, (F) radiographs with no fluoroscopy and (G) fluoroscopy. [176654]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Mental Health
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's targets are on the provision of single sex accommodation for mental health inpatients; and how many mental health trusts meet those targets. [178747]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all national health service organisations providing inpatient accommodation.
The Department set a target for the achievement of each of these objectives in 95 per cent. of NHS trusts by December 2002. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 24WS.
Compliance with the objectives is measured at a national level rather than by trust type, as mental health services are not provided exclusively by mental health trusts. Levels of compliance have continued to rise. By December 2003:
99 per cent. of all NHS trusts provided single-sex sleeping accommodation for planned admissions and have robust operational policies in place to protect patients' privacy and dignity;
99 per cent. of all NHS trusts met the additional criteria set to ensure the safety of patients who are mentally ill; and
97 per cent. of all NHS trusts provided properly segregated bathroom and toilet facilities for men and women.
The small number of NHS trusts which have yet to achieve the objectives have hospital development works under way, whose completion will bring them to the required standard.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the safe facilities for patients in hospitals who are mentally ill which are intended to safeguard patients' privacy and dignity as set out in Safety, Policy and Dignity in mental health units (DoH 2000). [178748]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In 1997, the Department set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all national health service organisations providing inpatient accommodation.
"Safety, privacy and dignity in mental health units" was published in 2000 to reinforce earlier guidance on the delivery of the Department's objectives. It should be read in conjunction with "Modernising Mental Health Services" and the national service framework for mental health. It is for NHS trusts to determine how best to ensure the safety, privacy and dignity of patients, in view of differing local circumstances.
By December 2003, 99 per cent. of all NHS trusts had met the objective to provide safe facilities for patients in hospitals who are mentally ill. Compliance with the standard is measured at a national level rather than by trust type, as mental health services are not provided exclusively by mental health trusts.
The small number of NHS trusts who have yet to achieve the objective have hospital development works under way, whose completion will bring them to the required standard.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how mental health patients' experience of being treated in hospital is used to inform (a) local and (b) national policies on the provision of facilities which ensure good standards of privacy and dignity. [178751]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department considers the issue of patients' privacy and dignity to be of paramount importance.
Every national health service hospital is routinely inspected by patient environment action teams, which were first established in 2000 to help drive up standards of cleanliness and tidiness across the NHS. As part of their visit, these teams also review patient privacy and dignity to ensure that appropriate standards are maintained. The Healthcare Commission also assess this aspect of patient care during the completion of their clinical governance reviews.
It is for NHS trusts to determine what use is made at a local level of the feedback from these inspection processes. At a national level, feedback from patients and carers is used in the review and revision of guidance on the achievement of single-sex accommodation to ensure that hospitals are providing an environment which meets patients' needs and expectations.
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Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of funding for mental health services is for the current financial year; and how much it was in 1997–98. [177742]
Ms Rosie Winterton: It is not possible to estimate the level of funding for mental health services in 1997–98.
The NHS Plan announced an extra annual investment of over £300 million by 2003–04 to fast-forward the national service framework for mental health.
For the latest round of allocations for 2003–04 to 2005–06, none of the growth money has been identified for specific purposes.
It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
Methylsulfonylmethane
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefits of methylsulfonylmethane for arthritis symptoms. [179113]
Dr. Ladyman: The Food Standards Agency has not made any assessment of the benefits of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) for arthritis symptoms.
In the United Kingdom, MSM is sold in dietary supplements marketed under food law. Food supplements, like other foods, are not required to demonstrate their efficacy before marketing, nor are they subject to prior approval unless they are genetically modified or novel as defined in Regulation (EC) 258/97 on novel foods and novel food ingredients.
Food supplements are, however, subject to the general provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Labelling Regulations 1996. The Food Safety Act makes it an offence to sell food that is falsely or misleadingly described or labelled. The Food Labelling Regulations prohibit any food, including a food supplement, from making a claim that it has the property of preventing, treating or curing a human disease or any reference, on the label, to such a property.
MRSA
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the breakdown of expenditure on MRSA research proposed by the Department. [177990]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department last year commissioned a £2.5 million strategic programme of research aimed at improving scientific understanding of antimicrobial resistance. £590,000 of that total sum will be spent on projects that will provide useful information relating to best practice in preventing methicillin-resistant Straphylococcus aureus.
Myeloma
Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the treatment and management of myeloma after diagnosis is effective; [178824]
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(2) what steps are being taken to ensure equity of access to treatment and care for myeloma throughout the UK, with particular reference to new drugs and techniques that are not National Institute for Clinical Excellence approved. [178826]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Where a drug or technology has not been appraised or is awaiting appraisal by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), it will be for the clinicians and the funding authorities concerned to decide, in consultation with patients, whether that treatment is appropriate for an individual patient.
In 2003, NICE published "Improving Outcomes in Haematological Cancers". The guidance makes recommendations to the national health service on the organisation of cancer services for people with haematological cancer, including myeloma, in England and Wales. The recommendations set out in the guidance will be translated into a series of measures against which cancer networks will be peer reviewed. This will provide a mechanism to ensure the guidance is being implemented.
The Department has also issued general practitioner cancer referral guidelines to assist GPs in determining those patients who need to be referred urgently to see a specialist within two weeks. The guidance addresses myeloma. The referral guidelines are currently being reviewed by NICE and the updated guidelines are due to be published in March 2005.
In addition, myeloma patients will also benefit from the measures set out in the NHS cancer plan to improve services across the board for cancer patients.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of whether delays are occurring in the diagnosis of myeloma; [178825]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of the two-week wait rule on the management of suspected myeloma. [178830]
Miss Melanie Johnson: A two-week outpatient waiting time standard was introduced for urgently referred cases of suspected haematological cancers from December 2000. In the last quarter, January to March 2004, 99 per cent. of urgently referred patients with suspected haematological cancer were seen within two weeks of urgent referral. We have issued general practitioner cancer referral guidelines to assist GPs in determining those patients who need to be referred urgently to see a specialist within two weeks, those patients that can be referred for a routine appointment and those who can be safely watched at a primary care level. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is currently reviewing the referral guidelines.
The referral guidelines should be used to agree local referral criteria and referral pathways. All trusts have been encouraged to undertake local audit to assess the impact of the two-week wait on local services and to enable the appropriateness of urgent and routine referrals against the guidelines to be fed back to referring GPs.
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Data is not collected centrally on the time taken to reach a diagnosis of myeloma. No assessment has been made nationally on whether there are delays in diagnosis.
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