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Patient and Public Involvement Forums

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time between application, interview and recruitment of members to Patient and Public Involvement Forums has been in (a) Greater London and (b) England. [189704]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The average time between application and formal acceptance for members of patients' forums is 29 days for both England and London ¹ . In cases where there is greater urgency, for example when a forum has fewer than seven members, the recruitment process can be accelerated to achieve completion in seven days.

¹ Source:

Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health.
 
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Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be responsible for recruiting members to Patient and Public Involvement Forums when the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health is abolished. [189705]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The intention is that the National Health Service Appointments Commission will become responsible for recruiting and appointing members to patients' forums.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patient and public involvement forums have had fewer than seven members for (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) 12 months in (i) Greater London and (ii) England. [189720]

Ms Rosie Winterton: At the end of March 2004, England had 13 patients' forums, out of a total of 572, with fewer than seven members, and London had none, out of a total of 74. At the end of June 2004, those figures were 52 and eight respectively ¹ . Patients' forums did not exist a year ago.

¹ Source:

Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of members of patient and public involvement forums are from ethnic minority communities in (a) Greater London and (b) England. [189735]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Equal opportunities information completed by patients' forum members on recruitment show that 10 per cent, are from minority ethnic communities. The figures are not yet available for London, but the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health is carrying out diversity surveys in each of its nine regions, which will provide information on minority ethnic and other diverse communities.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patient and public involvement forums have the minimum number of seven members in (a) Greater London and (b) England. [189736]

Ms Rosie Winterton: At 4 October 2004, England had 486 patients' forums with at least seven members and London had 58.

Reproductive Health

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the national health service will fund intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment as part of the availability of IVF; [188931]

(2) what guidance he has given to primary care trusts on access to IVF treatment; [188935]

(3) when universal availability of IVF treatment will be introduced; whether a limit will be placed on the number of cycles of treatment available; and if he will make a statement. [188936]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Barron) on 4 October 2004, Official Report, columns 1977–79W. The clinical guideline issued to the national health service by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in February 2004 gives guidance on the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection
 
11 Oct 2004 : Column 155W
 
(ICSI) in the treatment of infertility. It makes clear that ICSI should be considered as the appropriate treatment where certain clinical conditions occur.

Ritalin

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's latest estimate is of the number of children under 11 receiving the medication Ritalin; and if he will make a statement. [189982]

Dr. Ladyman: Information is not available in the form requested. Data are not held on the number of people who receive a particular medication. However, the figures in the following table show the total number of prescription items of Methylphenidate Hydrochloride dispensed in the community in England in the last six years. In 2003, Ritalin accounted for 40 per cent. of the prescription items of Methylphenidate Hydrochloride. Other brands of Methylphenidate, Concerta and Equasym, accounted for 43 per cent. and 17 per cent. respectively of the total prescriptions issued.
Number of prescription items of Methylphenidate Hydrochloride dispensed in the community in England—1998 to 2003 thousands

	Total
1998	126.6
1999	158.0
2000	186.2
2001	208.5
2002	254.0
2003	314.5

Source:
Prescription Cost Analysis data from the Prescription Pricing Authority.

In 2003, it is estimated that around 90 per cent. of the 314,500 prescription items dispensed in the community were to children (children under 16 and young people aged 16 to 18 in full time education). This proportion has been similar over recent years.

Road Traffic Accidents

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many serious brain injuries caused by road traffic accidents were recorded in (a) 1975, (b) 1980, (c) 1990, (d) 2000 and (e) 2003. [189931]

Dr. Ladyman: Data are only available from 1990–91 onwards due to changes in the way data were collected. Before then data for the hospitals in-patients inquiry were collected on death and discharges on a 10 per cent. sample basis. For the hospital episode statistics system we use now, data are based on a 100 per cent. sample of finished consultant episodes.
Primary diagnosis—head injury caused by road traffic accidents in national health service hospitals in England 1990–91, 2000–01 and 2002–03

	Finished admissions
1990–91	13,078
2000–01	15,405
2002–03	14,072

 
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Sexual Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times for sexual health services in the NHS are. [189421]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The average genito-urinary medicine access time is not available. However the Department is currently working with the Health Protection Agency and the Healthcare Commission to develop primary care trust level waiting time information. The Healthcare Commission is considering how best this developing information source can be used in its assessments of the performance of healthcare organisations.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to deal with sexually transmitted diseases, with particular reference to young people; and if he will make a statement. [189779]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government's steps for dealing with sexually transmitted diseases are set out in the national strategy for sexual health and HIV, the teenage pregnancy strategy, the national strategy for sexual health and HIV implementation action plan and the Government response to the Health Select Committee's third report of session 2002–03 on sexual health. Copies of these documents are available in the Library.

Both the sexual health and teenage pregnancy strategies recognise young people as being disproportionately affected by poor sexual and reproductive health and implementation of the strategies includes specific action to address this. The National service framework for children, young people and maternity services, published on 15 September, also includes sexual and reproductive health and provides specific standards and markers of good practice to drive up the quality of services at local level.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sexually transmitted diseases were recorded in the Redbridge, Havering and Barking NHS Trust area in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001 and (d) 2002. [189780]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The numbers of sexually transmitted diseases diagnosed in genito-urinary medicine clinics in the Redbridge, Havering and Barking national health service trust area from 1999 to 2002 inclusive, are shown in the table:
Number of diagnoses of sexually transmitted diseases by sex, Redbridge, Havering and Barking NHS Trust: 1999–2002

Sex	1999	2000	2001	2002
Male	662	643	576	686
Female	1,171	1,135	1,154	1,175
Total	1,833	1,778	1,730	1,861

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