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11 Oct 2004 : Column 156W—continued

Smoke-free Workplaces

Mr. Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research he has commissioned to evaluate the economic effects on businesses of making workplaces smoke-free; [189823]
 
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(2) what evidence is held by the Government on the economic effects on the hospitality trade of making their premises smoke-free; [189824]

(3) what advice he has received on the effects of smoke-free workplaces on (a) productivity, (b) absenteeism and (c) fire damage. [189825]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The annual report of the Chief Medical Officer on the state of the public health presented an economic assessment of the effects of banning smoking in the workplace and public places. A copy is available in the Library.

Speech Therapists

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech therapists entered training in each of the last five years. [189359]

Mr. Hutton: Information on the number of speech and language therapists entering training in each of the last five years is shown in the table.

	Speech and language therapists
1999–2000	457
2000–01	558
2001–02	553
2002–03	597
2003–04	630

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent speech therapists were employed in the NHS in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [189360]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
National health service hospital and community health services: total qualified speech and language therapists in England, in each of the last five years Whole time equivalent

	England
1999	3,939
2000	4,066
2001	4,207
2002	4,365
2003	4,707

Source:
Department of Health non-medical workforce census

Between September 1997 and 2003, the number of speech and language therapists employed in the NHS has increased by 1,372 or 28 per cent. We expect that there will be further increases in the NHS speech and language therapy workforce as a result of the Delivering the NHS Plan forecast for 30,000 more therapists and scientists in the NHS by 2008 over a 2001 baseline.

The number of training places for speech and language therapy is also increasing. In 2003–04, 630 students entered training to become a speech therapist, a 38 per cent. increase since 1998–99.

Terminally Ill Patients

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned
 
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regarding the provision of support for terminally ill patients who wish to die in their homes; what NHS resources are available to such patients; and what plans he has to increase the level of such support. [186671]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department has not commissioned any research into the provision of support for terminally ill patients who wish to die in their homes. Cancer Networks have, however, been asked to conduct a population based palliative care needs assessment in response to the recommendations of the supportive and palliative care guidance produced by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. This assessment will map currently available palliative care services and inform the range and volume of services required in each network.

The National Cancer Research Institute has recently announced that funds of up to £5 million will be released over the next five years to improve the way cancer care research is carried out in the United Kingdom. The Department will be committing £500,000 per annum to this initiative, and Macmillan Cancer Relief, Marie Curie Cancer Care, the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK will also be contributing. It is hoped that proposals to stimulate and develop new research on care from diagnosis to end-of-life will be submitted in response to this initiative, in addition to proposals on bereavement for carers.

I would also refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Billericay (Mr. Baron) on 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1606W.

Tuberculosis

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many vacancies there were and what the vacancy rates were for consultants specialising in TB in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each year since 1996; [187883]

(2) how many consultants were specialising in TB in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority, in (i) headcount and (ii) whole time equivalent terms in each year since 1996. [187884]

Mr. Hutton: Information about specialists working in tuberculosis since 1996 has been placed in the Library. Vacancy information for 2002 to 2004 has also been placed in the Library. Prior to 2002 vacancy information was aggregated and it is not possible to identify TB specialists separately.

Venous Thrombosis

Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS hospitals undertaking joint replacement surgery have a consultant haematologist or orthopaedic surgeon with special training or interest in venous thrombosis. [189454]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

All hospitals undertaking joint replacement or any other form of surgery are expected to have the appropriate clinical skill mix to ensure that procedures are performed safely and to a high standard.
 
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The number of consultant haematologists and trauma and orthopaedic surgeons in England has increased by 144 (29.5 per cent.) and 462 (43.8 per cent.) respectively between September 1997 and June 2004. Individual doctors' special interests are not collected by the Department.
Hospital, public health medicine and community health services, medical Consultants within haematology and trauma and orthopaedic surgery specialties

	Number (headcount)
England	September 1997	June 2004	Percentage change
Haematology	488	632	29.5
Trauma and orthopaedic surgery	1,056	1,518	43.8

Source:
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

Vulnerable Citizens (Doorstep Selling)

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential role of health and social care workers in promoting awareness among vulnerable citizens of the threats associated with doorstep cold calling. [189731]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department is represented on the cross-departmental Ministerial group, which has been established to encourage a more joined approach amongst agencies in addressing the problems of crime associated with doorstep selling. The group will consider what actions to take to improve consumer protection against doorstep selling.

Waiting Times

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to NHS trusts in England concerning targets for waiting times for patients from Wales. [182445]

Mr. Hutton: English national health service trusts treat many Welsh patients living close to the border between Wales and England. As health and the NHS are a devolved matter, it is for the National Assembly for Wales to agree waiting time targets for Welsh residents, irrespective of where they are treated. The Department's current advice to NHS trusts in England is that, as a matter of good practice, they should treat patients registered with general practitioners in Wales within the waiting time standards that apply for England.

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting times were for (a) heart surgery, (b) orthopaedics, (c) ophthalmology and (d) cancer treatment in the West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust in each year since 1997. [187196]

Dr. Ladyman: The elective waiting times for heart surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology and cancer treatment at West Suffolk Hospitals National Health Service trust are shown in the table.
 
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Median and mean waiting times (days) for West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust (RGR) for elective admissions (waiting time and booked) with main operation heart surgery, orthopaedics and ophthalmology, and for primary care diagnosis cancer treatment in each year since 1997–98 to 2002–03

	1997–98	1988–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
Heart surgery: Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) K01-K71
Median	17	15	1	1	1	1
Mean	16	55	3	12	2	4
Orthopaedics: OPCS V01-V54 and W01-W92
Median	138	158	240	217	183	266
Mean	162	179	235	239	223	253
Ophthalmology: OPCS C01-C86
Median	232	211	172	129	204	303
Mean	201	181	150	168	217	251
Cancer treatment: international classification of diseases (ICD)10 C00-D48
Median	27	27	21	20	10	12
Mean	54	49	49	51	36	45

Notes:
Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis)
The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
Main operation
The main operation is the first recorded operation in the HES data set and is usually the most resource-intensive procedure performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main operation when looking at admission details, for example, time waited, but the figures for "all operations count of episodes" give a more complete count of episodes with an operation.
Grossing
Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 2002–03, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
Time Waited
Time waited statistics from HES are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
Source:
Hospital episode statistics (HES) Department of Health.

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