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19 Oct 2004 : Column 661W—continued
HEALTH
Age-related Macular Degeneration
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with macular disease have been provided with low vision aids on the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [191751]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 15 October 2004]: Figures are not held centrally about low vision aids provided to people with macular disease.
Low vision aids are available free on loan, to any person requiring them. The hospital eye service and social services each have a role to play in providing low vision aids and aids to daily living. The provision of any such aid will be based on an assessment of an individual's needs.
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Children's Epilepsy
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many specialist children's epilepsy nurses there are in each primary care trust area; [191022]
(2) how many consultants specialise in treating children with epilepsy, broken down by trust. [191023]
Mr. Hutton: Information on the number of consultants and nurses specialising in treating children with epilepsy is not collected centrally. Information on the number of consultants employed in the national health service with a specialty in paediatrics, by trust, has been placed in the Library.
Between September 1997 and June 2004, the number of paediatric consultants employed in the NHS has increased by 616, or 51 per cent., and between September 1997 and March 2004, the number of nurses overall employed in the NHS has increased by 77,503.
Eye Health Services
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population (a) over 75, (b) over 60 and (c) over 50 are affected by age-related macular degeneration. [190912]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 14 October 2004]: Information on the number of people with age related macular degeneration is not collected centrally. A study, sponsored by the Macular Disease Society in 2001, estimated that there were 182,000 people with age-related macular degeneration with a best eye visual acuity below that judged appropriate for certification as blind or partially sighted. A breakdown by age is not available.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population suffering from age-related macular degeneration he estimates are in contact with health services. [190913]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 14 October 2004]: The vast majority of patients with age-related macular degeneration are treated as outpatients. Although aggregate outpatient data has been collected for sometime now, the central collection of detailed clinical information has not been mandated. However, processes are being put in place to enable the Department to collect and publish this information in the future.
Those diagnosed with macular disease and treated as inpatients are shown in the table. The table shows the number of hospital admissions 1 during 2002–03 to National Health Service hospitals in England for those diagnosed with degeneration of macular and posterior pole and hereditary retinal dystrophy.
1 Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. These figures have not (yet) been adjusted for shortfalls in data.
| Diagnosis | All ages |
|---|---|
| Degeneration of macula and posterior pole (ICD-10 diagnosis code H35.3) | 3,411 |
| Hereditary retinal dystrophy (ICD-10 diagnosis code H35.5) | 78 |
| Total | 3,489 |
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The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its final guidance on photodynamic therapy (PDT) as a treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on 24 September 2003. NICE recommended PDT as a treatment of wet AMD for individuals who have a confirmed diagnosis of classic with no occult subfoveal choroidal neovascularisaiton (CNV) and best corrected visual acuity of 6/60 or better. It also recommended that patients with predominantly classic CNV should only receive PDT as part of clinical trials.
All primary care trusts have put arrangements in place to fund treatment for patients who have either the wholly classic form of age-related macular degeneration or the predominantly classic form.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial support the Government are providing to voluntary organisations to develop low-vision services. [190915]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 14 October 2004]: A report in 1999 by a consensus group of organisations on the future of low vision services recommended the establishment of local low vision committees for the purpose of ensuring that services in the United Kingdom are provided in accordance with best practice. The recommended low vision services committees are intended to bring together the national health service, social services, opticians and voluntary organisations to improve co-ordination in the commissioning and delivery of services for the blind and partially sighted.
This Department commended the report to the NHS and social services and contributed a grant of £120,000 over three years, 2000–01 to 2002–03, to fund an implementation officer from the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) to help in setting up these local committees. To date, 66 committees have been established across the country. Two more are soon to be established and there are currently expressions of interest for 30 more.
The RNIB is currently undertaking an evaluation of this work. The Department awarded the RNIB a grant of £27,811 for this in 2003–04.
The eye care services steering group was set up in December 2002 to develop proposals for the modernisation of NHS eye care services. The group has developed model care pathways for glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, low vision and cataract. The pathways aim to encourage the development of integrated eye care services to ensure that patients receive a high quality service in a convenient setting without undue wait.
As part of the eye care services steering group's work, we have made available £4 million to fund eight pilot sites testing the new pathways. Of the eight pilot sites, three cover glaucoma, three low vision, one age-related macular degeneration, and the eighth covers all the pathways. The RNIB is an active partner in two of the low vision pilot sites, benefiting from Department funding for this work.
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GP Lists
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the average general practitioner list size for (a) each strategic health authority and (b) each primary care trust. [191477]
Mr. Hutton: Information showing the average general list size for each strategic health authority and each primary care trust in England, as at 30 September 2003, has been placed in the Library.
Health Services (York)
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) City of York have contacted NHS Direct in each year since it was established. [191156]
Ms Rosie Winterton: NHS Direct call data is not collected centrally on how many people have contacted NHS Direct in Yorkshire and Humber, and the City of York. The number of people that have used NHS Direct in England since it was established is shown in the table.
| Financial year | Total calls handled | Accumulative total calls |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 110,000 | 110,000 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,650,000 | 1 ,760,000 |
| 2000–01 | 3,420,000 | 5,180,000 |
| 2001–02 | 5,213,062 | 10,393,062 |
| 2002–03 | 6,318,844 | 16,711,906 |
| 2003–04 | 6,427,321 | 23,139,227 |
| 2004(43) | 3,147,170 | 26,286,397 |
(43) To September.
Source:
NHS Direct health intelligence unit.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the status of the (a) chairman and (b) chief executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust will be if foundation status is approved; [190824]
(2) what the procedures are for appointing a new (a) chairman, (b) chief executive and (c) trust board under the foundation trust proposals. [190825]
Mr. Hutton: National health service foundation trusts are directly accountable to their local community through their board of governors, which includes governors elected from the membership community (local people, patients and staff) and people appointed from primary care trusts and local authorities. It is up to each NHS foundation trust to determine the detail of the arrangements for the membership and to decide on the size and shape of their board of governors in the light of their local circumstances and within certain minimum parameters set out in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. Each NHS foundation trust must make provision in its constitution for the conduct of elections to the board of governors, which must comply with any regulations in accordance with section 35 of the Act.
The board of governors appoints the chair and other non-executive directors of the NHS foundation trust in accordance with schedule 1 of the Act. The chief executive is appointed by the non-executive directors, subject to the approval of the board of governors.
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The Act provides for different procedures to apply to the appointment of the chair, non-executive directors and chief executive when a NHS foundation trust that was a NHS trust is first authorised. These procedures are aimed at ensuring continuity of the organisation over the transition to the new governance arrangements. Under provisions in schedule 1 of the Act, the chief executive is appointed as chief executive and the chair and non-executive directors of the applicant NHS trust are appointed to the board of directors of the NHS foundation trust if, in each case, the person concerned wishes to appointed. The chair and non-executive directors are appointed for the remainder of their term on the NHS trust board or 12 months, whichever is the longer. Subject to minimum legal requirements, the size and shape of the board of directors is locally determined.
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