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Paramedics (Diabetes)

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been put in place by NHS ambulance trusts to medically assess people with diabetes individually who apply to become paramedics. [190564R]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does mot collect information centrally on the measures used by ambulance trusts for medical assessments. The guidance issued in February 2003 to ambulance trusts in England, which stated that following a change to legislation relating to category C1 vehicles, personnel with good diabetic control and who have no significant
 
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complications are now to be treated as—exceptional cases' and allowed to apply for a C1 licence, subject to medical assessment.

The guidance states each applicant should now be assessed individually by a specialist occupational physician, who should consider the applicant's diabetic status, the job to be done and any relevant information about other aspects of his/her health that may have an impact on his/her suitability.

Podiatry

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the interval between podiatry appointments; and what the average interval was in each of the last four years; [192361]

(2) what assessment he has made of the waiting lists for podiatry services; [192362]

(3) what assessment he has made of the number of patients accessing podiatry services provided by the private sector in the last 12 months. [192364]

Dr. Ladyman: No assessment has been carried out centrally.

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of the over 60s have accessed podiatry services in England in each of the last six years; [192363]

(2) how many patients in England received podiatry services in each of the last six years; [192365]

(3) how many patients in each primary care trust received podiatry treatment in each of the last three years. [192366]

Dr. Ladyman: The available information is published in "NHS Chiropody Services, Summary Information for 2003–04, England", at http://www.publications. doh.gov.uk/public/kt230304. It is also available in the Library.

Strategic Health Authority (Lancashire)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of the Strategic Health Authority in Lancashire. [192286]

Miss Melanie Johnson: This information is not collected centrally and can be obtained from Lancashire County Council.

Tattoos

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many surgical procedures to remove unwanted tattoos on (a) women and (b) men have been carried out by the NHS in each year since 2000. [191762]

Miss Melanie Johnson: This information is not collected centrally. Information on finished consultant episodes in national health service hospitals in England for the treatment of disorders relating to tattoo pigmentation and skin lesions from 2000–01 to 2002–03 is shown in the following table.
 
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Sex
FemaleMaleTotal
2000–017870148
2001–027370143
2002–037161132



Source:
Hospital episode statistics, Department of Health.


Treatment Costs

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his latest estimate is of the cost to the NHS of (a) a consultation with a general practitioner and (b) attendance at an accident and emergency department; and if he will make a statement. [192748]

Mr. Hutton: The average cost of a general practitioner consultation is published in the Department's Departmental Report. In 2002–03, the average cost of a GP consultation was £17.

The average cost an accident and emergency attendance can be calculated from data published in the National Schedule of Reference costs. In 2002–03, the average cost of an accident and emergency attendance was £77.

Tsar Appointments

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many tsars have been appointed with responsibilities which cover part of the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement. [191923]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Eleven appointments have been made to the post of National Clinical Director or its equivalent. Their purpose is to bring front-line leadership to our programmes of service improvement. They have been very successful in contributing to the implementation of national service frameworks and similar national policy initiatives, which have helped to produce significant reductions in deaths from cancer and coronary heart disease.

Waiting Lists/Times

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, by primary care trust, the percentage of patients waiting more than six months for elective surgery; and what the national average is. [192038]

Mr. Hutton: The national average for patients waiting more than six months for elective surgery is 8.5 per cent. The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in the Buckinghamshire Health Authority area waited more than (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) nine months, (d) 12 months, (e) 15 months, (f) 18 months and (g) 24 months for (i) heart operations, (ii) cancer treatment and (iii) hip replacements in each year since 2001–02. [191073]


 
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Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on waiting times for coronary heart disease (CHD) is collected on a provider basis. The data show that no patients are waiting for CHD treatment at providers in the Buckinghamshire areas. Patients may be waiting at providers outside the Buckinghamshire area.

Information is not held centrally on hip replacements.

Data are not held centrally on waiting times for all cancer patients. The national health service cancer plan sets out our strategy to reduce waiting times for cancer patients. Targets were introduced in 2001 of a maximum one month wait from urgent referral to treatment for testicular cancer, acute leukaemia and children's cancers and a maximum one month wait from diagnosis to treatment for breast cancer.

By 2005, all cancer patients will wait a maximum of one month from diagnosis to treatment and two months from urgent referral for suspected cancer to treatment except for a good clinical reason or through patient choice. Data on achievement of NHS cancer plan waiting times targets are published on the Department's website for strategic health authorities and trusts, at: http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/cancerwaits/.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people were waiting over 13 weeks for an out-patient appointment in (a) Somerset, (b) South Somerset and (c) Yeovil constituency in each reporting period from 1995 to 2004; [192129]

(2) how many people were waiting more than (a) three months and (b) six months for in-patient appointments in (i) Somerset, (ii) South Somerset and (iii) Yeovil constituency for each reporting period from 1995 to 2004. [192132]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Information for the Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority area, which includes the South Somerset and Yeovil constituency areas, is shown in the tables.
Out-patient waiting times: Provider based

QuarterOrganisationsPatients waiting over 13 weeks
Q4 1995–96RA4East Somerset NHS Trust930
RBATaunton and Somerset NHS Trust929
RH5Somerset Partnership and Social Care NHS Trust1
Q4 1996–97RA4East Somerset NHS Trust559
RBATaunton and Somerset NHS Trust1,268
RH5Somerset Partnership and Social Care NHS Trust1
Q4 1997–98RA4East Somerset NHS Trust843
RBATaunton and Somerset NHS Trust1,216
RH5Somerset Partnership and Social Care NHS Trust1
Q4 1998–99RA4East Somerset NHS Trust896
RBATaunton and Somerset NHS Trust1,978
RH5Somerset Partnership and Social Care NHS Trust13
Q4 1999–2000RA4East Somerset NHS Trust1,020
RBATaunton and Somerset NHS Trust2,128
RH5Somerset Partnership and Social Care NHS Trust0
04 2000–01RA4East Somerset NHS Trust466
RBATaunton and Somerset NHS Trust1,384
RH5Somerset Partnership and Social Care NHS Trust10
04 2001–025FXMendip PCT78
RA4East Somerset NHS Trust235
RBATaunton and Somerset NHS Trust971
RH5Somerset Partnership and Social Care NHS Trust10
04 2002–035FXMendip PCT0
RA4East Somerset NHS Trust0
RBATaunton and Somerset NHS Trust2
RH5Somerset Partnership and Social Care NHS Trust1
Q4 2003–045FWSomerset Coast PCT0
5FXMendip PCT0
5K1
South Somerset PCT0
5K2
Taunton Deane PCT0
RA4East Somerset NHS Trust0
RBATaunton and Somerset NHS Trust0
RH5Somerset Partnership and Social Care NHS Trust0
Q1 2004–055FWSomerset Coast PCT64
5FXMendip PCT0
5K1
South Somerset PCT8
5K2
Taunton Deane PCT0
RA4East Somerset NHS Trust0
RBATaunton and Somerset NHS Trust348
RH5Somerset Partnership and Social Care NHS Trust0



Source:
Department of Health form QM08.



 
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Patients waiting for elective admission: Position at month end: Provider based

Month endOrganisationTotal patients waitingPatients waiting
over 3 months
Patients waiting over 6 months
March 1995East Somerset NHS Trust1,423381138
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust4,9931,884609
March 1996East Somerset NHS Trust1,634421111
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust4,8991,507292
March 1997East Somerset NHS Trust2,6621,025435
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust6,2823,0011,070
March 1998East Somerset NHS Trust2,8451,251521
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust7,5233,7881,691
March 1999East Somerset NHS Trust2,489850382
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust7,4403,6791,759
March 2000East Somerset NHS Trust2,061803377
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust7,0273,7941,793
March 2001East Somerset NHS Trust1,943854316
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust6,8383,4381,399
March 2002Mendip PCT25183
East Somerset NHS Trust1,915854406
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust6,8383,7531,702
March 2003Mendip PCT300
East Somerset NHS Trust1,5494410
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust5,1591,897388
March 2004Somerset Coast PCT2230
Mendip PCT600
East Somerset NHS Trust1,3893080
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust5,0591,731297
August 2004Somerset Coast PCT2000
Mendip PCT1120
East Somerset NHS Trust1,2251941
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust4,7321,504272



Source:
Department of Health + A14 form KH07 and monthly monitoring.



 
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