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Influenza Vaccine

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the areas affected by the withdrawal of supply of Chiron influenza vaccines; [191500]

(2) what delays will occur in the influenza vaccination programme as a consequence of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency announcement on the Chiron vaccines; [191501]

(3) whether there will be sufficient stocks of influenza vaccine in England to carry out the full vaccination programme this winter for (a) over 65s and (b) other at risk groups. [191502]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department has made available vaccine to surgeries most affected by the suspension of Chiron vaccines licence, from stock already purchased as part of our contingency measures.

General practitioners order supplies of vaccine from the supplier of their choice.

There are more doses of 'flu' vaccine available this year than ever before.

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the adequacy of influenza vaccine supplies; [190810]

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of general practitioner clinics which (a) have had to and (b) will have to cancel immunisation clinics due to the shortage of influenza supplies; and if he will make a statement; [190811]

(3) how many influenza vaccines which were intended to be administered by early November he estimates will be delayed; [190812]

(4) what action he is taking to ensure adequate influenza vaccine supplies in all areas of the country this autumn and winter; and what support he is giving to (a) vaccination clinics and (b) general practitioner surgeries to assist them in finding new sources from which to acquire vaccines. [190814]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 14 October 2004]: There are more doses of 'flu' vaccine available this year than ever before.
 
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To minimise the disruption to clinics, we made available vaccine to surgeries most affected by the suspension of Chiron vaccines licence from stock already purchased as part of our contingency measures.

General practitioners are not set targets to vaccinate patients at set times but arrange their influenza clinics, usually throughout October and November.

As soon as we were made aware of the problem, we made contingency arrangements with other suppliers to ensure that adequate stocks would be available to meet any shortfall and to minimise the impact any delay would have on the 'flu' programme.

We wrote to all 'flu' immunisation co-ordinators in England on 28 September, 5 October and 21 October asking them to ensure surgeries in their area were aware of the issue and with details of how and where additional stocks of vaccine can be sourced.

Intravenous Chemotherapy Suites

Dame Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of IV chemotherapy suites; and what plans he has to increase their availability. [193063]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department does not collect information about the availability of intravenous chemotherapy suites.

The national cancer director is chairing a review of chemotherapy services to facilitate the development and delivery of high quality chemotherapy services. This will address issues such as chemotherapy facilities and the infrastructure needed to support them.

Maternity Services

Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many obstetricians have performed an external cephalic version in an NHS hospital in each of the last five years; [193276]

(2) what plans the Department has to promote wider use of external cephalic version by obstetricians. [193277]

Dr. Ladyman: Information on the number of obstetricians who have performed an external cephalic version in a national health service hospital in each of the last five years is not collected centrally.

In order to improve the safety and well being of mother and baby, the Department asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to issue clinical guidelines on routine antenatal care. The guidelines, "antenatal care—routine care for the healthy pregnant woman", published in October 2003, recommend that all women who have an uncomplicated singleton breech pregnancy at 36 weeks of gestation should be offered external cephalic version. Exceptions include women in labour and women with a uterine scar or abnormality, fetal compromise, ruptured membranes, vaginal bleeding and medical conditions. Where it is not possible to schedule an appointment for external cephalic version at 37 weeks of gestation, it should be scheduled at 36 weeks.
 
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Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of maternity services; [193339]

(2) what funding his Department has made available for maternity services in the last five years; [193340]

(3) what steps his Department is taking to increase choice for mothers in maternity services. [193341]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department is committed to improving the quality of maternity services and extending choice in maternity services for all women.

Maternity services were included in the national consultation exercise "Choice, responsiveness and equity"—to improve patient and user experience in the National Health Service (NHS). The results of the consultation were published on 9 December 2003 in "Building on the Best: Choice, Responsiveness and Equality in the NHS".

On 15 September the Department published the children, young people and maternity services national service framework (NSF). The maternity module of the NSF looks at how to make maternity services more flexible, accessible and appropriate. The maternity module of the NSF builds on the work contained in "Building on the Best", including the emphasis on direct access to midwives and the development of birth plans.

The Department has worked with the organisation Dr. Foster to produce local "You're Pregnant" maternity guides, which were published on 22 December 2003. The guides give women and their families information about a range of maternity services in their area.

In addition to a 6.2 per cent. per annum increase in funding to primary care trusts over the last five years, specific funding has been allocated for maternity services. £100 million capital investment was made available over two years (2001–02 and 2002–03) to refurbish and modernise over 200 maternity units in England to improve the environment in which care is provided and better to meet the needs of women and their families. The £100 million was allocated on the basis of individual bids submitted by maternity units after consultation with local staff and users.

MRSA

Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many women contracted MRSA after giving birth in an NHS hospital in each of the last five years; [193274]

(2) how many women contracted MRSA after giving birth by Caesarean section in an NHS hospital in each of the last five years. [193275]

Miss Melanie Johnson: These data are not collected centrally.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he envisages the role of patient and public involvement forums will be in future, with regard to particular renewed efforts to control MRSA bloodstream infections and increasing hospital hygiene inspections; and if he will make a statement. [190029]

 
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Miss Melanie Johnson: Patient forums have a statutory function to monitor the national health service from the patient perspective. Through this role, forums can contribute towards the raising of cleanliness standards in NHS premises. Forums are being invited to undertake cleanliness inspections and report their findings. Training will be provided to members of forums to ensure inspections are effective and consistent. Trust boards and their chief executive remain responsible for controlling methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections.

National Patient's Safety Agency

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the National Patient Safety Agency's reporting system will (a) begin to invite reports from the NHS and (b) publish information collected from reports on patient safety in the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [192740]

Mr. Hutton: The National Patient Safety Agency's (NPSA) national reporting and learning system is already receiving reports of patient safety incidents from the NHS.

The system was launched on 25 February 2004 and NHS organisations in England and Wales should be connected to it by the end of 2004.

The NPSA will publish a report that includes data from the national reporting and learning system set in the context of data from other sources, during 2005.

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