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18 Nov 2004 : Column 1955W—continued
Care Homes
Mr. McLoughlin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential care home and (b) nursing home places were available in West Derbyshire in each year since 1997, broken down into places available at (i) local authority-run homes,
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(ii) independent private homes and (iii) homes run by independent charities and other not-for-profit organisations. [198365]
Dr. Ladyman: Data are not available for the area requested. The table shows the number of care home places available for adults aged 18 and over by type of home in Derbyshire at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2001.
I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that figures for later years were collected by the National Care Standards Commission, and now CSCI, but comparable details are not available.
(36) Nursing care relates to North Derbyshire and South Derbyshire Health Authorities; residential care relates to Derbyshire council with social services responsibilities (CSSR) and Derby CSSR.
(37) Nursing home figures include places in general nursing homes, mental nursing homes and private hospitals and clinics.
Source:
RA and RH(N) form A.
Cervical Cancer
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the benefits of liquid cytology testing for cervical cancer since the roll-out of the technique started; [198917]
(2) how many women in each strategic health authority have been enrolled on human papilloma virus testing pilots; how many have taken up liquid cytology testing for cervical cancer; and if he will make a statement; [198828]
(3) what progress has been made with the introduction of human papilloma virus testing and liquid cytology testing; and what plans he has for future roll-out. [198862]
Miss Melanie Johnson
[holding answers 17 November 2004]: Following the evaluation of a Government-funded pilot study of liquid based cytology (LBC), the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) concluded in October 2003 that this new technology should be rolled out across the national health service cervical screening programme. It will take five years to implement LBC across England, as all staff who read the tests or take the tests will have to be retrained. The Department is providing £7.2 million over the next two years to kick-start this process. We are starting by converting the 10 regional cytology training schools, which will then be able to train the rest of the programme. As at November 2004, nine out of the 10 training schools had been trained or had a specific date
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to begin their retraining. The tenth is awaiting a local decision on which system they will use. As LBC is rolled out, it will be subject to the same rigorous quality assurance procedures as the current programme, along with an annual statistical return.
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The NICE decision followed successful piloting of LBC for a 12 month period between 2001 and 2002 at three sites: North Bristol, Newcastle, and Norfolk and Norwich. The pilot sites have continued to use LBC, and latest figures for 2002–03 are shown in the table.
(38) Coverage for 2002–03 is defined as the percentage of eligible women in a population who have a screening test recorded in the last five years. In England, women aged 20 to 64 are invited for cervical screening every three to five years.
Source:
Statistical bulletin—cervical screening programme, England: 2002–03.
As part of the LBC pilot, we also piloted the use of HPV testing as triage for women with mild or borderline test results.
According to the official evaluation of the pilot, a total of 3,681 women received HPV tests across the three pilot sites. The advisory committee on cervical screening is now considering how best to take forward HPV testing in England, following consideration of the draft final report of the evaluation of the pilot.
Cholesterol
Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to reduce cholesterol levels in the adult population. [195481]
Miss Melanie Johnson: High intakes of saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels. The Government provide practical guidance on how consumers can reduce the saturated fat in their diets through healthy eating advice. As part of a balanced diet, foods rich in saturated fat need to be replaced with unsaturated fats such as oil rich fish and foods containing oils such as sunflower, rapeseed and olive oils.
The Government have also conducted a major consultation exercise on improving public health, covering a range of lifestyle issues, including diet and physical activity. Responses to the consultation have informed the development of a White Paper on improving health, due later this year. The Department of Health also funds a range of non-governmental organisations to increase awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy diet and active lifestyles.
High cholesterol is a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and related diseases. The Department's National Service Framework (NSF) for CHD sets out modern standards and service models for the NHS for the prevention and treatment of CHD.
Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in developing a national cholesterol awareness campaign. [199196]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Although there are no specific commitments to a national cholesterol awareness campaign in "Choosing Health": making healthy choices easier, the Government have committed to bring together messages that raise awareness of health risks with information about action that people can take themselves to address those risks for example by changing their diet, taking more exercise or seeking advice through telephone help lines, local health improvement services. Early focus will be on a new cross-Government campaign to raise awareness of the health risks of obesity, and the steps people can take through diet and physical activity to prevent obesity.
Choose and Book Work
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when general practitioners will be paid for Choose and Book work. [197509]
Mr. Hutton: Choose and Book will give patients greater involvement in the choices and decisions about their treatment. It should not increase the overall workload for GP practices, whilst allowing general practice to offer patients a more personal and convenient service.
The Department is in an ongoing process of engagement with stakeholders regarding Choose and Book and general practice.
Chronic Illness
Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of chronic illness in 2003–04. [195997]
Dr. Ladyman: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Community Matrons
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of introducing 3,000 community matrons in the NHS. [191478]
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Mr. Hutton: It is not possible at this time to estimate the total cost of introducing 3,000 community matrons at this stage. Detailed work is ongoing to determine the level of training required and appropriate grade for this new staff group.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what duties community matrons will undertake that are not already carried out by other health professionals. [196297]
Mr. Hutton: Many patients with complex and high intensity needs do not benefit from a case management approach within current services. In their role as case managers, community matrons will be responsible for assessing physical, emotional and social needs and ensuring these needs are addressed through nursing and other local services. This will thereby improve the quality of life for this group of patients and prevent unnecessary admission to hospital.
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