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20 Jan 2005 : Column 1123W—continued
Prostate Cancer
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the prostate cancer risk management programme. [208406]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: The prostate cancer risk management programme (PCRMP) was established to ensure that men considering a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer are given accurate, balanced information concerning the benefits, limitations and risks associated with having the test.
The Cancer Research UK primary care education research group is now in the process of evaluating the use of the packs. This includes a national survey of 400 general practitioners, a population survey of 900 men aged 40 to 75 and a series of in-depth focus groups and interviews. The evaluation is being jointly funded by the Department and Cancer Research UK.
In addition to this evaluation, the PCRMP is supported and advised by a multi-disciplinary scientific reference group.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department is funding to develop a more reliable diagnostic test for prostate cancer. [208407]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 14 October 2004, Official Report, column 356W to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Dudley, North, (Ross Cranston).
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the reliability of do-it-yourself PSA testing kits; and what plans he has to regulate their public sale. [208410]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Do-it-yourself prostate specific antigen (PSA) test kits are in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical devices and are regulated throughout Europe by the European IVD Medical Devices Directive 98/79/EC. PSA test kits can be sold to the public if they meet the essential requirements for safety, quality and performance of the Directive and they bear the CE marking.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) monitors the safety of these devices via its vigilance reporting system, which is a statutory requirement on device manufacturers. In addition, the MHRA operates a voluntary reporting system for both professional device users and the general public.
Special Advisers
Mr. George Osborne: : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many special advisers there are in the Department, broken down by civil service pay-grade. [206506]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 21 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1640–41W by my hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 his special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [207189]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him and the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 8 September 2003, Official Report, column 270W.
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St. George's Hospital, Tooting
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the funding that has been allocated to St. George's Hospital, Tooting for the next 12 months. [209248]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department does not make revenue allocations to national health service trusts. Revenue allocations are made to primary care trusts, who are responsible for commissioning services from NHS trusts, such as those provided by St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust, to meet the needs of their local populations.
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ward beds are available at St. George's Hospital, Tooting. [209409]
Dr. Ladyman: Data are only available for national health service trusts and not individual hospitals. In 2003–04, there were 1,000 ward beds available in St. George's Hospital NHS Trust.
Stolen Property
Mr. George Osborne: : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the property belonging to his Department that has (a) been stolen and (b) been reported lost in each year since 1997, broken down by type of article. [206361]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department takes the protection of its property very seriously and guidance for protecting property and procedures are kept under constant review. We do not record separate figures for losses and thefts. The following table shows reported departmental combined losses and thefts for the period April 1997 to November 2004.
Waiting Times
Mr. Edward Davey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in the (a) Kingston and
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Surbiton constituency and (b) borough of Kingston waited for more than six months for foot and ankle surgery under a podiatric surgeon in (i) 2003 and (ii) 2004; and if he will make a statement. [209328]
Dr. Ladyman: Information is collected by national health service organisation rather than on a constituency or borough basis. Data for Kingston Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Kingston Hospital National Health Service Trust are shown in the table.
Notes:
1. Code used OPCS 4R
Primary codes:
W03, W04, W15, W59, W79, X10, X11, X12, X24, X25, X27, T523, T524, T542, T594, T604, W065, W205, X022, X023, X028, XO29T558, T559, T798, T799, T808, T809, W068, W069, W788, W789, X038, X039T53, T57, T62, T64, T65, T67, T68, T69, T70, T71, T72, T74, T76, T77,T81, T83, T96, W05, W07, W08, W09, W10, W11, W12, W13, W14, W16, W17, W18, W19, W20, W21 W22, W23, W24, W25, W26, W27, W28, W30, W31, W32, W33, W35, W43, W44, W45, W52, W53, W54, W55, W56, W57, W58, W60, W61, W62, W63, W64, W65, W66, W67, W68, W69, W71, W72, W73, W74, W75, W76, W77, W8l,W83,W84,W86,W90,W91 ,W92.
2. Secondary codes:
Z59, Z79, Z80, Z86Z581, Z586, Z854, Z855, Z856, Z905, Z906,Z907.
3. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data, ie, the data are ungrossed.
4. Time waited statistics from hospital episode statistics (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.
5. A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
Source:
HES, Department of Health.