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Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses, (b) health visitors, (c) practice nurses and (d) school nurses were employed (i) in England and (ii) in Huddersfield constituency in (A) 1997 and (B) 2004. [216876]
Miss Melanie Johnson: It is not possible to provide information for Huddersfield constituency because the previous and existing national health service trusts served an area significantly wider than Huddersfield constituency. The primary care trust (PCT) boundaries in the area are not coterminous with the Huddersfield constituency boundaries.
Information on the number of nurses, health visitors and practice nurses employed in England and in West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) in 1997 and 2003 (the latest year for which data is available) is shown in the table.
The Government collected information on the school nursing workforce in the September 2003 non-medical workforce census, but this information was incomplete. Information on the number of school nurses employed in the NHS will be available from the September 2004 non-medical workforce census, expected to be published in March 2005.
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Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients were treated in Leicestershire in each year between 199293 and the last year for which figures are available. [216934]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the tables.
Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many student midwives who entered training in (a) 200203 and (b) 200304 were over the age of 25 years. [218736]
Mr. Hutton: The number of student midwives who entered diploma training in 200203 and 200304 is shown in the table. Data are not collected by the specific age band requested.
Age band | 200203 | 200304 |
---|---|---|
Below 26 | 288 | 324 |
26 and above | 321 | 276 |
Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many student midwives dropped out of training in (a) 200203 and (b) 200304. [218739]
Mr. Hutton:
Information for England on the percentage of pre-registration midwifery students who have left their university course in 200203 and 200304 is not available. The attrition data for these academic years administered by the Higher Education Statistics Agency are in the process of being analysed.
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Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what published scientific evidence the Government's recommendations to the public concerning exposure to sunlight are based, with particular reference to (a) exposure at peak hours and (b) using sunscreen; [217040]
(2) whether the public health consequences of sunlight exposure have been recently reviewed; and whether new guidelines have been published; [217042]
(3) what steps the Government has taken to inform the public of the effects on vitamin D status of measures that may be taken to reduce the risk of skin cancer; [217043]
(4) what evidential sources the Chief Medical Officer based his Better Health advice on exposure to the sun; and what account he took of consequential effects on vitamin D levels; [217044]
(5) what research he has commissioned on whether those who follow the advice on avoiding exposure to the sun at peak hours and using sunscreen would obtain sufficient vitamin D; [217061]
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(6) what steps the Department has taken over the last 10 years to inform the public that exposure of skin to sunlight is necessary to provide vitamin D; [217075]
(7) what research his Department has evaluated concerning whether casual exposure of the hands and face to sunlight at British latitudes provides sufficient vitamin D for optimum health. [217273]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Skin cancer is the second most common cancer in the United Kingdom, with about 40,500 cases annually. 6,000 of these cases are malignant melanomas. While rare, mortality rates are high and 50 per cent. of patients die within two years.
The Government has been active in providing information to the public to advise people on the best ways to avoid skin cancer.
We have with key stakeholders developed the SunSmart" campaign. It is run by Cancer Research UK and funded by the UK health departments. Cancer Research UK has received funding of around 400,000 for three years from 200306.
Further work by Cancer Research UK is being undertaken on risks associated with sunbeds.
No new guidelines have been issued in the last three years while the SunSmart campaign has been in place, although there has been variation on the ways in which the messages are put across to the public so as to achieve maximum and continuing impact.
The messages in the SunSmart campaign have been approved by the members of the United Kingdom Skin Cancer Working Group, which is hosted by the British Association of Dermatologists and includes representatives of the National Radiological Protection Board, the Skin Care Campaign, UK health departments, the Health and Safety Executive and other experts in the subject.
The following international studies discuss the scientific evidence for sun protection behaviours and messages These studies include: Interventions to prevent skin cancer by reducing exposure to ultraviolet radiation, A systematic review, Saraiya, Glantz, Briss et al., Am J Prev Med 2004; 27 (5).
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European Code Against Cancer and scientific justification: third version (2003), Boyle, Autier, Bartelink et al, Annals of Oncology 14:9731005, 2003.
IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention, Volume 5, Sunscreens, International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization, 2001.
Copies of these studies have been placed in the Library.
The Chief Medical Officer's advice in his top 10 tips for better health on protection from the sun reiterates the advice in the SunSmart campaign.
Government also funds the ultra-violet (UV) index on the Meteorological Office website (linked to the Cancer Research UK SunSmart website). Met Office weather reports on television and radio draw attention to the UV index when danger from the sun is high.
The United Kingdom Skin Cancer Working Group recently established a sub-group to consider questions relating to exposure to sunlight and Vitamin D. This sub-group at its meeting in January 2005 concluded that on present evidence it would be inappropriate to alter the SunSmart messages. However, it noted that an international workshop on the subject of exposure to the sun and Vitamin D levels will take place in Munich in October 2005 involving the organisations Euroskin and the WHOINTERSUN groups. One of the objectives of this international workshop is to produce a peer-reviewed publication as soon as possible. The Government will consider any implications for policy from the evidence in this report when it is available.
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