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24 Mar 2005 : Column 1052W—continued
Eye Tests
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost was of eye tests carried out on the NHS to (a) individuals and (b) the NHS in (i) 1979 and (ii) 1997. [222182]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Sight tests provided by the national health service were free in 1979. An optometrist who carried out a sight test under the general ophthalmic services between 1 January to 31 December 1979 would have received a fee of £4.25. An ophthalmic medical practitioner who carried out a sight test under the general ophthalmic services between 1 April 1979 to 31 March 1980 would have received a fee of £3.40.
In 1997 sight tests provided by the NHS were free to children under 16, those aged 16–18 in full-time education, people on low incomes, individuals
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predisposed to eye disease, those registered blind or partially sighted and people who have a complex prescription. An optometrist who carried out a sight test under the general ophthalmic service between 1 April 1997 to 31 March 1998 received a fee of £14.10. An ophthalmic medical practitioner who carried out a sight test under the general ophthalmic services would have received a fee of £12.51 from 1 April 1997 and £14.10 from 1 December 1997.
Genito-Urinary Medicine
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of genito-urinary medicine clinics that offer an HIV test to clinic attendees on their first screening for sexually transmitted diseases. [223290]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Data on the number of genito-urinary medicine clinics that offer an HIV test to clinic attendees on their first screening for sexually transmitted diseases is not held centrally.
Gluten Intolerance
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list gluten-free products available on an NHS prescription for patients who are intolerant of gluten; [222840]
(2) what guidance on gluten-free diets is made available by his Department to general practitioners; [222841]
(3) what information is provided to patients by the NHS on (a) symptoms, (b) treatment and (c) dietary recommendations for people with gluten intolerance; [222842]
(4) how many people (a) were estimated to have and (b) had been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance on the latest date for which figures are available. [222843]
Dr. Ladyman: The data on numbers diagnosed with coeliac disease are not available. Coeliac UK estimates that the average incidence in the United Kingdom is one in a hundred.
Advice on food intolerance, including advice on how to avoid certain ingredients when shopping for food or eating out, is available on the Food Standards Agency's website at www.food.gov.uk and also at its consumer advice and information website at www.eatwell.gov.uk.
We have no specific plans to raise awareness of the condition among the medical profession. The Department is not responsible for setting curriculum's for general practitioners; that is rightly the responsibility of the statutory and professional bodies. However, we do share a commitment with those bodies that all general practitioners are trained so that they have the skills and knowledge to deliver a high quality health service to all groups of the population with whom they deal.
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All the gluten free products available on national health service prescription on the recommendation of the advisory committee on borderline substances are listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff, which is published monthly by The Stationery Office, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations have been cancelled at the Great Ormond Street hospital in the 2004–05 financial year. [222010]
Dr. Ladyman: Published data for cancelled operations are available for 2004 to December 2004 (the latest available data). Great Ormond Street hospital has had 74 last-minute cancellations for non-clinical reasons.
Based on data from the previous year, we can estimate that 9,611 inpatient operations were performed without cancellation during the same period.
Health Services (Leicester, South)
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received NHS treatment in Leicester, South in each year since 1997. [223730]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentist surgeries there have been in Leicester, South in each year since 1997. [223732]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Leicester, South is served by Leicester City West Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Eastern Leicester PCT.
The number of dental practices in these PCT areas, for the years 1997 to 2004 is shown in the table.
| Eastern Leicester | Leicester City West | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 41 | 18 |
| 1998 | 40 | 18 |
| 1999 | 41 | 20 |
| 2000 | 40 | 20 |
| 2001 | 41 | 19 |
| 2002 | 38 | 19 |
| 2003 | 39 | 19 |
| 2004 | 39 | 19 |
Source:
Dental Practice Board
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nursing and (b) residential homes for the elderly there have been in Leicester, South in each year since 1997. [223653]
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Dr. Ladyman:
Data are not available for the area requested. Information on the number of care homes for people aged 65 or over and for all adults aged 18 and over in Leicestershire at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2001 is shown in the table.
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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.
n/a = data not available.
(45) Nursing care relates to Leicestershire health authority; residential care relates to Leicester unitary authority and Leicestershire council with social services responsibilities; data from 1998 onwards combine Leicestershire county council and Leicester unitary authority.
(46) Dual registered homes are excluded from residential care but are included under nursing care.
(47) Nursing home figures include places in general nursing homes, mental nursing homes, private hospitals and clinics.
Note:
Figures may not sum due to rounding.
Health Services (York)
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were waiting for elective in-patient admission to York Hospitals NHS Trust (a) in total, (b) for less than three months, (c) for three to five months, (d) for six to eight months and (e) for nine to 11 months; and what the median waiting time in months was (i) in May 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available. [222294]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the table.
Source:
KH07 quarterly return, monthly monitoring return.
Influenza Pandemic Plan
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has received on the effectiveness of stockpiling oseltamivir in reducing the impact of an influenza pandemic. [220996]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department has reviewed published evidence based on the effectiveness of antiviral drugs, including that from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, together with estimates of their likely effect during an influenza pandemic.
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