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5 Apr 2005 : Column 1453W—continued
Psychiatric Treatment
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Leicester South have had psychiatric treatment since 1997. [223651]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
SANE
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the charity SANE following withdrawal of funding for 2004–05 concerning the effects of this withdrawal on the organisation. [221991]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department and SANE have conducted a number of discussions regarding funding for SANELINE. The Department has paid SANE a total of £2 million in respect of the two year contract for the SANELINE service. The contract came to an end on 31 March 2005. SANE is seeking additional unqualified payments because it alleges that some of the payments were delayed. The Department will continue to seek to resolve this matter with SANE.
SANE is eligible to apply for Government funding streams aimed at the voluntary and community sector.
The chair of the Mental Health Helplines Partnership (MHHP), of which SANE was until recently a member, has written to SANE offering the MHHP's support. The Department has indicated to the chair of the MHHP that it would offer advice and support to the MHHP in this matter.
Scanning (Waiting Times)
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many out-patients diagnosed as 'routine' waited for an ultrascan for longer than (a) two weeks, (b) one month, (c) three months, (d) six months and (e) nine months in each NHS trust in England in the last year for which figures are available; [224580]
(2) how many out-patients diagnosed as routine are waiting for an (a) ultrascan and (b) ultrasound scan, broken down by NHS trust in England; [224584]
(3) how many out-patients diagnosed as urgent are waiting for an ultra sound scan, broken down by NHS trust in England. [224594]
Mr. Hutton: This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions took place between his Department and the County Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority about reducing waiting times for scans in County Durham; [224514]
(2) what discussions took place between his Department and (a) the Chester-le-Street and Durham primary care trust and (b) Derwentside primary care trust concerning the reduction of waiting times for scans in County Durham. [224515]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: As part of the recent capacity planning exercise, the Department met with all strategic health authorities (SHAs) to discuss their plans for delivering the 2005–06 to 2007–08 public service agreements. It is for SHAs to discuss and agree these plans with their local primary care trusts. We expect these plans to be formally agreed with the Department in May.
Schizophrenia
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the Home Office and his Department work together in developing public information publicising the risks of developing schizophrenia from cannabis use aimed at (a) early age users, (b) carers, (c) chronic users and (d) professionals. [224595]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department and the Home Office work closely together in publicising the health risks of all illegal drugs, including cannabis.
Both Departments, supported by the Department for Education and Skills, fund and manage the FRANK campaign, which informs young people and their parents, carers and families about the effects and risks of taking illicit drugs. The risks associated with cannabis use, including mental health illness, are documented. A FRANK information pack for practitioners, Communicating the health risks of cannabis use", was developed and approved by both Departments and published in 2004. Included is material that focuses specifically on young non-users, light users and those contemplating use. It also includes materials aimed at heavy chronic users. They draw attention to the important mental health risks of cannabis, including the risk that use can trigger serious mental health problems and that there is concern that people who use cannabis a lot when they are young may be vulnerable to mental health problems later in life. These will continue to be updated in the light of emerging evidence. Materials aimed specifically at cannabis users with mental health problems, their carers and the professionals who work with them are currently in development by the Home Office and the Department following consultation with key stakeholders.
Stroke Care
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on improving care facilities for stroke patients in (a) Leicester and (b) England in each year since 1997. [224250]
Dr. Ladyman: This information is not held centrally. The complex nature of the delivery of stroke services means that we are unable to monitor expenditure. It is for primary care trusts, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds locally to meet national priorities for stroke services.
Tuberculosis
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in implementing stopping tuberculosis in England. [224285]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: Work has started to implement some key areas of the tuberculosis action plan, including:
Launch of a new mobile X-ray unit in London on World TB Day (24 March 2005) to enhance case finding for difficult to reach groups.
Funding to the Health Protection Agency to help the top 10 TB areas implement local actions in line with the aims of the TB action plan.
Review of the BCG immunisation programme by the BCG sub-group of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
The effectiveness of these initiatives and projects and the impact on the prevalence of disease will be monitored. However, data on TB is compiled retrospectively and we will not have robust information for another two years.
Future work will address other areas of the plan.
University Hospital, North Durham
Mr. Kevan Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) at what capacity the existing NHS scanner at the University Hospital North Durham was working in each month since April 2004; [224214]
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(2) what the capital costs were of providing the equipment to undertake CT and MRI scans at the University Hospital, North Durham; [224518]
(3) what the running costs of the equipment used for CT and MRI scans at the University Hospital, North Durham were in each year since purchase of the equipment. [224519]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answers 4 April 2005]: While information on the capital costs of trusts is held centrally, it cannot be analysed individual assets.
The average cost of a computerised tomography (CT) scanner is around £450,600 to £500,000, excluding value added tax (VAT). A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner is around £700,000 to £750,000, excluding VAT.
These costs are only guides and would vary depending on equipment supplier and configuration. They only cover the scanners themselves and do not include any peripheral equipment needed to provide the service.
Information on the running costs and current capacity of equipment is not held centrally.
Waiting Times (North-west)
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his assessment is of the change in patient waiting times since 1997 in (a) Liverpool, (b) Merseyside and (c) the north-west. [223981]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 4 April 2005]: The information requested is shown in the tables.
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| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| Liverpool HA | -38 |
| Cumbria and Lancashire SHA | -26 |
| Greater Manchester SHA | -31 |
| Cheshire and Merseyside SHA | -35 |
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