| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
25 May 2005 : Column 124W—continued
Hospital Site Sales
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when she expects the sale of the former Severalls hospital site at Colchester to be completed; and what the reasons are for the length of time taken; [209]
(2) when she expects the sale of the former Turner Village hospital site at Colchester to be completed. [210]
Jane Kennedy: Part of the Severalls hospital site in the ownership of the Secretary of State for Health was transferred to English Partnerships on 6 April 2005, as part of a wider agreement with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Part of the Turner Village hospital site that is no longer required for national health service use will also be transferred. This transfer is expected to be completed shortly and the future of the site will then be the responsibility of English Partnerships.
English Partnerships will be working with North Essex Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust and Colchester borough council in order to bring the Severalls hospital site to market. The timetable reflects the complex redevelopment issues affecting this land.
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned on the effects on human health of hydrogenated vegetable oil; and if she will make a statement. [660]
Caroline Flint:
The Government are concerned about the possible health effects, in particular on coronary health, from consuming certain fats. The Government as part of delivering its "Choosing Health" White Paper is developing a strategy for tackling fat intakes, which will include opportunities to reduce intakes of both
25 May 2005 : Column 125W
saturated and "trans" fatty acids. There are currently no plans to commission research on the health effects of consuming hydrogenated vegetable oil.
MRSA
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of MRSA have been identified in hospitals in (a) England and (b) Devon in each of the last five years; and what guidance the Department has issued to (i) staff and (ii) visitors to reduce levels of MRSA. [109]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 23 May 2005]: The Department has issued a number of guidance documents, available on the Department's website, which are relevant to the control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Key documents include, "Winning Ways—Working together to reduce Healthcare Associated Infection in England", "The epic project: developing national evidence-based guidelines for preventing healthcare associated infection; Phase 1: guidelines for preventing hospital-acquired infections", and the "National Institute for Clinical Excellence, Infection Control: prevention of healthcare associated infection in primary and community care".
The Department does not provide information for visitors, but the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines provide information on advising patients, their carers and the public. The Department has also produced a generic toolkit for creating patient information. This is available in the Library and is also available on the internet at http://www.nhsidentity.nhs.uk/patientinformationtoolkit/.
The Department's mandatory surveillance system for MRSA blood stream infections in acute trusts in England began in April 2001. The information requested is shown in the table.
NHS Direct
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS Direct is to be franchised out to the private sector. [479]
Mr. Byrne
[holding answer 23 May 2005]: The Department does not have any plans to franchise NHS Direct to the private sector. A new organisational form for NHS Direct is being sought as part of the Department's review of arm's length bodies, of which NHS Direct is one. This will meet the needs of patients and the national health service.
25 May 2005 : Column 126W
NHS Staff (Assaults)
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reported violent incidents against NHS staff there were in (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority area, (c) each NHS trust and (d) each primary care trust, in each year since 1997. [228]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested was not collated centrally for the period 1997–99.
Reported violent or abusive incidents for 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03 are shown in the following table.
| 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 84,214 | 112,000 | 116,000 |
| National health service trust | 83,058 | 106,000 | 94,000 |
| Primary care trust (PCT) | — | 6,000 | 21,000 |
Source:
Department of Health.
There are no published figures for strategic health authorities (SHAs).
The total figures for England differ from those by NHS trust and PCT, as these have been estimated and rounded to take into account nil returns.
A new national reporting system for physical assaults against NHS staff has been put in place. Information from this reporting system is expected to be available from summer 2005.
A table outlining the estimated number of reported violent incidents for 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 for each SHA, NHS trust and PCT in England has been placed in the Library.
NHS Staffing
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the NHS takes to ensure the maintenance of adequate staffing levels. [568]
Mr. Byrne: The national health service ensures the maintenance of adequate staffing levels through local delivery plans. "Delivering the NHS Improvement Plan: the Workforce Contribution" highlights strategic workforce issues, which primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are asked to ensure are considered in their local delivery plans. This includes maintaining adequate staffing levels as well as achieving greater productivity.
Scottish Medicines Consortium
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether appraisals completed by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) are considered by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as evidence for the cost-and-clinical efficacy of a treatment; and whether approval of a treatment by the SMC which has not previously been approved by NICE can be used to fast-track the NICE appraisal so that the treatment can be recommended for use across England. [243]
Jane Kennedy:
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) considers the full range of available evidence when conducting its technology
25 May 2005 : Column 127W
appraisals. This is very likely to include evidence that has been considered by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC).
The prior consideration of a treatment by the SMC does not in itself affect the process by which NICE conducts an appraisal.
Trafford Diagnostic and Treatment Centre
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations have been carried out at the Trafford Diagnostic and Treatment Centre since its opening; and what the unit cost has been. [182]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 24 May 2005]: The Greater Manchester Surgical Centre began seeing patients on 9 May 2005 for pre-operative assessments. It carried out its first surgical list on 18 May.
Waiting Time Targets
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Department has agreed local delivery plans with strategic health authorities to monitor waiting times for diagnostic tests; and if she will make a statement. [244]
Mr. Byrne: The Department expects to agree local delivery plans with strategic health authorities in June 2005.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |