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20 Jul 2005 : Column 1913W—continued
Neonatal Intensive Care
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to introduce mandatory neonatal testing for cystic fibrosis in all English hospitals. [13661]
Mr. Byrne: Ministers have agreed to the implementation of newborn screening for cystic fibrosis. About a fifth of babies born in England are offered newborn screening for cystic fibrosis. The United Kingdom national screening committee (NSC) has commissioned a programme of work to support national health service implementation from the UK newborn screening programme centre, based at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.
Initially the emphasis is on developing the framework for the new programme and ensuring that existing screening provision meets consistent standards. The pace of further introduction of screening will depend on primary care trust's local priorities and resource commitment. The NSC will provide continued advice and help through the work of the UK newborn screening programme centre.
NHS Staff Assaults
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish Counter Fraud and Security Management Service figures on the number of prosecutions of persons alleged to have assaulted a member of NHS staff. [11060]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 11 July 2005]: Information relating to the number of successful prosecutions obtained in 2004–05 against those who have physically assaulted national health service staff will be published shortly.
No Secrets Guidance
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 107W, on No Secrets Guidance, what data are being collected by the Commission for Social Care Inspection in respect of the guidance. [8027]
Mr. Byrne: The delivery and improvement statements submitted to the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) by councils in May 2005 included the following questions:
Has the local authority (LA) established multi-agency adult protection procedures in accordance with No Secrets?
Does this detail the number of adult protection referrals received, investigations undertaken and investigations upheld as adult protection?
The CSCI is currently undertaking a validation process and data from the delivery and improvement statements will be available from the CSCI in August 2005.
Osteoporosis Care
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the availability of treatments for osteoporosis following publication of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on the secondary prevention of osteoporotic fractures. [12570]
Mr. Byrne: No assessment has been made.
The new National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance will provide clear advice to the national health service and patients in England and Wales in an area where for some time there has been uncertainty.
NICE is also developing guidance on the primary prevention of osteoporotic fragility fractures in postmenopausal women which is due to be published in September 2005, together with a clinical guideline on the assessment of fracture risk and the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in individuals at high risk which is due for publication in February 2006.
Once NICE has issued guidance, we expect health authorities to take full account of it.
Patient and Public Involvement in Health
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what policy considerations underlay the abolition of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health. [11882]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 12 July 2005]: The policy considerations which underlie the abolition of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) derive from the intention that the abolition of CPPIH will provide the opportunity for arrangements to be made for the provision of stronger, more efficient support and advice to forums. The reconfiguration of the Department's arms length bodies also announced the aim of reducing bureaucracy to generate £0.5 billion savings and to improve investment in the front line.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat steps she plans to take to promote partnership working between NHS trusts, patient representatives and the voluntary sector to develop a patient-led NHS. [12908]
Mr. Byrne
[holding answer 18 July 2005]: Section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 places a duty on national health service organisations to work with patients, the public and their representatives, including patient groups and the voluntary and community sector (VCS), to ensure services are fully informed by the experiences of those using them.
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Making Partnership Work for Patients, Carers and Service Users—A Strategic Agreement between the Department of Health, the NHS and the Voluntary and Community Sector", published September 2004, is aimed at strengthening partnerships between the NHS and the private and VCS health care sectors in order to improve the quality and range of service planning and provision of NHS services. A national strategic partnership forum with membership from all these sectors has been established to help the voluntary, community and public sectors work effectively together to deliver responsive, high quality health and adult social care services for patients, service users and carers.
Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent employees there are at the Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority centre in the City of Newcastle; and what plans she has for the PPA in her review of non-departmental bodies. [11809]
Jane Kennedy
[holding answer 14 July 2005]: Information on staffing figures for the Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA) is not held by the Department. The PPA is an independent body and should be contacted direct for this information.
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It is anticipated that the PPA will become part of the Business Services Authority (BSA) from April 2006. The BSA will also include the Dental Practice Board and the NHS Pensions Agency. It has not yet been finalised if the Counter Fraud and Security Management Services will form part of the BSA. Over time, the BSA expects to reduce the total number of posts by 25 per cent. compared to today. Where these posts will be reduced has not yet been determined as the business strategies are being formulated.
Prescriptions
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by each primary care trust in (a) Essex and (b) Greater London on NHS prescriptions in each year since 1997. [12208]
Jane Kennedy: The expenditure by primary care trusts (PCTs) in Essex on prescribing costs is shown in table 1. Table 2 shows expenditure for London.
The data shown is prescribing costs, which is the total cost relating to prescribing by general practitioners within the PCT area. The figures provided are from 2000–01, the first year that PCTs existed, through to 2003–04, which is the latest year for which figures are available.
n/a=Indicates that a PCT was not in existence in that year.
Notes to tables:
1. Prescribing costs is the total cost relating to prescribing by GPs within the area accounted for by the PCT.
Source:
Audited summarisation schedules of the above PCTs, 2000–01 to 2003–04.
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Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of (a) a national health service prescription and (b) a private prescription was in each year since 1975. [12210]
Jane Kennedy: The table shows the national health service prescription charges since 1975.
The level of fees that the pharmacist charges for dispensing private prescriptions is not regulated by any body or organisation; it is a private transaction between the pharmacist and the customer. Therefore, the dispensing fee(s) incurred are set by the individual pharmacy or pharmacy chain.
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