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5 Oct 2005 : Column 2857W—continued
Junior Doctors
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what timescale she has set for extending the pilots for junior doctors training in independent sector treatment centres to all parts of the country; [12503]
(2) if she will list the locations of the pilots for junior doctors training in independent sector treatment centres. [12504]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 18 July 2005]: All independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs), which are involved in transferred national health service activity, will be required to provide training. Each of these ISTCs will form pilot sites. The locations of the current sites contracted to deliver training are Burton, Nottingham, Maidstone, London, and Brighton. Burton will be the first site to deliver training. Full service commencement is scheduled for May 2006, with an interim solution planned for November 2005.
Management Consultants
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which five management consultancies received the highest value of contracts awarded by her Department in each of the last three years; and what the total value was of the contracts awarded to each. [12580]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
It should also be noted that not all consultancy contracts are awarded for financial gains; many are awarded for investigating problems, providing analysis or advice, or assisting with the development of new systems, new structures or new capabilities within the organisation.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the total expenditure saved in each of the last three years as a result of implementing recommendations by management consultancies within her Department. [13629]
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Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
It should also be noted that not all consultancy contracts are awarded for the purpose of saving expenditure, many are awarded for investigating problems, providing analysis or advice, or assisting with the development of new systems, new structures or new capabilities within the organisation.
Maternity Services
Mrs. Betty Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new guidance on maternity services will be published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. [10761]
Jane Kennedy: Information about the work currently being undertaken by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is available on its website at www.nice.org.uk/pdf/comp9_gynaepregnancy birth.pdf.
An outline of planned NICE guidance related to maternity services is shown in the table.
Mental Health
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the implications of Delivering Race Equality for the training of (a) psychiatrists and (b) other mental health professionals. [13270]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 18 July 2005, Official Report, column 1467W.
Mesothelioma
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to improve mesothelioma (a) treatment and (b) prevention; and how much funding has been allocated to each in 2005–06. [14160]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
In 2003, the Department set up the lung cancer and mesothelioma advisory group (LCMAG) to work closely with the voluntary sector and patient and professional groups in order to support the development and delivery of high quality services for lung cancer patients.
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In 2004, a mesothelioma subgroup was set up to advise LCMAG specifically on the requirements for a good clinical service for mesothelioma, and on priorities for research. The work of this subgroup is still progressing.
Information on the costs of preventing and treating individual tumours is not collected centrally. Latest information indicates that nearly £3.4 billion was spent by primary care trusts in the financial year 2003–04 on treating all cancers.
Methadone
Mr. Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the level of abuse of methadone. [6963]
Caroline Flint: There have been no formal assessments made on the level of abuse of methadone. However, the Department recognises the key role that effective substitute prescribing has to play in meeting our overall aim of offering high quality treatment to drug misusers. It is because of this commitment that the Department published Drug Misuse and Dependence—Guidelines on Clinical Management (1999), which is widely regarded as being extremely successful in assisting prescribers in offering appropriate treatment to their patients. Part of this also tackles the issue of diversion of methadone through advice on supervised consumption.
Building on this, the National Treatment Agency (NTA), which has a remit to improve the availability and quality of drug treatment, has just completed an audit of prescribing services in England which will be available shortly. The NTA will also be undertaking series of reviews of community prescribing services with the Healthcare Commission, later in 2005. The NTA has performance management structures in place to effectively tackle those drug action teams assessed as underperforming, as far as provision of drug treatment is concerned.
One of the key measures used to assess the quality of substitute prescribing, including levels of diversion, is the number of drug related deaths associated with its use. In 2003, the latest year for which figures are available, 167 deaths associated with the use of methadone were reported. This compares with 286 in 1999, a reduction of 42 per cent.
As part of our ongoing commitment to continue to develop improved practise in substitute prescribing, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will, within a comprehensive package of work that it will be undertaking on drug treatment, do a specific appraisal on the clinical effectiveness of methadone in the treatment of drug misuse.
Mifepristone/Misoprostol
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department was consulted by the World Health Organisation on putting (a) mifepristone and (b) misoprostol on its list of essential medicines; and if she will make a statement. [12718]
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Jane Kennedy: It is not standard practice for the World Health Organisation (WHO) to consult member states about the compilation of the list of essential medicines. The WHO has an expert scientific advisory committee, which provides advice on maintaining and developing its list of essential medicines. It was through this process that mifepristone and misoprostol for use in medical abortion were included on the list It is for individual countries as to whether these medicines are authorised for supply. In the United Kingdom, these products have been authorised for use (on the basis of efficacy, safety and quality) by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings she has had with groups representing (a) patients and consumers and (b) health professionals since 5 May; and how many are planned for the next three months. [6281]
Jane Kennedy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, and the Department's Ministers meet many individuals and organisations and attend many functions relating to Government business and as part of the process of policy development.
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