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Drug Addicts (Hemel Hempstead)
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on her Department's (a) facilities and (b) funding in 2005–06 for rehabilitation of illegal drug users in the Hemel Hempstead constituency. [16700]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The support services for drug users in Hemel Hempstead, as advised by the National Treatment Agency East of England are:
Community drug and alcohol team. Statutory service, providing tier three interventions, including prescribing.
Drug-link. Non-statutory service, providing a range of interventions, including tier two interventions, a structured day programme and a residential rehabilitation service. Drug-link also has satellite services around Hemel Hempstead.
Hertfordshire Alcohol Problems Advisory Service. Non Stat alcohol service providing advice, information and counselling.
The details of funding for rehabilitation services, is not collected by constituency, but by county, where in 2005–06:
Hertfordshire's adult pooled drug treatment budget allocation in 2005–06 is £3,787,000. The 2005–06 young people's pooled drug treatment budget allocation of £334,000, a total allocation of £4,121,000.
It is estimated that an additional £3,202,000 will be made available from other funding streams for the provision of drug treatment in Hertfordshire in 2005–06.
Expert Witnesses
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Royal College of Paediatricians about establishing an accreditation scheme for expert witnesses; and if she will make a statement. [18818]
Mr. Byrne: The former Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend John Reid, met with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in October 2004, when I understand the subject of the supply and quality of medical expert witnesses was discussed. I expect to meet with the president of the RCPCH on 14 November to discuss a range of issues, during which this subject may arise. I am also awaiting the imminent arrival of the Chief Medical Officer's report on the supply and quality of medical expert witnesses. I anticipate his report will address the issues concerning an accreditation scheme, and suggest a way forward.
GPs/Dentistry (Kettering)
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents in the Kettering constituency were registered with (a) a general practitioner and (b) an NHS dentist in each year since 1997. [19413]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 19 October 2005]: The information requested is shown in the tables.
n/a—data not available.
Source:
National Health Service Health and Social Care Information Centre general and personal medical services statistics.
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Notes:
1. The drop in registrations between September 1997 and September 1998 is mostly attributable to the reduction in re-registration period from two years to 12 months.
2. Most personal dental service (PDS) schemes that have registrations have a re-registration period in excess of 15 months, so the figures for PDS schemes are generally higher than they would have been for the same attendance pattern under general dental service (CDS).
3. Prison contracts have not been included in this analysis.
4. A dentist with a GDS or PDS contract may provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or agreed with the PCT.
5. The Dental Practice Board has no information concerning the amount of time dedicated to NHS work by individual dentists.
6. The areas have been defined using practice postcodes within the current boundaries.
Source:
Dental Practice Board.
Herceptin/Velcade
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether people who have already been diagnosed with breast cancer will be eligible for the test to see whether their tumours are susceptible to treatment with Herceptin. [16927]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Secretary of State for Heath recently announced that from early October 2005 the HER2 test, which identifies whether someone with breast cancer will benefit from Herceptin, will be made available to everyone newly diagnosed with early breast cancer.
For those patients who have already been diagnosed with breast cancer, it will be for the clinicians concerned to decide whether to use the HER2 test, based on factors such as the extent of the disease, previous treatment experience, the patient's fitness and what the patient wants.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS trusts have the option of funding (a) Herceptin and (b) Velcade pending the appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. [15715]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 10 October 2005]: Herceptin is not yet licensed for early breast cancer. It is a matter for local decision between the clinician and funding authorities concerned whether Herceptin for early breast cancer should be prescribed for an individual patient.
Herceptin has already been licensed and approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for use in women with late stage breast cancer.
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Velcade is licensed for the treatment of adults with cancer of the bone marrow, or multiple myeloma, who have received at least one prior treatment and whose disease is worsening on their last treatment.
In July, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State announced that Velcade would be referred to NICE in advance of its next programme. In the interim, there are no national restrictions on prescribing Velcade on the national health service for patients who fit the licensed indication. It is a matter for local decision.
Funding for licensed treatments should not be withheld because guidance from NICE is unavailable. In these circumstances, we expect primary care trusts (PCTs) to take full account of available evidence when reaching funding decisions. This is confirmed in "Health Service Circular 1999/176", which asks NHS bodies to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from NICE is not available at the time the treatment or technology first became available.
Hospital Infections
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of e-coli have been identified in hospitals within Greater London in each year since 2000, broken down by NHS trust. [18000]
Jane Kennedy: The Department does not hold this information. E coli is not part of the mandatory surveillance system.
Hospital Staffing
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio was of trained paediatric nursing staff to patients in hospitals in the Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust in the last year for which figures are available. [18011]
Jane Kennedy: The ratio of trained paediatric nursing staff to patients is not held. However, the table shows the number of qualified nursing staff in Barking, Havering and Redbridge National Health Service Trust as at 30 September 2004 which is the latest data available.
| RF4—Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust | |
|---|---|
| Full-time equivalent | 70 |
| Headcount | 89 |
Source:
Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census 2004
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what budget provisions have been made for the employment of (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) other staff at the New Oldchurch Hospital, Romford for the 2006–07 financial year. [18012]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The information requested is not held centrally. It is for primary care trusts to determine how they spend their revenue allocations based on the needs of the local population.
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