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24 Oct 2005 : Column 174W—continued
First Aid Advice (Intoxication)
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to publicise first aid advice to young people on how they should treat other young people who may be intoxicated. [18369]
Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply.
There is scope in the Personal Social and Health Education framework for schools to explore safety and emergency procedures as part of the curriculum. At Key Stage 3, the framework suggests pupils should be taught
At Key Stage 4 pupils should be taught to
develop skills to cope with emergency situations that require basic aid procedures, including resuscitation techniques".
Fluoridation
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many strategic health authority areas have water fluoridation programmes in place; [17492]
(2) how many people reside in areas covered by a water fluoridation programme; and what percentage of the total population this represents. [17493]
Caroline Flint:
There are 10 strategic health authorities in which all or part of the population receive water to which fluoride has been added to bring it up to a concentration of one part per million. The total population involved is about 5.5 million, some 10 per cent. of the total population of England.
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Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the results of public opinion surveys initiated by strategic health authorities and primary care trusts on the fluoridation of the water supply. [18853]
Caroline Flint: The results of all public opinion surveys initiated by strategic health authorities and primary care trusts that we are aware of are shown in the table.
Food Standards Agency
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people followed the proceedings of the meeting of the Food Standards Agency held on 15 September via the internet; what questions were raised by e-mail during that meeting; by whom the questions were raised; what answers were given; and whether she has any plans to extend provision for internet and e-mail participation in meetings and discussions of her Department and the agencies for which she is responsible. [17917]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 17 October 2005]: As part of the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) commitment to openness and transparency, all its open board meetings are webcast on the internet as a matter of course. Decisions on whether to webcast other meetings are taken on a case by case basis. The board meeting held on 15 September was viewed live via the internet by at least 368 people. Other people may have watched the recording subsequently. One question was submitted by email from Chris Whitehouse of Consumers for Health Choice: 'Assuming that the Board adopts the recommendations under Item 5 in relation to the Food Supplements Directive, what specific strategy do they have for achieving the objectives specified'. This question was addressed in the question and answer session by the chief executive, who said that, if the FSA's advice was accepted by Ministers, the FSA would be seeking to influence those officials in the commission drafting the proposals on which the negotiations would be based. The full answer can be viewed at:
The Department conducted its first webcast on 31 May 2005, World No Tobacco Day. The webcast, aimed at policy-makers and local groups that help smokers to quit, included coverage of the international conference held with the World Health Organisation supported by a short film showing a local stop smoking support group. This initiative was an important first step in broadening access to information and exploiting online channels. The Department's next webcast will be a first for Government. In the spirit of open government, the Department will broadcast policy
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making, live, from the deciding national event in the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" consultation on improving community health and care services in Birmingham on 29 October. This webcast will give the public, national health service staff, charities and special interest groups, the chance to see 1,000 people debating and shaping future policy on health care outside hospitals. The webcast will be accessible from the Department's website live on the day and is likely to be available via the website for some time thereafter to enable the outcome to be compared with the resulting White Paper when this is published at the turn of the year.
General Practice
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from organisations representing patients about the inability to book general practitioner appointments in advance; and if she will make a statement. [17693]
Mr. Byrne: Representations have been received both from organisations and from individuals about this matter. We have made clear that it is unacceptable that some practices are continuing to deny patients the opportunity to book an appointment with a general practitioner in advance. As my noble Friend the Minister of State for Health announced on 7 September, we are therefore now taking steps to ensure that patients are offered more flexible access, including the opportunity to book ahead. At the same time, we are also now asking patients and national health service staff what more needs to be done to improve access as part of the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" public consultation.
H5N1 Vaccine
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for how long the H5N1 vaccine remains viable for use after manufacture. [16909]
Caroline Flint: If stored properly, an H5N1 vaccine is likely to have a shelf life of about two years.
Health Services (Essex)
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of delayed transfers of care there have been in (a) Southend-on-Sea and (b) Basildon hospitals in each of the last three years. [18084]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department collects information on the number of cases of delayed transfer at national health service trust level. The latest data on the number of cases of delayed transfers of care at Basildon and Thurrock General Hospital NHS Trust and Southend Hospitals NHS Trust are shown in the table.
| Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust | Southend Hospitals NHS Trust | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 29 | 43 |
| 2003–04 | 41 | 37 |
| 2004–05 | 20 | 17 |
| 2005–06 | 25 | 20 |
Notes:
1. These figures are based on a snapshot taken on the last typical Thursday in the year.
2. 2005–06 data are the latest available.
Source:
SitReps.
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Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA cases have occurred in (a) Southend-on-Sea and (b) Basildon in each of the last three years. [18086]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information is not available in the format requested. However, the best available information is from the mandatory meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections bacteraemia surveillance scheme which started in April. The data for the last three years for Southend Hospital National Health Service Trust and Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are shown in the table.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of hepatitis have been identified in the Essex strategic health authority in each of the last three years. [18087]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: The incidence of hepatitis in the Essex strategic health authority area is collected as finished consultant episodes (FCEs), the details of which are shown in the table.
| Patient count | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 347 |
| 2002–03 | 348 |
| 2003–04 | 414 |
Notes:
1. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data is ungrossed).
2. Patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier HESID. This identifier is derived based on patient's date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier and NHS number, using an agreed algorithm. Where data are incomplete, HESID might erroneously link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient. Care is therefore needed, especially where duplicate records persist in the data. The patient count cannot be summed across a table where patients may have episodes in more than one cell.
3. Hospital episode statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The Health and Social Care Information Centre liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.
Source:
HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many occupational therapists have been employed within the Essex strategic health authority in each of the last three years. [18088]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The numbers of occupational therapists that have been employed within the Essex strategic health authority (SHA) area in each of the last three years are shown in the table.
(85) Zero.
(86) Not applicable.
Source:
Health and Social Care Information Centre non-medical workforce census.
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