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25 Oct 2005 : Column 254W—continued

Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

24. Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on plans to improve the Mersey regional ambulance service. [20929]


 
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Mr. Byrne: Earlier this year the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust jointly commissioned, with its strategic health authority and primary care trusts, an independent review of its services, management and commissioning arrangements.

A formal strategic response to the plan will be ratified by the trust at the end of October.

Abortions (Overseas Residents)

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the countries of residence of women listed as overseas residents in the abortion statistics for the last year for which information is available. [20166]

Caroline Flint: This information is contained in table 13 of the Department's statistical bulletin 2005/11 Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2004", which is available at on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/4/11/75/74/04117574.pdf. Copies are also available in the Library.

ADHD

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which voluntary organisations dealing with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder receive funding from her Department; and how much. [18831]

Mr. Byrne: In 2005–06, the Department gave financial support to two voluntary organisations. They are ADHD UK Alliance, which received £20,000 and the National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service, which received £40,000.

Adverse Medical Incidents

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she made of the number of extra bed days caused by adverse incidents in NHS hospitals in 2004–05; and if she will make a statement. [18570]

Jane Kennedy: A research study of adverse events in two acute hospitals in Greater London (Vincent, Neale and Woloshynowych 2001) found that each adverse event led to an average of 8.5 additional days in hospital. The study extrapolated these results to England and Wales, estimating that there are approximately three million extra bed days a year as a result of patient safety incidents. During 2003–04, there were 57,571,000 bed days in England.

Allergies

Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Government intend to publish the outcome of their review of the provision of allergy services; and if she will make a statement. [19760]

Mr. Byrne: In its response to the Health Committee report on the provision of allergy services, the Government undertook to carry out a review of the available data and research on the epidemiology of allergic conditions, the demand for and provision of treatment and the effectiveness of relevant interventions. We hope to complete this review of the evidence by the end of June 2006. It will inform decisions about what steps could be taken to address any gaps and pressures that it reveals.
 
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Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much specialist allergy treatment is provided by the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority; and if she will make a statement. [19763]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Primary care trusts in partnership with local stakeholders, have the responsibility for deciding what services to provide for their populations, including those with allergies. They are best placed to understand local health needs and commission services to meet them.

Cancer

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients below the age of 50 years the Essex strategic health authority area have been treated for breast cancer. [18778]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The data for the year 2003–04 show that Essex strategic health authority has treated 344 national health service patients below the age of 50 years for breast cancer.

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the proportion of cancer patients who were not referred with suspected cancer and were therefore not covered by the two week wait in the last period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [18899]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The number of patients treated for cancer who were not referred urgently under the two week wait was 66.5 per cent. in the last quarter, April to June 2005. The Cancer Plan target of 31 days from diagnosis with cancer to first treatment, to be achieved from December 2005, picks up those patients who are referred with other conditions but who are subsequently diagnosed with cancer to ensure they receive prompt treatment.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of time taken by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has been to carry out a treatment appraisal in each of the last five years for which records are available. [17788]

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is shown in the table.
Number of published technology appraisalsAverage number of months between referral of the topic to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and publication of final guidance
2000179
20011415
20022217
20031919
20041124
2005(16)620


(16) To end July.


Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government have considered setting up a separate advisory group to examine new cancer treatments; and if she will make a statement. [18322]


 
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Ms Rosie Winterton: Professor Mike Richards, the national cancer director, regularly chairs a group of experts set up specifically to identify and consider new cancer drugs, prioritise them for potential referral to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and provide advice to the Department.

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of cancer patients started their treatment (a) within 31 days of a decision to treat and (b) within 62 days of an urgent general practitioner referral in (i) England, (ii) each strategic health authority and (iii) each NHS trust in each of the last three years. [18564]

Ms Rosie Winterton: In England during the first quarter of 2005–06, 92.6 per cent. of patients started treatment within 31 days of cancer diagnosis, and 77.1 per cent. of patients started treatment within 62 days of urgent referral by their general practitioner.

Information on percentages of cancer patients who start their treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat and within 62 days of ah urgent GP referral in each strategic health authority and each national health service trust has been placed in the Library.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new initiatives she plans to reduce the incidence of lung cancer in women. [20786]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The 2004 Health Development Agency's publication, The Smoking Epidemic in England" estimated that eight out of 10 female lung cancer deaths are smoking attributable. The best way to reduce the incidence of lung cancer in women is to persuade them to give up smoking.

Since 1998, the Government have put in place a comprehensive strategy to tackle smoking to reduce the deaths caused by smoking. The strategy focuses on action to discourage people from ever starting and help for all smokers, of whatever age and sex, to quit. We are aiming to create a climate where non-smoking is the norm.

We have banned almost all tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion. Our highly effective national anti-smoking education campaign is designed to reach all. People who wish to give up smoking can get help from the national health service stop smoking services. In 2004–05, 57 per cent. of people accessing the NHS Stop Smoking Services were women. We set out proposals to bring in new measures to improve the way the NHS helps smokers to give up in our White Paper, Choosing Health". We will reduce exposure to second hand smoke and, through a staged approach, make almost all enclosed public places and workplaces smoke-free. In addition, this year we ran an education campaign on the impact of smoking targeted at young women.
 
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Together this strategy has helped reduce smoking rates in women in England from 26 per cent. in 1998 to 24 per cent. in 2004.


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