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25 Oct 2005 : Column 261W—continued

East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the replacement of the chief executive of the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust. [20926]

Caroline Flint: The appointment of chief executives in the national health service is a matter for individual trusts subject to NHS terms and conditions of employment.
 
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Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority has advised that a new chief executive of East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust was appointed on a one year rolling contract which commenced on 10 October this year.

Food Standards Agency

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints have been received by the Food Standards Agency concerning adverse effects of aspartame in each year since 2000 and what percentage this represents of the total number of complaints received in each year by the Food Standards Agency. [18944]

Caroline Flint: Since 2000, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has received a total of 20 complaints concerning adverse effects related to aspartame consumption. A breakdown of the number of complaints that were received each year is shown in table 1.
Table 1: Number of complaints (aspartame consumption) 2000–05

Number received
20001
20011
20022
20038
20044
20054

The FSA also received a total of 151 complaints through the additives survivors network (ASN) in the form of standard letters/proforma during a campaign by the network during a period between 2000 and 2001. A breakdown of the number of complaints that were received each year is shown in table 2.
Table 2: Number of complaints received from ASN 2000–05

Number received
2000140
200111
20020
20030
20040
20050

The FSA also receives general correspondence on aspartame. Total complaints received by the FSA address a number of issues, both food and non-food related, and are dealt accordingly by relevant policy divisions in the FSA. A record of correspondence of this nature is not held centrally by the FSA.

Genitourinary Clinics

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on progress towards the 48 hour appointment target for genitourinary clinics by 2008. [21533]

Caroline Flint: The latest data published by the Health Protection Agency shows that 45 per cent. of patients are seen within 48 hours at genitourinary
 
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medicine (GUM) clinics. Primary care trusts and strategic health authorities have already developed plans on how they will meet the target of 48 hour access through the local delivery planning process. To support this, the Department is investing an additional £130 million for GUM services and infrastructure in 2006–07 and 2007–08 to enable clinics to expand their services and reduce waiting times. An additional £15 million capital funding has also been recently allocated.

Health Services (Leeds)

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the services provided by Leeds primary
 
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care trusts; how many staff are employed to provide each service; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of these services. [18927]

Mr. Byrne: The table shows how many staff are employed within the Leeds primary care trusts (PCTs) as at 30 September 2004. In the 2004–05 performance review by the Healthcare Commission, the Leeds PCTs received the following ratings:
Star rating
East Leeds PCT1
Leeds North East PCT2
Leeds North West PCT1
Leeds West PCT1
South Leeds PCT1

Hospital, public health medicine, community health services (HCHS) doctors, general medical practitioners, HCHS qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff and GP practice nurses within Leeds PCTs, as at 30 September 2004

Number (headcount)
East Leeds PCTLeeds North East PCTLeeds North West PCTLeeds West PCTSouth Leeds PCT
All Staff557368421264348
Of which:
All doctors15112614570126
Of which:
HCHS doctors(17)4224430
General medical practitioners(18)1091241416696
Nurses406242276194222
Of which:
Qualified nursing midwifery and health visiting staff354178208149173
GP practice nurses5264684549


(17) Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part-time in hospitals.
(18) General medical practitioners includes contracted GPs, general medical service (GMS) others, personal medical service (PMS) others, GP retainers and GP registrars. Prior to September 2004, this group included GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, GP retainers, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other, flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
Sources:
NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre GMS and PMS statistics.
NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre medical and dental workforce census.
NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre non-medical workforce census.




Herceptin (Devon and Cornwall)

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost is of the decision by Devon and Cornwall primary care trusts to fund Herceptin for early stage cancer. [20825]

Caroline Flint: Information on the estimated cost of the decision by Devon and Cornwall primary care trusts (PCTs) to fund Herceptin for early stage breast cancer is not collected centrally. We are already putting record amounts of new investment into the national health service—between 2003 and 2008 NHS expenditure in England will increase on average by 7.5 per cent. each year. It is for PCTs to decide how best to spend these resources taking into account local priorities.

PCTs have many competing priorities but cancer is a national and local priority. Every PCT will have a sizeable number of people in their area who will be diagnosed with the disease each year. PCTs will need to ensure that they allocate sufficient resource to meet their local contribution to tackling cancer care or other areas.

It may be appropriate in some circumstances for patients to be prescribed an unlicensed drug such as Herceptin. However, this should be the exception and not the rule because the licensing process is there to protect patient safety. Such decisions need to be taken following discussions with patients to ensure they are aware of the potential risks.

Hospital Closures

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many items of correspondence her Department has received objecting to the plans to close the Walnuttree and St. Leonard's hospitals in Sudbury. [17698]

Ms Rosie Winterton: As at 14 October 2005, the Department had received a total of 5,287 items of correspondence relating to this matter.

Hospital Treatments

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) NHS and (b) private (i) in-patient procedures and (ii) out-patient consultations were carried out in each of the hospitals managed by the Leeds NHS Teaching Hospital Trust in the past five years, broken down by specialty. [18911]


 
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Mr. Byrne: Information showing the number of national health service and private in-patient procedures carried out by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust between 1999–2000 and 2003–04 has been placed in the Library.

Information showing the number of NHS and private out-patient consultations at the trust is available on the Department's website at: www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivitv/data_requests/outpatient_attendances.htm.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many copies of the Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, A Public Consultation have been produced; at what cost; and if she will make a statement; [20195]

(2) which organisations were sent copies of the Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, A Public Consultation; how many were sent to each; and if she will make a statement; [20196]

(3) for what reasons her Department chose 16 August to publish the Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, A Public Consultation; and if she will make a statement; [20197]

(4) if she will place in the Library responses to the Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, A Public Consultation; and if she will make a statement. [20198]

Caroline Flint: The consultation document was published as soon as it was ready, taking account of the wider timetable of Government announcements and the need to respond to the Science and Technology Committee's report on Human Reproductive Technologies and the Law". In producing the consultation document, account was taken of a wide range of views and opinions, including the oral and written evidence submitted to the Science and Technology Committee's year-long inquiry, reaction to the Committee's recommendations, and issues raised over a number of years about the regulation of assisted reproduction and embryology.

In order to encourage a wide range of responses to the consultation, copies of the document have been made available in variety of ways, including by viewing or downloading from the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/consulations/fs/en, or by request from the Department's publications order line on 08710 555 455. Copies have also been issued by the Department directly to key stakeholders and other people and organisations who have expressed an interest in the review. This variety of ways of access means that it is not possible to say exactly which organisations have received the document.
 
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3,020 copies of the document have been printed, at a cost of £9,395. After the consultation, we will place a copy of the responses in the Library.


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