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16 Nov 2005 : Column 1307W—continued
Influenza
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are eligible for a free influenza vaccination. [24937]
Caroline Flint: There are an estimated 11 million people in the clinical target groups eligible to receive free flu vaccination. These groups are given in the Chief Medical Officer's letter to general practitioners dated 25 July.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances persons under the age of 65 years are given influenza vaccinations; whether they are available to anyone under the age of 65 years who requests them; what obligations general practitioners' surgeries are under to administer such vaccinations; and what information and guidance has been disseminated by her Department to surgeries in this respect. [24956]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 8 November 2005]: Influenza vaccine is available for anyone aged over six months in one of the following risk categories:
Details of this year's influenza immunisation programme were issued to general practitioners on 25 July.
The final decision as to who should be offered flu immunisation is a matter for the patients general practitioner but should take into account the risk of influenza infection exacerbating the underlying disease as well as the risk of serious illness from influenza.
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Under the new general practitioner (GP) contract introduced in 2004, influenza vaccination became a directed enhanced service (DES). Primary care trusts commission GPs to carry out flu immunisations under the DES.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of influenza vaccine are available in (a) Staffordshire and (b) England. [26158]
Caroline Flint: The Department does not centrally purchase flu vaccine. General practitioners purchase their own supply of vaccine from one of the six United Kingdom suppliers, based on the number of eligible patients on their practice register.
13.4 million doses of flu vaccine are available to order this year.
Meals on Wheels (Leeds)
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meals on wheels were distributed in Leeds North West in each year since 1997; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Fair Access to Social Care Initiative. [25767]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 7 November 2005]: This information is not centrally available. Views on the fair access to social care initiative were sought specifically as part of the Green Paper, Independence, Well-being and Choice". These views are being considered as we take this forward as part of the development of the White Paper.
Mental Health
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged five to 16 years in Hemel Hempstead have a clinically diagnosed mental disorder. [25561]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Aged 5 to 16 years | Number |
|---|---|
| Male | 0 |
| Female | 10 |
| All patients | 10 |
(21) Diagnoses are taken from chapter V (Mental and Behavioural Disorders) of the 10th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10).
(22) Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data, ie the data are ungrossed.
Note:
Disclosure rules apply due to the sensitive nature of the data; therefore, figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to (a) preventive and (b) early intervention services for children's mental health disorders in Hemel Hempstead constituency in 2005–06. [25562]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: In 2005–06, £1.207 million was allocated to Hertfordshire county council for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to commission child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) for their resident population in line with their CAMHS development strategy prepared jointly with their partners in the local authority. PCTs are obliged to be working towards the delivery of the public service agreement standard of a comprehensive CAMHS by the end of 2006.
We expect both PCTs and local authorities to fund CAMHS. In 2005–06, both PCTs and local authorities have been given additional funds for CAMHS over and above what they may have already earmarked from their own resources.
Mixed Sex Wards
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps are being taken by her Department to phase out mixed sex wards in hospitals; [25846]
(2) when she expects the phasing out of mixed sex wards in hospitals to be completed. [25847]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has given a clear commitment to improving patient privacy and dignity and to the phasing out of mixed-sex accommodation.
Current guidelines state that male and female patients should have access to separate bathroom and toilet facilities, and should be cared for in separate sleeping areas. Separate sleeping areas for men and women can be achieved using a variety of different layouts, including combinations of single rooms and single-sex bays within wards.
The national health service met our target to provide single-sex accommodation in 95 per cent. of NHS trusts by December 2002. Progress has continued, with 97 per cent. of NHS trusts achieving these objectives by January 2005.
No further targets have been set. We are using the framework of national standards to build on what has been achieved. Under this framework, the NHS is required to provide single-sex accommodation but is also required to ensure that each individual patients privacy and dignity is protected. The Healthcare Commission will monitor compliance to these standards.
Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many managers are employed by Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust. [26333]
Mr. Byrne:
The information requested is shown in the table.
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Source:
Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census 2004
Neurological Conditions
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations she has received regarding the treatment of neurological conditions; [25834]
(2) what steps are being taken by her Department to improve the provision of (a) treatment and (b) rehabilitation services for people with neurological conditions; [25835]
(3) what steps are being taken by her Department to improve the provision of high quality appropriate local respite care for people with neurological conditions. [25836]
Mr. Byrne: The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions focuses on improving services for people with neurological conditions across England. People with these conditions will get faster diagnosis, more rapid treatment and a comprehensive package of care under the NSF.
joint health and social care plans that change over time (especially for people with rapidly progressing conditions) and take other needs into account such as housing, transport, benefits, education, careers advice, employment and leisure;
self-referral, allowing people to refer themselves quickly back to services as their care needs change;
access to a broad range of services including rehabilitation, equipment, accommodation, and personal care to help people live as independently as possible at home, and palliative care;
We have taken an inclusive approach to developing this NSF, involving a wide range of stakeholders either directly through the external reference group and its sub-groups or through open consultation. The NSF is therefore comprehensive in its coverage of all aspects of care and support for people with long-term conditions and closely mirrors the aspirations of all those who have contributed to its development.
Quality requirement eight of the NSF specifically addresses the provision of respite care to enable people to achieve maximum choice about living independently at home.
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