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Anti-tumour Necrosis Therapy
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how anti-tumour necrosis therapy out-patients costs will be calculated under the payments by results scheme; and when procedures for purchasing anti-tumour necrosis therapy out-patient services will come into effect; [25549]
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(2) how much money was spent on anti-tumour necrosis therapy in England in each of the last five years; [25550]
(3) what the total budget for anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy is for 2006–07 in England; [25551]
(4) how many patients have received anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in England in each of the last five years; [25552]
(5) how many patients are waiting to commence anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in England. [25553]
Mr. Byrne: Anti-tumour necrosis therapy is already commissioned at local level under arrangements that should cover the cost of patient attendances at outpatient clinics as well as any anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs (anti-TNF drugs). From 2006–07, payment by results will apply a national tariff to rheumatology out-patient clinics. The tariff will set the price for out-patient attendances and will exclude the additional cost of anti-TNF drugs, for which funding will continue to be negotiated locally. These arrangements are already operating in 2005–06 for national health service foundation trusts and other early implementers of payment by results.
The cost of prescriptions dispensed in the community for the three anti-TNF drugs is shown in the table.
| Cost (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 12,000 |
| 2001 | 198,000 |
| 2002 | 327,000 |
| 2003 | 833,000 |
| 2004 | 2,312,000 |
However, the main use for these drugs was in hospitals. An estimate for 2004 costs for anti-TNF drugs dispensed in hospitals, based on a large sample of hospitals, is £71,658,000.
Health bodies are obliged to fund, from general allocations, anti-TNF treatment for those with severe rheumatoid arthritis who meet the clinical guidelines setby the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
The Department does not hold information on the number of people who have received anti-TNF treatments.
We do not collect information on waiting lists for specific treatments.
Audiology
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the roll-out of the newborn hearing screening programme. [24746]
Mr. Byrne:
Overall, about 85 per cent. of newborn babies are now being screened by the newborn hearing screening programme. It is expected that all sites will be screening newborn babies for hearing loss by the end of December 2005.
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Avian Influenza
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she has taken to reassure consumers about the safety of chicken and turkey meat in the context of the avian influenza threat. [27105]
Caroline Flint: The Government have sought to ensure that the messages they put out about risks to consumers and the wider public posed by avian influenza are evidence-based and proportionate.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised that avian influenza does not pose a food safety risk for United Kingdom consumers and has made this available through its website. The FSA has also accepted all requests it has received to give television and radio interviews and has had its views well publicised in the media.
Child Health and Social Services
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the implementation of (a) the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services, (b) Standard 8 of the Framework and (c) the autism exemplar chapter of the Framework. [28991]
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Mr. Byrne [holding answer 15 November 2005]: The national service framework (NSF) for children, young people and maternity services, published in 2004, is a 10-year programme intended to stimulate long term and sustained improvement in children's health.
Standard eight of the NSF relates to children who are disabled or who have complex needs. It requires that they receive co-ordinated, high-quality child and family-centred services that are based on assessed needs, which promote social inclusion and, where possible, which enable them and their families to live normal lives. Toward this end, the Department will shortly publish an exemplar on complex disability, which will be launched on 30 November at a conference to mark one year since the launch of the NSF. In addition, the Council for Disabled Children will be holding a workshop on 8 December, sponsored by the Department, which will look at what more central Government can do to help colleagues to implement standard eight.
Exemplars are not standards against which to measure progress. Rather, they are illustrations of policy in the form of a description of a patient's journey.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many secondary school-age children suffered from (a) high cholesterol levels, (b) heart failure and (c) diabetes in each year since 1995. [25186]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table. Patient counts are not available for years prior to 1997–98 and therefore not included.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of whether NHS organisations have implemented the guidance issued by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence on chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, which was published on 25 February 2004. [27546]
Mr. Byrne: Clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) are reflected in the standards published by the Department, which provide a framework for continuous improvement in the overall quality of care people receive. Clinical guidelines are covered by the developmental standards, standards which the national health service is expected to achieve over time. The Healthcare Commission has responsibility for assessing progress towards achieving these standards.
Clinical Negligence Payments
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what clinical negligence payments were made by hospital trusts within the Cheshire and Mersey Strategic Health Authority in 2004 to 2005. [26372]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
(2)Data relate to the 2004–05 financial year as audited by the National Audit Office.
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