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23 Nov 2005 : Column 2116W—continued
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about the funding of genetic research into myalgic encephalomyelitis. [27324]
Mr. Byrne: The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
The MRC does not normally allocate funds to particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. When appropriate, high quality research in particular areas of strategic importance may be given priority in competition for funds, but research excellence and importance to health continues to be the primary considerations in funding decisions. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding.
NHS Estates
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the chief executive of NHS Estates is; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date. [26321]
Jane Kennedy: The post of chief executive of NHS Estates no longer exists. In July 2004, the Department published the report Reconfiguration of the Department of Health's Arm's Length Bodies", which outlined its programme of reducing arm's length bodies by approximately 50 per cent. One of the outcomes of the report was to abolish NHS Estates as an executive agency. The agency ceased all trading with effect from 31 July 2005 and closed on 30 September 2005.
NHS Staff (Assaults)
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reported physical assaults against NHS staff there were in (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority and (c) each NHS trust in each year since 1997. [26547]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested was not collected in the required format prior to April 2004. The NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) has collected data on the number of physical assaults for England for the period 2004–05. On 19 October 2005, NHS SMS released figures about the numbers of these assaults on staff who work in mental health or services for people with learning disabilities; which totalled 43,309. Information relating to the number of physical assaults for the acute, primary care and ambulance services is currently being validated and will be released in the near future.
Non-EU Nationals (Hospital Treatment)
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated number of non-EU nationals who received hospital treatment in England in 2004–05; what the estimated cost is; how many were long-term cases; how many were asylum seekers; and if she will make a statement. [27972]
Jane Kennedy:
Successive governments have not required the national health service to provide statistics on the number or nationality of overseas visitors treated under the provisions of the NHS (Charges to Overseas
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Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, or on the costs of treatment. It is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.
Palliative Care
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many palliative care places for (a) cancer patients and (b) heart patients there are in each local health authority area in England. [25603]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: Palliative care services should be available to all patients, irrespective of diagnosis. The Department does not routinely collect data on palliative care places in each local health authority. Data supplied by Hospice Information, an independent organisation, states that there are approximately 2,110 specialist palliative care beds in the voluntary sector and 448 beds in the NHS in England. We also know that there are 213 day care places in England. The data in the 2005 directory is shown in the table.
Patient Safety
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the cost of the taxonomy produced by the National Patient Safety Agency to establish agreed definitions of patient safety incidents; [27536]
(2) for what reasons the roll-out of the National Patient Safety Agency's National Reporting and Learning System was delayed, as described in paragraph 17, page 5 of the National Audit Office report, A Safer Place for Patients"; [27543]
(3) what steps she is taking to ensure NHS trusts report all (a) patient safety incidents and (b) near-misses; [27547]
(4) if she will permit the National Clinical Assessment Service to provide support to poorly performing clinicians other than doctors; [27548]
(5) what steps she is taking to ensure that patients are informed when a patient safety incident involving them is reported to the NHS trust in which they were treated. [27549]
Jane Kennedy: The Department welcomed the publication of the matters identified in the National Audit Office report, A safer place for patients: Learning to improve patient safety". It will be discussed in detail at a committee of public accounts hearing early in 2006. The Government will respond to the committee's subsequent report in the form of a Treasury Minute.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many recorded deaths there were as a result of patient safety incidents in 2004 at (a) Hemel Hempstead general hospital and (b) Watford general hospital; and if she will make a statement. [27985]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.
Anonymised information on patient safety incidents and near misses is collected by the National Patient Safety Agency through its national reporting and learning system for adverse events. However, this is a confidential reporting system because experience from across the world in both health and other industries that providing a means for reporting incidents confidentially promotes reporting and facilitates the necessary learning.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) recorded patient safety incidents and (b) near misses there were in 2004 at (i) Hemel Hempstead general hospital and (ii) Watford general hospital; and if she will make a statement. [27986]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.
Anonymised information on patient safety incidents and near misses is collected by the National Patient Safety Agency through its national reporting and learning system for adverse events. However, this is a confidential reporting system because experience from across the world in both health and other industries that providing a means for reporting incidents confidentially promotes reporting and facilitates the necessary learning.
Primary Care Trusts
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will conduct a review into effects on NHS care of changes proposed in the West Suffolk primary care trust's public consultation. [17699]
Ms Rosie Winterton: West Suffolk primary care trust is currently consulting on proposed changes. It would be inappropriate for the Department to review proposals in these circumstances. These are matters currently for local consideration.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on progress with the proposed reform of primary care trusts in London. [23487]
Jane Kennedy:
Strategic health authorities (SHAs) have recently submitted their proposals for the reconfiguration of primary care trusts (PCTs), which set out how they intend to strengthen their commissioning function. The proposals for London are available from the SHA. These proposals have been assessed by an independent external panel drawn from and representing a wide range of stakeholder interests, to determine whether the SHA proposals meet the criteria stipulated in Commissioning a Patient-Led NHS" (July 2005).
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Where the criteria are judged to have been met, the proposals will go forward to a three-month public consultation. No decisions on the reorganisation of PCTs will be taken until this process has been completed.
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