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8 Dec 2005 : Column 1565W—continued
Antidepressants
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1799W, on antidepressant drugs, if she will break down the figures by (a) 0 to 11, (b) 12 to 16, (c) 17 to 25, (d) 26 to 50, (e) 51 to 65, (f) 66 to 75 and (g) 75 year olds and over; and what proportion of the total population in each age chart is represented as a proportion of the total population for each age group. [33514]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available. Age-based prescription data are available only for people within the three age-related charge exemption categories: zero to 15 years; 16 to 18 years and in full-time education; and people aged 60 years or over.
Prescription data are not gathered for other age categories, nor where a prescription charge exemption on age grounds alone does not apply: 16 to 18 but not in full-time education and all persons aged 18 to 59 years.
Audiology
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2648W, on audiology services, what data is being collected as part of the pilot for diagnostic tests for pure tone audiometry; which hospitals are involved in the pilot; when the results of the pilot will be published; and if she will make a statement. [33352]
Mr. Byrne:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr.Lansley) on 12 November 2005, Official Report, column 2648W. The pilot data collection looked at data on activity and waiting times for a short list of diagnostic tests or procedures, including pure tone audiometry. The same set of information was collected for each of the diagnostic tests/procedures covered by the piloting exercise.
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Children's Hospices
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of primary care trust deficits on funding for children's hospices; and if she will make a statement. [30387]
Mr. Byrne: The national health service is currently receiving the largest sustained increase in funding in its history, with an investment of £135 billion over 2006–07 and 2007–08. There is no limit to the amount primary care trusts may devote to palliative care
In our manifesto, we made a commitment to increase the funding for end of life care, giving people the choice as to where they receive this care. This pledge is extended to the care of children and young people with a life-threatening condition.
Departmental PSAs
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she intends to extend the ambit of her Department's 2004 public service agreement target number eight to include those persons supported by grant-funded organisations. [30801]
Mr. Byrne: There are no current plans to extend the ambit of public service agreement target number eight. However, the Health and Social Care Information Centre is currently leading a project to establish a data collection on the number of people who are helped to live more independently in their own homes through services provided by voluntary and other organisations that do not form part of a formal care package agreed by social services.
Departmental Resources
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the real terms percentage increase in allocated resources for her Department (a) was for the period 1997–98 to 2004–05 and (b) is estimated to be between 2005–06 and 2007–08 (i) for each period and (ii) for each year. [31038]
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Jane Kennedy: The average real terms increase in national health service total net expenditure for the period 1997–98 to 2004–05 is 6.2 per cent.
The estimated average real terms increase in NHS total net expenditure for the period 2005–06 to 2007–08 is 7.1 per cent.
The real terms increase year on year from 1997–98 to 2007–08 is included in the following table.
East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust (Chief Executive)
Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what grounds the chief executive of the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust recently resigned her position; and what payment has been made to her in settlement of her claims against the Trust. [21474]
Caroline Flint: Ministers were not involved in the employment matters of East Sussex Hospitals National Health Service Trust. This was a matter which was dealt with by the trust.
However, Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority, the local headquarters of the NHS has advised that the former chief executive resigned her position to pursue new career opportunities. I understand that the trust intends to publish details of her severance package in the next annual accounts.
Epilepsy
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to encourage the development of epilepsy networks within the NHS. [30744]
Mr. Byrne: We have invested £1.2 million in a NHS Modernisation Agency project to improve access to, and the quality of, neurological services. We have also given £290,000 to the National Society for Epilepsy to develop its information outreach services.
On 19 February 2003, the Department published its action plan for epilepsy—Improving Services For People With Epilepsy". Following this, the NHS Modernisation Agency ran Action on Neurology" in 2004–05 at eight pilot sites. This included delivering high quality epilepsy
8 Dec 2005 : Column 1568W
service without the need for patients to travel far by the use of electronic and paper patient-held records. The pilots also aimed to improve communications between primary, secondary and tertiary care by developing a network of healthcare professionals to deliver a co-ordinated service. A further aim was to develop general practice with special interest services for people with epilepsy and headaches and a primary care triage system to improve access and efficiency.
Fertility Treatment
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment her Department has made of the use of eligibility criteria by primary care trusts in the provision of funding for infertility services; [28519]
(2) what assessment her Department has made of the extent to which primary care trusts are making available sufficient funding for centrally-agreed levels of fertility treatment; [28520]
(3) if she will make a statement on the progress that primary care trusts in England are expected to make in implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's clinical guideline on fertility; [28521]
(4) what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the forthcoming (a) review of specialised services commissioning and (b) reorganisation of primary care trusts on progress towards implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's clinical guideline on fertility. [28522]
Caroline Flint: When the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline on theassessment and treatment of people with fertility problems was published in February 2004 we advised primary care trusts (PCTs) to offer a minimum of one cycle of invitro fertilisation (IVF) by April 2005 to those who meet the clinical criteria in the guideline, giving priority to couples with no children living with them. Following up the implementation of the guideline, NICE has carried out surveys measuring its impact and these are available on the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk The surveys have found that 95 per cent. of the PCTs who responded are offering at least one cycle of IVF to those defined as eligible according to local criteria. The primary responsibility for the implementation of the clinical guideline on the assessment and treatment of people with fertility problems produced by NICE rests with the national health service at local level, in discussion with patients' groups and local health bodies. Local policies will reflect local needs and priorities. We have advised that we expect the NHS to make progress to full implementation of the guideline in the longer term.
The assessment and treatment of people with fertility problems is not defined as a specialised service. In many cases, PCTs work together to commission infertility treatment services.
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