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19 Dec 2005 : Column 2626W—continued
Hepatitis C
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects that home tests for hepatitis C will receive CE registration and be available for sale over the counter in England. [38154]
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Jane Kennedy: Since December 2003, in vitro diagnostic devices placed on the United Kingdom market have to conform to the requirements of the In Vitro Diagnostic Devices Directive (98/79/EEC) which has been transposed into UK law by the Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (SI2002 No.618).
In vitro diagnostic test kits for hepatitis C attract the highest level of control and need to have their compliance with the directive assessed by an independent certification body known as a Notified Body. The manufacturer also needs to register with the regulatory authority in the member state where the device is to be placed on the market.
In so far as can be determined, no such registrations have been made for this type of test kit with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the UK, and we are not aware of any hepatitis C home test kits that are in development.
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to promote testing for hepatitis C; and if she will make a statement. [38155]
Caroline Flint: The Department has published information and guidance for health professionals and for the public, highlighting those considered to be at risk of hepatitis C infection and who should consider being tested, or should be offered testing, for hepatitis C infection. This forms part of the hepatitis C awareness campaign and there is currently a continuing programme to raise awareness of hepatitis C among the public and those groups at risk.
In addition, a new national health service hepatitis C awareness website was launched and has been published at www.hepc.nhs.uk and a new national hepatitis C freephone information line at 0800 451451.
HIV (Staffordshire)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were recorded as HIV positive in Staffordshire in each of the last 10 years. [35657]
Ms Rosie Winterton: HIV data is not available by county, but by strategic health authority (SHA) or region. The latest data on HIV diagnoses for Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA can be found on the Health Protection Agency's website at:
Hospices
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written answer to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland, of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 258W, on hospices, what percentage of total funding she estimates was provided to (a) adult hospices and (b) children's hospices from NHS budgets in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent period for which figures are available. [36347]
Mr. Byrne:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland (Dr. Kumar) on 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 258W. The Department does not routinely collect data on national health service
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funding for adult and children's hospices. We are not aware of published data Help the Hospices prior to 2004.
Hospitals (West Sussex)
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost per patient treated at (a) foundation hospitals and (b) hospitals in West Sussex was in the most recent year for which figures are available. [35163]
Caroline Flint: There are no data collected centrally at individual patient level. However, data are collected on a finished consultant episode (FCE) basis. An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. The latest cost data available is for 2003–04.
It is not possible to assess the average cost per FCE for foundation trusts, as they did not become operational until 2004–05 and cost data for that year are not yet available.
In 2003–04, the average cost per FCE for hospitals in West Sussex, was as follows:
| Average cost per FCE | |
|---|---|
| Royal West Sussex National Health Service Trust | 1,164 |
| Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust | 1,482 |
| Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust | 1,006 |
Source:
Reference costs 2003–04. Admitted patient care—trusts' own data.
Independent Sector Treatment Centre
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services to NHS patients in South Gloucestershire will be provided by the proposed Independent Sector Treatment Centre; where the centre will be located; and if she will make a statement. [35201]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 6 December 2005]: The exact nature of the facilities are subject to the outcome of the current procurement process. They will, however, be located so that patients have limited travel times and easy access. The services provided may include orthopaedics, general surgery, urology, ear, nose and throat, gynaecology and plastic surgery.
Influenza Vaccinations
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of people in at-risk groups who have been unable to obtain a seasonal influenza vaccination in Gravesham constituency. [36952]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.
McKinsey's
Rosie Cooper:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the (a) length, (b) terms and (c) cost are of the contract for the project being undertaken by McKinsey's into the structural and service reconfiguration of
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(a) Merseyside and Lancashire Acute Trusts and (b) North Cheshire, Warrington, St. Helens and Knowsley hospitals; [37316]
(2) how much has been paid by Merseyside and Cheshire strategic health authority to McKinsey's for work carried out in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004 and (d) so far in 2005. [37317]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally and can instead be obtained via Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority.
Medicine Reviews (Older People)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2005, Official Report, column 1198W, on older people (medication review), if she will publish Part Two of the Taskforce on Medicine Partnership's evaluation of Room for Review; and what the reasons are for the delay in publication of the evaluation; [32547]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2005, Official Report, column 1220W, on Taskforce on Medicine reviews, why in the answer of 14 July 2005, Official Report, column 1198W on older people (medicine review), she stated that the evaluation would be published in the summer of 2005; when the need for ethics approval was (a) identified and (b) obtained; and if she will make a statement; [33170]
(3) pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 261W, on medicine reviews (older people), what methodology was used to make the assessment that good progress has been made. [34524]
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the statement given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. Byrne) on 6 December 2005, Official Report, column 847–48.
Mental Health
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations she has received from (a) staff employed by Oxfordshire Mental Health NHS Trust and (b) other interested parties on proposed changes to the services the trust offers; and what the content of these representations was. [25103]
Caroline Flint: A search of the Department's correspondence and parliamentary questions databases shows that since 27 June 2005, there have been three letters received from staff employed by Oxfordshire Mental Health Trust. There have also been six private offices cases. Nigel Crisp, chief executive of the national health service has received a letter from the director of the Centre for Suicide Research based at the University of Oxford. No parliamentary questions have been tabled to the Department.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adolescent mental health beds there are in (a) Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority and (b) Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth primary care trust. [35656]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The latest available data shows that in 2004–05, there were ten beds available in wards classified as mental illness: children: short stay or
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mental illness: children: long stay within Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority. These categories include adolescents.
None of these beds were within Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth primary care trust.
Department of Health form KH03.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 272W and 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 842W, in what year data on the number of hospital bed days of patients aged (a) under 16 and (b) under 18 on admission on adult psychiatric wards started being collected. [36968]
Mr. Byrne: The data was first collected in 2001–02. The data is currently collected on a quarterly basis in connection with local delivery plan returns. The Mental Health Act Commission also collects information on bed occupancy.
Mr. Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the review of the tribunal model and assessment of the workforce prior to the introduction of the Mental Health Bill has been completed; [35424]
(2) what assessment she has made of the conclusion of the Mental Health Bill working group on the viability of the proposed new mental health tribunal. [35425]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Joint Parliamentary Committee welcomed our proposals for a new mental health tribunal, but expressed concerns about its practicability. We have consulted with key stakeholders, in particular through the medium of the tribunals project group. We will ensure that our proposals improve the accessibility of the tribunal system, but do so in a way which is practicable and affordable.
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