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20 Dec 2005 : Column 2706W—continued
Influenza Vaccine
Mr. Jenkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number
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of people in Tamworth constituency in at-risk groups who have been unable to obtain a seasonal influenza vaccination. [37827]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has collated on whether general practitioners have been vaccinating people for influenza as a priority who are outside the at-risk groups. [32461]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 28 November 2005]: As in previous years, data is being collected on the number of people in the at risk groups who have been vaccinated, and the full data will not be available until the new year. Sufficient vaccine was however ordered to vaccinate all those in the at risk groups.
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the British Medical Association on whether its members have beenprescribing influenza vaccinations to the 'worried well'. [32462]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 28 November 2005]: The Secretary of State for Health, special advisers and officials have had several conversations with representatives of the British Medical Association about seasonal flu vaccination. We are working together to ensure that all those in the at risk groups who want to be vaccinated, will be.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of influenza vaccine her Department has (a) ordered, (b) taken delivery of and (c) supplied to general practitioners in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and on what dates. [32481]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 28 November 2005]: General practitioners (GPs) purchase their own supply of vaccine from any of a range of suppliers, based on the number of eligible patients on the practice register. GPs organise and carry out flu clinics between September and January.
The Department ordered 1.2 million doses of influenza vaccine for its contingency stockpile in the last 12 months, 400,000 doses of which had been received by 25 November. Between 25 November 2004 and mid-December 2004, 1,598 doses had been delivered to GPs, between 8 November 2005 and 25 November 2005, 93,898 doses had been delivered to GPs.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information (a) is routinely collected as part of the seasonal influenza vaccination programme and (b) was collected as part of this year's special audit; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the data her Department has collected in each of the last three years. [32486]
Caroline Flint
[holding answer 28 November 2005]: Since 2000, the Department has collected data from each primary care trust (PCT) on the number of over 65s, and since 2004 other younger, at risk groups, who receive the seasonal influenza vaccine. Details of this year's survey of vaccine uptake can be found in the guide for PCTs available at http://194.200.241.125/pctguides/.
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The data on 2003–04 vaccine uptake is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assestRoot/04/09/95/77/04/099577.pdf.
Data on 2004–05 vaccine uptake is also available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assestRoot/04/ll/96/50/04119650.pdf. They are also available in the Library.
This year's special audit asked general practitioners:
if they needed more flu vaccine, how many doses they would require to complete their influenza vaccination programme; and
if they had already completed their influenza vaccination programme, did they have surplus flu vaccine available that could be re-distributed to other practices within their area or PCT. And, if so, how many.
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 22 November 2005, Official Report, columns 1371–82, on seasonal influenza vaccine supplies, whether the number of doses of vaccine intended to be supplied was increased from 13.4 million when carers were added to the recommended groups for vaccination; and what action her Department took when informed in October by a manufacturer that it had run out of supplies of vaccine. [32518]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 28 November 2005]: Details of the current recommendations regarding carers receiving flu immunisation was given to all general practitioners (GPs) in the chief medical officer's communication dated 9 August 2004 with reference to the Green Book, and 25 July 2005.
Discussions with manufacturers at the start of the year to secure flu vaccine were on the basis of an additional 2.3 million doses than was used in the previous year for further expansion of coverage and incorporation of new risk groups and carers.
Some manufacturers delayed delivery of their flu vaccine due to problems with the manufacturing process. We wrote to all GPs on 3 November with details of how to order vaccine purchased as part of our contingency measures and by the 23 December, we will have distributed 400,000 doses of vaccine from this stock.
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 22 November 2005, Official Report, columns 1371–82, on seasonal influenza vaccine supplies, when her Department ascertained the new figures on uptake of vaccine amongst risk groups; and what estimate she has made of the number of people who qualify for immunisation who will not be immunised by the end of this immunisation season. [32519]
Caroline Flint
[holding answer 28 November 2005]: The figures on influenza vaccine uptake were received by the Department on 14 November. It is impossible to estimate how many people who qualify for immunisation but will not be immunised this season, because not all of those who fall within the risk groups seek vaccination. Based on previous uptake data there is
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enough vaccine in the national health service as a whole to vaccinate everyone in the at risk groups that is expected to want flu vaccination.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people in (a) each London borough and (b) England who have requested an influenza vaccination this winter but have not yet received one. [37956]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Media Monitoring
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department has spent on media monitoring activities in each of the last eight financial years. [35638]
Jane Kennedy: The current arrangements for regular national and regional media monitoring started in October 2004.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 50,040 |
| 2005–06 | 57,334 |
Before October 2004, media evaluation was undertaken in a more ad-hoc way, often combined with other research. These costs can not be extracted from the previous finance system without a great deal of work and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned research into the presence and reporting in the (i) broadcast and (ii) print media of the hon. Member for Northavon since 5 May. [36983]
Jane Kennedy: The Department has not undertaken nor commissioned research specifically into the presence and reporting in either broadcast or print media, of the hon. Member for Northavon.
Medical Instruments
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was spent by each primary care trust (PCT) on medical instruments in each year since 1998; and what the projected spend in each PCT is in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008. [34214]
Jane Kennedy: Expenditure by primary care trusts (PCTs) has been placed in the Library.
Information relating to projected expenditure is not available.
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