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17 Jan 2006 : Column 1298W—continued

Health Services (West Lancashire)

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average and (b) target waiting time to see a (i) psychiatrist and (ii) psychologist was for (A) adults and (B) children in the West Lancashire constituency in each of the last five years. [38372]

Mr. Byrne: The Department does not routinely collect information on waiting times for appointments with psychologists as waiting times targets apply to consultant-led services only.

The maximum waiting time for a first out-patient appointment with a psychiatry consultant is 17 weeks.
 
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From the end of 2005, the target will reduce to 13 weeks. The maximum waiting time for in-patient treatment under the care of a psychiatry consultant is nine months. From the end of 2005, the target will reduce to six months.
 
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Information on the estimated average waiting from general practitioner written referral to first out-patient appointment with a psychiatry consultant working in national health services organisations covering the West Lancashire constituency is shown in the table.
Estimated average waiting time from GP written referral to first out-patient appointment, September 2001 to September 2005

	Effective length of wait from receipt of GP written referral request to first out-patient attendance (weeks)
North Sefton and West Lancashire Community NHS trust (provider based)
Quarter September:	0 to <4	4 to <13	13 to <26	26 plus	Median wait
2001	65	91	0	0	5.3

Estimated average waiting time from GP written referral to first out-patient appointment, September 2001 to September 2005

	Effective length of wait from receipt of GP written referral request to first out-patient attendance (weeks)
Quarter September:	0 to<4	4 to<13	13 to <17	17 to <21	21 plus	Median wait
Lancashire Care NHS Trust (provider trust)
2002	480	332	39	5	5	3.6
2003	470	289	28	19	0	3.4
2004	419	232	25	0	0	3.2
2005	299	156	0	0	0	3.1
West Lancashire PCT (provider based)
2002	29	35	0	0	0	4.9
2003	23	25	0	0	0	4.5
2004	3	4	0	0	0	6.3
2005	0	0	0	0	0	—
West Lancashire PCT (commissioner based)
2002	2	5	0	0	0	7.6
2003	38	64	2	1	0	6.1
2004	4	4	0	0	0	5.1
2005	15	32	0	0	0	6.5

Notes:
Data for specialties:
710: Mental Illness
711: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
712: Forensic Psychiatry
713: Psychotherapy
715: Old Age Psychiatry
Due to small numbers, the calculation of the median wait is prone to fluctuation at primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority level. Care should be taken when interpreting these figures.
Waiting times apply to consultant-led appointments only. Services in many areas are now run by multi disciplinary teams.
Lancashire Care NHS Trust was formed in an April 2002 merger of the following organisations:
RMB—Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHS Trust (mental health services)
RML—Blackpool, Wyre and Fyde Community Health NHS trust (mental health services)
REU—Burnley Health Care NHS Trust (mental health services)
RJU—Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust (mental health services)
RME—Communicare NHS Trust (psychology and drugs services)
RMG—Guild Community Healthcare NHS Trust
RVT—North Sefton and West Lancashire Community NHS Trust
PCTs have been in existence since April 2002.
Source:
Department of Health form QM08 and QM08R

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding was allocated for mental health services in (a) West Lancashire and (b) Lancashire in each of the last three years. [38376]

Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not collected centrally. Current funding arrangements mean that primary care trusts are allocated resources on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting time is for people to be taken on by an NHS dentist in (a) West Lancashire constituency and (b) Lancashire; and if she will make a statement. [38377]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on waiting times is not collected centrally.

Primary care trusts (PCTs) across Lancashire received some £1.9 million in access funding in 2004–05 to improve access to dentistry. The Cumbria and Lancashire strategic health authority (SHA) advise that from this money, the equivalent of 16.1 whole-time additional dentists are now working within the Lancashire area. PCTs across Lancashire have been
 
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working with dental practices to support them in moving over to the new personal dental service (PDS) contract. As at the beginning of December 2005, 37 per cent. of practices had converted to PDS. The SHA advises that all PDS contracts have growth included in them for extra national health service registrations and practices have been increasing their registrations on a steady basis.

Health Visiting Services

Mr. Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to primary care trusts on the minimum level of funding that should be provided for health visiting services. [37985]

Mr. Byrne: It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities, local authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of health visiting services. All primary care trusts will commission these services to meet the needs of their local population.

Infertility Treatment

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to ensure that the social eligibility criteria applied by primary care trusts to couples seeking infertility treatment is the same throughout the country. [29840]

Caroline Flint: The primary responsibility for the implementation of the clinical guideline on the assessment and treatment of people with fertility problems produced in February 2004 by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 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.

Influenza

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pensioners have been unable to obtain influenza vaccines in each London borough in 2005; and if she will make a statement. [41697]

Jane Kennedy: This information is not collected centrally.

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 1406W, on influenza vaccines, what steps she is taking (a) to expand and (b) to diversify production capacity for production of influenza vaccine. [40822]

Caroline Flint: We have invited manufacturers to tender for a contract to supply pandemic flu vaccine once the pandemic strain is known. The United Kingdom will need approximately 120 million doses to be available as soon as possible. This proposal to purchase in advance the capacity needed to make pandemic flu vaccine will make sure that an effective vaccine is available for use in the UK as quickly as possible after a flu pandemic starts.
 
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We are finalising a contract for the purchase of two to three million doses of vaccine against the H5N1 strain currently circulating in South East Asia and other areas. This vaccine can be used for research and for possible use for healthcare workers in an emergency, and may provide some limited protection against a pandemic emerging from that source. We hope to award this contract shortly and should receive some stocks in the next few months. Award of these contracts will provide manufacturers with resource to develop vaccines and increase production capacity.

We have already met with several manufacturers to discuss a range of vaccine production technologies, in addition to the standard egg based technology, such as DNA and cell-culture vaccines which may allow production capacity to be increased.

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made towards ensuring that an adequate vaccine against the human form of avian influenza is available in the UK. [41232]

Caroline Flint: On 19 October 2005, the Chief Medical Officer announced that the Department is inviting manufacturers to tender for a contract to supply pandemic flu vaccine once the pandemic strain is known. The United Kingdom will need approximately 120 million doses to be available as soon as possible. The proposal to purchase in advance the capacity needed to make pandemic flu vaccine will make sure that an effective vaccine is available for use in the UK as quickly as possible after a flu pandemic starts.

On 20 July 2005, the Department invited manufacturers to tender for a limited supply of H5N1 vaccine. The move is part of the work to prepare for and reduce the impact of a possible flu pandemic. We hope to award this contract shortly.

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