House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 24 Jan 2006 (pt 41)

24 Jan 2006 : Column 2077W—continued

Drug Treatment Centres

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the addresses of drug treatment centres which specialise in (a) opiate addiction and (b) cocaine addiction. [44639]

Caroline Flint [holding answer 23 January 2006]: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Comprehensive details of all drug treatment services is available on the National Treatment Agency's website at:

www.nta.nhs.uk and on DrugScope's website at:

www.drugscope.org.uk/drugbaseii/home.asp.

There are approximately 683 drug treatment services ¹ currently available in England, the majority of which specialise in treatment of opiate addiction; there are few

24 Jan 2006 : Column 2078W

services which specialise in the treatment of cocaine addiction. All drug misusers have access to a wide variety of services including structured counselling, harm reduction, aftercare and complementary therapies.

Source:

DrugScope

Genetically Modified Foods

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State forHealth what plans she has to commission research into the public health effects of genetically modified foods. [43860]

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has a research programme on the safety of novel and genetically modified (GM) foods and its research requirements are published at regular intervals via its website. Genetically modified foods are approved in the European Union on a case-by-case basis after an extensive safety assessment. The FSA currently has no plans to commission research into public health effects of GM foods.

Health Care Fraud

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of people accessing free care to which they are not entitled. [42722]

Jane Kennedy: Anyone who is ordinarily resident in this country is entitled to receive free national health service hospital treatment. Anyone who is not ordinarily resident is subject to the provisions of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended. Successive Governments have not required the national health service to provide statistics on the number of overseas visitors seen or treated under the provisions of these Regulations or on the costs of treatment. It is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.

Healthcare Commission

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of staffing levels at the Healthcare Commission; and if she will make a statement. [40658]

Jane Kennedy: The chairman of the Healthcare Commission has confirmed that as at 5 January 2006 there were 684 whole time equivalent staff on the Commission's payroll. This included permanent and fixed term contractor staff. There were also 176 interim and temporary staff.

High Cholesterol

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diagnoses of high cholesterol there have been in England in each year since 1997–98; and how many of these diagnoses were made in those under the age of 18 years. [43535]

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.

24 Jan 2006 : Column 2079W

All diagnosis count of finished consultant episodes and patients for high cholesterol⁽⁴³⁾ in national health service hospitals, England 1997–98 to 2004–05

1997–98
1998–99
1999–2000
2001–01

Age group Finished consultant episodes Patient counts Finished consultant episodes Patient counts Finished consultant episodes Patient counts Finished consultant episodes Patient counts

Under 18 167 121 200 167 244 198 298 209

18 and above 53,537 39,373 72,748 53,420 94,622 67,977 132,880 91,718

Not known 226 153 35 32 42 40 257 133

Total 53,930 39,647 72,983 53,619 94,907 68,215 133,436 92,060

2001–02
2002–03
2003–04
2004–05

Age group Finished consultant episodes Patient counts Finished consultant episodes Patient counts Finished consultant episodes Patient counts Finished consultant episodes Patient counts

Under 18 344 240 336 270 393 318 558 426

18 and above 162,655 111,682 200,733 134,702 225,665 155,308 288,424 195,375

Not known 202 200 141 139 87 87 70 70

Total 163,201 112,122 201,211 135,111 226,145 155,713 289,052 195,871

⁽⁴³⁾ High cholesterol can be coded as either a diagnosis or as a test result. If the case notes states this as a firm diagnosis of high cholesterol then E78.0, pure hypercholesterolemia code would be used if it is recorded as an abnormal test finding then R79.8, other specified abnormal findings of blood chemistry code would be used. High cholesterol counts include both of the aforementioned defined International Category of Disease-10 (ICD-10) codes where they were recorded in the primary or in any of the secondary diagnosis fields.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2001–01
Age group	Finished consultant episodes	Patient counts	Finished consultant episodes	Patient counts	Finished consultant episodes	Patient counts	Finished consultant episodes	Patient counts
Under 18	167	121	200	167	244	198	298	209
18 and above	53,537	39,373	72,748	53,420	94,622	67,977	132,880	91,718
Not known	226	153	35	32	42	40	257	133
Total	53,930	39,647	72,983	53,619	94,907	68,215	133,436	92,060

	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05
Age group	Finished consultant episodes	Patient counts	Finished consultant episodes	Patient counts	Finished consultant episodes	Patient counts	Finished consultant episodes	Patient counts
Under 18	344	240	336	270	393	318	558	426
18 and above	162,655	111,682	200,733	134,702	225,665	155,308	288,424	195,375
Not known	202	200	141	139	87	87	70	70
Total	163,201	112,122	201,211	135,111	226,145	155,713	289,052	195,871

Influenza Vaccine

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthon what date she ordered an additional 200,000 doses of winter influenza vaccine to act as a contingency reserve. [31911]

Caroline Flint: We ordered an additional 200,000 doses of flu vaccine for delivery in January on 3 November 2005.

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of influenza vaccine were (a) ordered for and (b) administered as part of the routine seasonal influenza immunisation programme excluding the Department's contingency stock, in each year since 1997–98; what the size of the contingency stock of seasonal influenza vaccine was in each year; and what the size of each at-risk group eligible for free influenza vaccines has been in each year. [33198]

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people in each priority group for influenza vaccination in England in each of the last three years. [32490]

Caroline Flint: The data for the United Kingdom as a whole, is shown in the table.

Number of vaccine doses issued in UK⁽⁴⁴⁾ Size of government stockpile Number in at-risk groups⁽⁴⁵⁾

1997–98 7.2 million 0 n/a

1998–99 7.6 million 0 n/a

1999–2000 7.8 million 0 n/a

2000–01 10.9 million 0 ⁽⁴⁶⁾12.88

2001–02 11.4 million 500,000 12.93

2002–03 11.9 million 500,000 13.00

2003–04 11.8 million 0 13.09

2004–05 12.3 million 400,000 rising to
2.9 million 13.17

2005–06 ⁽⁴⁷⁾13.6 million 400,000 rising to
1.2 million ⁽⁴⁸⁾13.26

n/a = Not available.
⁽⁴⁴⁾ Based on manufacturer's UK distribution figures. Does not include Government stockpile.
⁽⁴⁵⁾ These figures do not include carers, whom it has always been at the discretion of general practitioners to vaccinate.
⁽⁴⁶⁾ This is the first year in which the Department conducted a targeted campaign, when the policy of vaccinating all of those over the age of 65 was first introduced, and so is the first year for which the number in at risk groups are available.
⁽⁴⁷⁾ Estimated production.
⁽⁴⁸⁾ Individuals with liver disease were added to the at risk groups in this year.

24 Jan 2006 : Column 2080W

	Number of vaccine doses issued in UK⁽⁴⁴⁾	Size of government stockpile	Number in at-risk groups⁽⁴⁵⁾
1997–98	7.2 million	0	n/a
1998–99	7.6 million	0	n/a
1999–2000	7.8 million	0	n/a
2000–01	10.9 million	0	⁽⁴⁶⁾12.88
2001–02	11.4 million	500,000	12.93
2002–03	11.9 million	500,000	13.00
2003–04	11.8 million	0	13.09
2004–05	12.3 million	400,000 rising to 2.9 million	13.17
2005–06	⁽⁴⁷⁾13.6 million	400,000 rising to 1.2 million	⁽⁴⁸⁾13.26

Flu vaccine uptake data in the over 65 age group was first collected from the start of the flu campaign in 2000, and data on vaccine uptake in those under 65 years in a medical risk group has been collected since 2004.

Vaccine uptake in the 65+ group is as follows:

Percentage

2000–01 65.3

2001–02 67.7

2002–03 68.5

2003–04 71.0

2004–05 71.5

	Percentage
2000–01	65.3
2001–02	67.7
2002–03	68.5
2003–04	71.0
2004–05	71.5

Vaccine uptake in at-risk groups under 65 years of age for 2004–05 was 54 per cent.

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