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30 Jan 2006 : Column 173W—continued
Medical Staff (Pay)
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in requiring the (a) doctors and dentists review body and (b) nurses and other health professionals review body to consider local pay; and if she will make a statement. [44949]
Mr. Byrne
[holding answer 23 January 2006]: In the Budget on 9 April 2003, the Chancellor announced that public sector pay arrangements, including those for most of the staff groups covered by pay review bodies should include a greater local and regional dimension. In the light of this announcement the terms of reference of the review body on doctors' and dentists' remuneration and the review body for nursing and other health professions were amended in 2003 to ask the
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review bodies, in reaching their recommendations, to have regard to regional or local variations in labour markets and their impact on recruitment and retention.
Medicine Use Reviews
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps were taken by (a) her Department and (b) the NHS to make the public aware of the availability of medicine use reviews (i) before and (ii) after their introduction; and how much was spent by each for such purposes; [43316]
(2) what estimate her Department made of the number of medicine use reviews that would be conducted in the first (a) six and (b) 12 months of the scheme; [43317]
(3) how many medicine use reviews have been conducted in each quarter since the scheme commenced; [43318]
(4) how much her Department allocated to medicine use reviews in (a) their first and (b) each subsequent year of operation. [43319]
Jane Kennedy: Medicines use review (MURs) is an advanced service within the new community pharmacy contractual framework, which went live from 1 April 2005. Community pharmacists can chose whether or not they undertake MURs, but must meet accreditation requirements if they do. £39 million has been allocated for this service in 2005–06. Each pharmacy contractor can undertake up to a maximum of 250 MURs, if they meet the requirements before 1 January 2006, or 200 MURs, if they meet the requirements from 1 January 2006, in the first year.
The number of MURs conducted monthly since the scheme commenced are shown in the table.
| As at 2005: | |
|---|---|
| April | 373 |
| May | 718 |
| June | 870 |
| July | 1,688 |
| August | 2,241 |
| September | 5,037 |
| October | 8,696 |
| November | (49)13,646 |
(49) The figure for November 2005 is provisional and subject to revision.
In the first six months, community pharmacies would have been focusing on meeting the requirements of the essential services, which had to be met by the end of the transition period on 1 October 2005.
The communication strategy for the new community pharmacy contractual framework, developed by the Department, Pharmaceutical Negotiating Committee and NHS Employers, provides for timely dissemination of information and messages at a number of stages by all parties to the strategy. It is important that the public is made aware of the new services at the point they become widely available.
The Department has to date committed £58,450 for printing and distribution of a booklet entitled Medicines Use Review: Understand Your Medicines"
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prepared by Medicines Partnership. This booklet is aimed at patients to help them get the most from their MUR. All pharmacies in England were sent copies of the booklet just before Christmas, with a covering letter giving details of the Department's publications orderline at 08701 555 455 to call for further supplies. In addition, the booklet is posted on the Medicines Partnership's website and can be downloaded or viewed, as required www.medicines-partnership.org.
Medicines Management
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will publish the results of the Hospitals Medicines Management Framework Self-Assessment; and if she will make a statement; [43300]
(2) if she will list the statistical information collected by her Department relating to medicines management in hospitals; and if she will make a statement; [43301]
(3) how many hospitals have self-medication systems in place; and if she will make a statement. [43302]
Jane Kennedy: As part of the Department's commitment to reducing administrative burdens on the national health service, statistical information relating to medicines management in hospitals is not collected routinely. However, in 2003 NHS trusts were invited to self-assess their medicines management performance against developmental good practice standards contained in the Department's medicines management framework. Responses were considered by strategic health authorities (SHAs) and, where appropriate, action plans to address areas of weakness would be developed and implemented by the individual trusts. The information collected by SHAs suggested that by the end of 2004 some 67 per cent. of respondents expected to have systems in place to utilise patients' own drugs and enable self-administration, where appropriate. The Department does not hold results centrally for the medicines management framework. In line with Shifting the Balance of Power", SHAs performance manage this process.
Further information about medicines management in hospitals is expected to be available in summer 2006 when the Healthcare Commission publishes findings from its acute hospital portfolio medicines management review.
30 Jan 2006 : Column 176W
Mental Health
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what social and cultural factors she has identified as having (a) an impact on and (b) a correlation with the incidence of mental illnesses; and if she will make a statement. [40897]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department did not directly assess the social and cultural factors that may have an impact on and a correlation with the incidence of mental illnesses. However, the Office for National Statistics' (ONS's) report Psychiatric Morbidity among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000" shows the associations between the presence of mental disorders and key socio-demographic and economic characteristics for those with different types of mental disorder. This report is available on ONS's website at www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/psychmorb.pdf.
Ethnic Minority Psychiatric Illness Rates in the Community" published by the National Centre for Social Research and the Royal Free and University College Medical School, explores the prevalence of mental disorders by demographic and socio-economic factors for the main ethnic minority groups in England. This report is available at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/02/40/34/04024034.pdf.
The Social Exclusion Unit report, Mental Health and Social Exclusion", published by the Department in 2004, also identifies a range of factors that can affect the prevalence of mental health problems in the general population. This report is available at www.socialexclusion.gov.uk/page.asp?id=257.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions on mental health grounds in each year since 1997 resulted from the use of (a) pharmaceutical drugs, (b) heroin, (c) cocaine, (d) cannabis, (e) alcohol, (f) nicotine, (g) stimulants and (h) hallucinogens. [43534]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on admissions under mental illness specialties with a primary diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder due to psychoactive substance abuse or poisoning, and caused by drugs, in England between 1996–97 and 2004–05, is shown in the following table.
(50) The figures for 2003–04 and 2004–05 have not yet been adjusted for shortfalls in data and/or clinical error and are ungrossed, and all figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health & Social Care Information Centre.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to develop mental health telephone helpline services. [43891]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has committed funding of £5 million (2004–05 to 2006–07) and is actively supporting the implementation and development of an infrastructure to facilitate mental health helpline providers, working in partnership to achieve increased quality, efficiency, capacity, governance, choice and access in relation to the provision of helpline services 24 hours a day. Members of the Mental Health Helplines Partnership (MHHP) are taking forward a detailed programme of work and progress can be reported in the following areas:
Accredited training: facilitation of accredited training for mental health helpline workers through the Telephone Helplines Association.
Mental Health Helplines Quality Standards (MHHQS): 25 helplines have received accreditation and work is progressing to accredit a further 12.
Targeted Investment Resources: The MHHP has processed over 20 applications for targeted investment and approved 10 to date. Further applications are currently being processed.
Telecommunications solution: Once established this telecommunications solution will enable callers to access mental health helplines 24 hours a day. It is anticipated that a preferred provider will be identified within six months.
MHHP website: Negotiations are at an advanced stage with a preferred provider for the development and maintenance of a website, which will provide partnership updates on all areas of work and helpline services.
Shared Services provision: Later this year work is due to commence on commissioning shared services for MHHP members.
Mental health helplines conference: The MHHP will host a second national mental health helpline conference in May, to share its achievements with service users and key stakeholders.
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