House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 31 Jan 2006 (pt 53)

31 Jan 2006 : Column 477W—continued

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what allowance for population growth has been made in the budget allocation to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust (a) in 2005–06 and (b) in future years. [44323]

Jane Kennedy: Revenue allocations are made direct to primary care trusts and not to national health service trusts.

31 Jan 2006 : Column 478W

Respiratory Health

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will amend the quality and outcomes framework for general practitioners to give greater priority to respiratory health. [43897]

Mr. Byrne: There are two indicator groups in the new quality and outcomes framework for respiratory health, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The

31 Jan 2006 : Column 479W

indicator groups included in the new agreement were announced in December. However, the full details of the new quality and outcomes framework are not yet available. The guidance for the new framework and the detail of the indicators will be published shortly and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Ridge Lea Hospital

Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust's proposal to close the Castle Unit at the Ridge Lea Hospital in Lancaster. [44721]

Mr. Byrne: The future of the Castle Unit at the Ridge Lea Hospital has been the subject of a recent consultation exercise by the Morecambe Bay Primary

31 Jan 2006 : Column 480W

Care Trust (PCT). The responses are currently being reviewed and will be discussed at a future board meeting of the PCT.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the infection rates for (a) chlamydia, (b) HIV, (c) gonorrhoea, (d) herpes and (e) syphilis were in the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Primary Care Trust area in each year since 1997. [43263]

Caroline Flint: This data are only routinely published at strategic health authority (SHA) level. This is shown in table 1. Sexually transmitted infections data are not yet available for 2005. The HIV diagnoses are from reports received from laboratories and clinicians by the end of September 2005.
Table 1: Rates⁽⁴⁷⁾⁽⁴⁸⁾ per 100,000 population of diagnoses of HIV and other selected sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority between 2000–04⁽⁴⁹⁾

Condition description⁽⁵⁰⁾ 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

HIV 4.0 4.1 6.5 6.5 7.6

Primary and Secondary Syphilis 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.6

Uncomplicated Gonorrhoea 7.2 11.8 10.6 10.1 12.7

Uncomplicated Chlamydia 41.3 39.0 59.4 72.1 116.9

Genital Herpes 24.1 25.9 25.0 23.3 27.7

⁽⁴⁷⁾ The denominator used to calculate the HIV rate was the population aged 15 above in Kent and Medway SHA.
⁽⁴⁸⁾ The denominator used to calculate STI rates was the total population of the SHA.
⁽⁴⁹⁾ Genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics are open access services, so the data do not relate to residents of the SHA, but diagnoses made in the clinics within the SHA.
⁽⁵⁰⁾ Includes HIV diagnoses made in GUM clinics and other settings such as general practice and infectious disease units. For other STIs, only diagnoses made in GUM clinics are recorded.
Source:
Reports of HIV diagnoses and KC60 Returns (other STIs)

Condition description⁽⁵⁰⁾	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
HIV	4.0	4.1	6.5	6.5	7.6
Primary and Secondary Syphilis	0.3	0.4	0.7	0.5	0.6
Uncomplicated Gonorrhoea	7.2	11.8	10.6	10.1	12.7
Uncomplicated Chlamydia	41.3	39.0	59.4	72.1	116.9
Genital Herpes	24.1	25.9	25.0	23.3	27.7

Southport and Ormskirk Hospital

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the terms of reference are for the turnaround team sent into Southport and Ormskirk hospital. [43117]

Mr. Byrne: Following the initial assessment the teams will agree a tailored package of turnaround support with each organisation and the strategic health authority. The teams will then support the chief executives of the organisations in delivering turnaround. The type and length of engagement will be tailored to the needs of specific organisations. The chief executives will remain responsible for delivery in their organisations.

Specialist Gastric Care

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist nurses there are for patients with colitis and Crohn's disease; and how many there have been in each of the last five years. [42087]

Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Standish Hospital, Stroud

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bidders have been short-listed for the Standish Hospital site, Stroud; when a decision will be made; and what requirement there will be for community involvement in the project. [41651]

Mr. Byrne: 12 bids or expressions of interest were received following re-marketing of the Standish Hospital site. The local health community has been consulted on the proposals received. Ministers will make a decision as soon as possible.

Student Grants Unit

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time taken to reply to questions (a) telephoned and (a) emailed to the Student Grants Unit (i) helpline and (ii) email address was in the last period for which figures are available. [41037]

Mr. Byrne: The NHS Pensions Agency are responsible for the NHS Student Grants Unit.

There are dedicated telephone lines for universities who are to directly contact the Student Grants Unit without delay. From a limited exercise conducted between September and December 2005 it was apparent that other callers could experience some delay in having their calls dealt with.

Vulnerable Adults

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to extend the Protection of Vulnerable Adults scheme to (a) the NHS and (b) other health and social care settings not covered by the relevant provisions of the Care Standards Act 2000. [44903]

Mr. Byrne: In response to Sir Michael Bichard's Inquiry in June 2004, and in conjunction with the Department for Education and Skills, we have been

31 Jan 2006 : Column 481W

developing a new vetting and barring scheme, legislation to provide for which will be introduced in February 2006, subject to the agreement of Parliament. This new scheme will apply to all national health service and social care settings.

Young People (Culinary Ability)

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a summary of results of the survey of young people's attitudes to cooking and culinary ability; how much this survey cost; what public health interventions its evidence will be used to support; and if she will make a statement. [41955]

Caroline Flint: We have been encouraged by the interest in the survey of young people's attitudes to cooking and culinary skills. The survey's findings will, at

31 Jan 2006 : Column 482W

the earliest opportunity, be placed on the 5 A DAY website at www.5aday.nhs.uk.

The survey cost £8,000 to undertake.

The survey was designed to inform the development of the 5 A DAY programme with a focus on young independents aged 16 to 24. Survey results included:

33 per cent. of 16 to 24-year-olds have passed off a ready meal as their own and

one in 10 young people never cook a proper meal for themselves because they do not know how

To help this group of young people improve their culinary skills, the Department has produced a new free recipe guide, Fuel for Living". The guide provides simple and cost effective recipe ideas and cooking tips, to assist young people in preparing meals and increasing their fruit and vegetable consumption.