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Care Provision
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what further steps she plans to take to communicate to (a) the NHS and (b) social services departments the definition of what constitutes (i) free care and (ii) means-tested care; [52052]
(2) whether she plans to issue new guidance about the (a) procedures to be followed by decision makers when the withdrawal of free continuing care is under consideration and (b) training given to such decision makers as a result of the judgement by Mr. Justice Charles in R (on the application of Maureen Grogan) v. Bexley NHS Care Trust; [52054]
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(3) whether she plans to issue new guidance about the eligibility criteria for free continuing care as a result of the judgement by Mr. Justice Charles in R (on the application of Maureen Grogan) v. Bexley NHS Care Trust. [52053]
Mr. Byrne: We intend to reinforce existing guidance to the national health service and local councils, alerting them to the decision of the High Court and requiring them to ensure that their current local policies are in line with the judgment. In April, we plan to publish for consultation a national framework for NHS continuing care, which will give further clarity and consistency on the responsibilities of NHS and social services for long term care. The national framework will include guidance on the processes and considerations to take into account when making decisions on the responsibility of the NHS and social services for long-term care.
Care Records
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the implementation of the NHS care records system to be complete, with full national integration and all links to local systems operating. [51537]
Mr. Byrne
[holding answer 14 February 2006]: The NHS care records service (NHS CRS) is at the core of the national programme for information technology in the national health service, which is being delivered by the NHS Connecting for Health Agency. Initial implementation of the NHS CRS has involved creation
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of a personal demographic service to contain personal identity details of patients, and the necessary security and access controls. These, together with significant physical elements, are now substantially in place, including the key broadband links to support the service, to which 98 per cent. of general practitioners' practices are already connected. The impact of the service is beginning to be felt more and more widely across the NHS, and there are already over 180,000 registered NHS users in England.
The capacity and functionality of the NHS CRS will build up gradually over time as new components are added and roll out continues. This year we expect to see further system changes to support the growing number and types of transactions, with full enabling capability provided in 2007. NHS Connecting for Health is aiming to achieve substantial integration of health and social care information systems in England under the national programme by 2010, though we anticipate that additional local systems will continue to be developed and deployed thereafter.
Cervical Smear Tests (Peterborough and Stamford Area)
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of cervical smear test results were completed within six weeks in the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust area in the last period for which figures are available. [52873]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is not collected in the requested format. Data on the percentage of smear tests results completed by number of weeks in the Peterborough area in 2004–05 are shown in the table.
Source:
KC53 Returns.
Child Protection
Tim Loughton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what changes she plans to make to guidance under the Working Together to Safeguard Children" document concerning numbers of doctors and nurses per primary care trust designated to take the professional lead for the protection of children should the plans to reduce the number of primary care trusts come into effect; [48186]
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(2) when she plans to issue an updated version of Working Together to Safeguard Children". [48187]
Mr. Byrne: The merger of primary care trusts (PCTs) will not affect their duties to safeguard children. PCTs should ensure that establishment levels of designated professionals are proportionate to the local resident population and the complexity of provider arrangements. The Department have been working closely with the Department for Education and Skills, which plans to publish the updated version of Working Together to Safeguard Children" in spring.
The new guidance sets out the importance of local safeguarding children boards having access to expertise and advice from all relevant sectors, including a designated doctor and nurse.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what links are in place between Local Safeguarding Children Boards and designated doctors and nurses within primary care trusts taking the professional lead for protection of children. [48188]
Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
The Government published the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance on 22 December 2005. The core membership of Local Safeguarding Children Boards is set out in the Children Act 2004 and includes the local primary care trust or trusts. Primary care trusts as statutory partners of Local Safeguarding Children Boards are required to co-operate with the local authority in the establishment and operation of the boards and will have shared responsibility for the effective discharge of its functions.
The Government have made clear in the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidance that the LSCB should have access to appropriate expertise and advice, including a designated doctor and nurse.
Childhood Vaccinations
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on her policy of routine vaccinations of infants against influenza. [48259]
Caroline Flint: Flu vaccination is currently offered to all children over the age of six months who fall in to one of the defined clinical risk groups:
Children (Accidents)
Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what national target she has set for reducing the number of children killed or injured in accidents by 2009. [45527]
Caroline Flint:
The Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation (1999)" White Paper set a target to reduce the death rate from accidents by at least one fifth and the rate of serious injury by one tenth by 2010.
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Although the target is set for all ages, rates are monitored for accidental death and serious injury for children. In 2000, the Government also set a target to reduce by a half the number of children, under 16 years, killed and seriously injured on the roads of Great Britain by 2010, compared with the average for 1994–98. However, in 2002, to tackle the significantly higher incidence of road casualties in disadvantaged communities, the Government set a further target to reduce the number of casualties in deprived areas in England, faster than across England as a whole. This will be judged against 2005 casualty data.
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