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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 7 March 2006

HEALTH

Oxygen Service

14. Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the operation of the Home Oxygen Service. [56304]

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) on 7 March 2006.

Private Finance Initiative

18. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the use of private finance initiative projects in the NHS. [56310]

Jane Kennedy: PFI has enabled the NHS to build 79 new hospital schemes since 1997. We remain committed to the continued use of PFI. In order to ensure that future schemes continue to be locally affordable and are consistent with the principles outlined in the recent White Paper, 'Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services', we have asked all trusts with planned schemes to reconfirm their proposals.

Patient Violence

19. Jonathan Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to protect NHS staff from patient violence. [56311]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) has developed a range of both proactive and reactive initiatives to tackle violence and aggression against staff.

A network of local specialists has been put in place, with the professional skills to tackle this problem, supported nationally by the NHS SMS. A national syllabus for conflict resolution training has been developed to ensure NHS front-line staff are given the skills required to confidently and lawfully de-escalate and manage potentially violent situations.

A new national reporting system for physical assaults has been introduced and the first ever accurate figures for the number of assaults on NHS staff. The NHS SMS is also ensuring that effective sanctions are applied to those who attack NHS staff by providing highly effective legal advice, guidance and support to NHS bodies. Figures released in August 2005 show a 15-fold increase in the number of prosecutions against those who physically assault NHS staff.
 
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Accident and Emergency Services

20. Mr. Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average patient wait in accident and emergency departments was in (a) the latest period for which figures are available and (b) 2003; and if she will make a statement. [56312]

Jane Kennedy: Data are not collected on average waiting times. Information is collected on the number and percentage of patients who were seen, diagnosed and treated within four hours of arrival at accident and emergency departments. Latest published figures show that performance was 98.2 per cent. for October to December 2005, compared with 90.8 per cent. for this period in 2003.

Herceptin

22. Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts do not offer Herceptin for the treatment of late stage HER2 breast cancers. [56314]

Ms Rosie Winterton: In 2004, the National Cancer Director published a report which confirmed considerable variations in the usage of cancer drugs approved by NICE, including Herceptin.

Action plans have been developed to respond to these findings, and an update will be published this year to establish if variations have now been reduced.

Agenda for Change

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of Agenda for Change has been since 2004, including additional salary costs, the cost of administering the programme and the cost of the appeal system (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the annual NHS salary budget for financial year 2004–05; and whether she has made an estimate of the total final cost of implementing Agenda for Change on the same basis. [50548]

Mr. Byrne: Agenda for change is estimated to have cost between £520 million and £610 million in 2004–05, that is 2.3 per cent. to 2.6 per cent. of the estimated pay bill in 2004–05 for staff covered by agenda for change. The figures include funding for the early implementer sites in that year. The range reflects uncertainty over the indirect costs of employing additional staff to cover changes to leave and hours.

The planned investment in agenda for change is due to rise to £1,780 million by 2007–08. This figure does not take account of benefits, including the benefits arising from simplification of administration compared to the more complex pay arrangements previously in place.

Anabolic Steroids

Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to tackle misuse of anabolic steroids. [38851]

Caroline Flint: The Department recognises the harms associated with the misuse of anabolic steroids.

FRANK, the major cross Government initiative to provide advice to young people in relation to drug misuse includes information on the harms associated with the misuse of anabolic steroids.
 
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The harmful short and long-term effects of anabolic steroid use are also described in the most recent version of the Department's publication, Dangerousness of drugs" (2003).

In addition, to restrict access to them, anabolic steroids are only available via prescription.

Needles and syringe exchange services are also available to provide harm reduction paraphernalia for those who are not yet ready to stop using and who are otherwise at risk of blood borne virus infection (HIV, hepatitis B and C) if they share injecting equipment.

Car Parking Charges

Mrs. Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had regarding guidance issued to (a) NHS trusts and (b) other NHS organisations on charging for car parking space for patients requiring (i) extended periods of stay in and (ii) repeated visits to hospitals. [54159]

Mr. Byrne: Guidance advising on a range of factors to be considered when implementing car-parking charges was last issued to the national health service in 1996. It remains current. It is a matter for individual NHS bodies to decide whether or not to charge for car parking, and the level of charges, considering local circumstances.

Care Definitions

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition she uses of (a) emergency and (b) routine care; and how each is applied to the treatment received by unregistered NHS patients. [38917]

Ms Rosie Winterton: A primary care trust (PCT) may make arrangements with any dentist whose name is included in its dental list for the provision of treatment in urgent cases. The National Health Service (General Dental Services) Regulations 1992 define an urgent case as any circumstance in which, in the opinion of the dentist, a patient needs immediate treatment for an acute condition.

PCTs have a duty under section 16CA(1) of the National Health Service Act 1977 to provide dental services to the extent considered necessary to meet all reasonable requirements in their area, including arrangements for both urgent and routine care.

Carers

Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the Carers Equal Opportunities Act 2004 on the number of unpaid carers returning to (a) work and (b) training; and if she will make a statement. [55195]

Mr. Byrne: No assessment has been made centrally. The Department has issued guidance which makes it clear that, under the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004, a carer's assessment must include a consideration of whether the carer works or wishes to work, or is undertaking or wishes to undertake any educational training. It is for local authorities to ensure that they include these considerations in their assessment.
 
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Children Leaving Care

Ed Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of children leaving care in Wakefield district and Normanton constituency in 2005 were registered at the point they left care with (a) a doctor, (b) a dentist and (c) an optician in each of the last five years. [52719]

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

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