| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
7 Mar 2006 : Column 1243W—continued
Health Care
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to raise awareness of elder abuse. [53864]
Mr. Byrne: To minimise abuse and neglect of older people, the Department has been active in promoting better and more consistent standards of care through the publication and implementation of the national service framework for older people and the introduction of national minimum standards (NMS) for a range of services provided to older people in their own homes or in care settings. Employers in regulated social care services have a statutory duty to ensure the safety of older people by training staff to prevent service users from being harmed or being placed at risk of harm.
We also expect local councils and providers of non-regulated social care to comply by No Secrets", a statutory guide for developing a multi-agency framework for prevention and investigation of abuse to vulnerable adults. No Secrets", jointly published by the Department and the Home Office in 2000, provides a complete definition of abuse and a framework for councils to work with the police, the national health service and regulators to tackle and prevent abuse occurring. It encourages councils to publicise their adult protection procedures so that all older people are aware of how to seek help if needed. No Secrets" gives local councils the lead for development of adult protection committees. A copy is available in the Library.
On 7 February, I announced that the General Social Care Council is undertaking a consultation on registering the social care work force. This will allow us to set standards for people seeking social care jobs and to take sanctions against people if they fall below those standards of registration. A well-trained and fully
7 Mar 2006 : Column 1244W
registered work force will enable older people, parents and children to have confidence in the people who care for them.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many single-handed general practitioner practices there are in (a) Tamworth and (b) Staffordshire. [53420]
Mr. Byrne: The information is not available in the format requested. The table shows the number of single handed general practitioner practices (GP) in each primary care trust (PCT) within the Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority (SHA) area.
(1) Figures relate to practitioners, excluding GP registrars and GP retainers, who are single handed that is—had no partners although their practice may have a GP registrar or GP retainer. This figure cannot be replicated for earlier years.
Source:
NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medial Services Statistics
Hearing Tests
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to reduce waiting times for (a) children and (b) adults who need hearing (i) aids and (ii) tests; and if she will make a statement. [53463]
Mr. Byrne: Several initiatives have been introduced to improve capacity to deliver audiology services for children and adults. These are the national framework contract (public private partnership) to bring in additional independent sector capacity, the development of a new degree to help to address the shortage of audiologists and the introduction of Hearing Direct" that provides follow-up care and advice for hearing aid users who would benefit from this.
The figures on waiting times for testing and fitting hearing aids are not collected centrally. It is for primary care trusts to ensure their local population benefits from modernised hearing aid services.
High Cholesterol
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to encourage pharmacies to test cholesterol levels. [43537]
Jane Kennedy:
New community pharmacy contractual arrangements provide the framework for pharmacy to make a positive contribution to tackling key health
7 Mar 2006 : Column 1245W
priorities such as obesity and coronary heart disease and to improving the health of the public, including where health inequalities persist.
Some pharmacies offer blood pressure testing, cholesterol testing or a range of other screening tests. Such testing should be in accordance with relevant national screening guidelines, where they exist, and in line with local primary care trust (PCT) programmes for prevention and management of risk factors and with robust quality assurance processes.
The Department published, Choosing Health through Pharmacy—A programme for pharmaceutical public health", in April 2005, which aims to maximise the contribution of pharmacists, their staff and the premises in which they work to improve health and reduce health inequalities. This strategy will enable pharmacists and their staff to make better use of their skills and it will open up opportunities for pharmacy to make a bigger difference to improving the health of people in England. PCTs can commission local enhanced services to meet identified health needs.
Although we do not hold details centrally on the number of pharmacists planning to offer health checks or the numbers of such checks, we have developed an assurance framework for PCTs to use in monitoring pharmacy's implementation of new contractual requirements, and also strategic tests for strategic health authorities to monitor how PCTs are using the new framework to deliver key health priorities and objectives locally.
HIV/AIDS (Hertfordshire)
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 721W, on HIV/AIDS (Hertfordshire), what assessment she has made of the reasons for the trends in HIV diagnosis rates; and if she will make a statement. [50757]
Caroline Flint: The increasing number of HIV diagnoses in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA), from 16 diagnoses in 1997 to 247 diagnoses in 2004, is related to an increase in the number of diagnoses of HIV infections probably acquired through heterosexual contact, mainly in Africa.
In 1997, there were seven diagnoses of HIV infection in heterosexual men and women in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA, in 2004 this figure had risen to 215 diagnoses. In 1997, five of the seven diagnoses were probably acquired through heterosexual contact in Africa, rising to 186 of 215 in 2004.
This data are available on the Health Protection Agency's website at: www.hpa.org. uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/hiv/epidemiology/hars_tables.htm.
Home Oxygen Service
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints her Department received about the domiciliary oxygen supply service in West Lancashire in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005; and how many it has recruited in 2006. [53359]
7 Mar 2006 : Column 1246W
Mr. Byrne: During 2006, the Department has not received any complaints concerning domiciliary oxygen supply services in West Lancashire. For the period December 2000 through to December 2005, information on the first two years is not held centrally and for the remaining three years could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
Mr. Mackay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on changes to the Home Oxygen Service. [56306]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) on 7 March 2006.
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps were taken by her Department to ensure that the companies bidding for the domiciliary oxygen contract had submitted bids adequate to cover the costs of providing the required service; [56056]
(2) whether companies awarded contracts for the supply of domiciliary oxygen (a) claimed additional costs, (b) asked for a review of the agreed contract price and (c) asked for extra monies to supply the service. [56065]
Jane Kennedy: All companies bidding for domiciliary oxygen service contracts submitted detailed cost schedules as part of documents required under the competitive tendering process, The assessment panel, which included members with financial expertise, assessed the schedules.
Since signing contracts, no company has claimed additional costs associated with the delivery of the new service, asked for a review of the contract price or asked for extra moneys to supply the new service.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |