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8 Mar 2006 : Column 1621W—continued
Magnet Therapy
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what use is being made of magnet therapy in the NHS; and whether it has been approved by the National Institute for Clinical and Health Excellence. [55743]
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Jane Kennedy: A product incorporating magnetic therapy to aid the treatment of leg ulcers has recently been added to the list of products which may be supplied to patients via prescriptions on the national health service. Clinicians will decide whether individual patients might benefit from this additional treatment option. Because the product was not previously available on prescription we have no information about its current use on the NHS. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has not been asked to appraise this intervention.
Mental Health
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in (a) West Lancashire constituency and (b) Lancashire have had to wait more than (i) one month, (ii) two months and (iii) three months for an appointment with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in the last 12 months. [53311]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to support young people with mental health problems. [53506]
Mr. Byrne: Improving child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) is a priority for this Government, as emphasised by the public service agreement standard of a comprehensive in every area of England by the end of 2006. This commitment to improve CAMHS has been backed by significant additional funding, over £300 million in the last three years.
The CAMHS module of the children's national service framework for England published September 2004 sets the framework for CAMHS for the next 10 years. It sets the standard that all children and young people, from birth to their 18th birthday, who have mental health problems and disorders, will have access to timely, integrated, high quality multidisciplinary mental health services to ensure effective assessment, treatment and support, for them, their parents or carers, and other family members. The position relating to CAMHS in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.
Midwives
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacant midwife posts there are in (a) the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire strategic health authority area and (b) the Peterborough and Stamford hospitals NHS foundation hospitals trust area; and what plans her Department has to recruit more midwives into the NHS in Cambridgeshire. [50431]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The table provides national health service three-month vacancies for qualified midwifery staff by NHS trust in the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire area.
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The NHS Improvement Plan, published in June 2004, reiterated the Government's commitment to increase numbers of frontline NHS staff. This built on the NHS Plan which made a commitment to increasing nursing staff numbers—over 20,000 more nurses working in the NHS and 5,500 extra nurses, midwives and health visitors being trained each year by 2004. These targets have already been met and exceeded. The extra
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investment announced in the 2002 Budget, builds on the NHS Plan target; by 2008 we expect the NHS to have net increases of at least 35,000 nurses, midwives and health visitors.
The NHS in Cambridgeshire in common with other areas, will benefit from the contribution of these additions to the NHS work force.
Notes:
Three month vacancy:
1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2005.
2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
3. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
4. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004.
5. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
6. Figures where sum of staff in post (as at 30 September 2004) and vacancies (as at 31 March 2005) is less than 10.
Staff in post:
7. Staff in post data is from the Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004.
General:
8. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
9. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
10. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
Sources:
Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey March 2005
Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004
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Research National Database
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will assess the merits of establishing a national database of research into medical conditions for use by NHS consultants and university hospitals carrying out research; and if she will make a statement. [55188]
Jane Kennedy: The Department funds the national research register which holds information on ongoing and recently completed research in the national health service. The register can be viewed online on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/research. In addition, the map of medicine being developed by Connecting for Health will provide support on best practice in relation to specific clinical conditions. More details are available on their website at: www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/delivery
In the longer term, proposals in the new national health research strategy Best Research for Best Health" for the development of a unified knowledge management system will further meet the information needs of stakeholders including the NHS, research funding organisations, and universities.
NHS Finance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2006, Official Report, column 1317W, on NHS Finance, which organisations her Department has had cause to remind that payments of pay-as-you-earn and national insurance contributions should be made when they are due, or on the date agreed with the Inland Revenue, in the 2005–06 financial year; when these organisations were reminded of her Department's policy in each case; which organisations her Department has had to remind of her Department's policy more than once in the 2005–06 financial year; and if she will make a statement. [52955]
Mr. Byrne: The Department's policy is that all national health service organisations should ensure that payments of pay-as-you-earn tax and national insurance contributions are made when they are due, or by the date agreed with the Inland Revenue.
All strategic health authorities have been reminded of this policy and it is their responsibility to ensure that the policy is implemented in the organisations within their local health communities.
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