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17 Mar 2006 : Column 2551W—continued
HEALTH
Audiology
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the formula for allocating funds to individual audiology service providers in England for the delivery of the Modernising Hearing Aid Service programme is drawn up; and if she will make a statement. [55244]
Mr. Byrne: The Royal National Institute for the Deaf managed the modernising hearing aid services programme, on behalf of the Department, including allocating funds to individual audiology service providers.
The programme was completed in March 2005 with identified allocations repeated in 2005–06 to further embed the programme. It is for national health service providers to determine the allocation of funds from 2006–07.
BRCA1 Testing
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the time women wait for diagnostic test results following BRCA1 testing. [59217]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect routine data on the waiting time between taking a sample from a patient for a genetic test, such as a BRCA1 test, to the reporting of the result to the patient.
The ability to test for breast cancer pre-disposition genes has led to a significant increase in work load for genetic services. We are aware that in some instances patients have had lengthy waits and we understand the anxiety associated with this. This Government had already invested £11 million in specialised genetics services since 2001. The genetics White Paper 'Our inheritance, our future' (2003) announced a further £18 million specifically to upgrade national health service genetics laboratories in England. BRCA testing is one of the areas that is benefiting from this investment. Laboratories are now becoming equipped to deal with higher volumes of tests more quickly.
The White Paper said that as a result of this increase in laboratory capacity we expect that by 2006 genetic test results should be available:
within two weeks where the potential genetic mutation is already known, for example because another family member has already been tested; and
Breast Cancer
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for radiotherapy following breast cancer was in each NHS trust in the last period for which figures are available. [59220]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
Data on waiting times for radiotherapy is not collected centrally. The NHS Cancer plan set out maximum waiting time targets for cancer treatment which may include radiotherapy where this is
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given as a first definitive treatment. From December 2001, there is a one month maximum wait from diagnosis to first treatment for breast cancer and a maximum two month wait from urgent referral to treatment for breast cancer.
In the last quarter, October to December 2005, 98.9 per cent. of women received their first treatment within a month of diagnosis with breast cancer and 98.1 per cent. of women were treated for breast cancer within two months of urgent referral by their general practitioner.
Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were referred to hospital by generalpractitioners in the Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust in each year since the primary care trust was established; how many spent at least 24 hours in hospital in each year; and if she will make a statement. [58107]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the number of general practitioner (GP) referrals at commissioner level for Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust from 2002–03 is shown in the table.
Source:
QM08R data collection.
Children's Hospices
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will visit Little Havens children's hospice in Castle Point to discuss funding. [55062]
Mr. Byrne: I will be meeting shortly with a representative from Little Haven hospice.
Colon Cancer
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2006, Official Report, column 2110W, on colon cancer, how
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many people have been screened under the pilot for bowel cancer screening since 2000; how many of the people subject to screening were subsequently diagnosed with bowel cancer; how many were found to be suffering from bowel polyps; and if she will publish the research and independent evaluation of the project. [57082]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Since the English bowel cancer screening pilot began in Rugby on 6 September 2000, nearly 204,000 people have been screened. 217 people have been diagnosed with bowel cancer, and 959 have been diagnosed with bowel polyps. The final report on the independent evaluation of the first phase of the pilot was published in May 2003, and is available on NHS Cancer Screening Programme's website at: www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/bowel/pilot-evaluation.html
The report of the evaluation of the second phase of the pilot is currently being peer reviewed, and will be made available in due course.
Colorectal Cancers
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in implementing (a) the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance Improving Outcomes in Colorectal Cancers and (b) the developmental standards relating to colorectal cancer set out in the NICE report National Standards, Local Action. [57378]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Guidance on Improving Outcomes in Colorectal Cancers" was issued by the Department in November 1997. It was updated by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in May 2004.
The recommendations set out in the original guidance were converted into a series of measures that have been included in the Manual for Cancer Services, 2004. These measures are currently being updated to take into account the NICE update.
The manual is aimed at all commissioners and providers of national health service cancer services to support self-assessment and peer review. A national programme of cancer peer review is currently under way. This process seeks to accelerate the pace of improvement in the quality of cancer services across the whole system of patient care. All 34 cancer networks in England are due to have been peer reviewed by the end of November 2006.
Following each visit, a local peer review report is produced. These reports are in the public domain so interested parties can see how their local cancer services are progressing. They will be able to see progress in terms of different types of cancers such as bowel cancer.
Once this round of peer review is complete, the cancer action team will produce a national report summarising the outcomes of peer review. This will include a summary of the national position on bowel and other cancers.
National Standards, Local Action" was issued by the Department in July 2004 and the implementation of NICE guidance is one of the developmental standards set out in this document. The Healthcare Commission is responsible for assessing progress of healthcare
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organisations towards achieving developmental standards, and they will be consulting on its proposals for assessing these standards shortly. However, the results of the cancer peer review will be shared with the Healthcare Commission to support them in this work.
Coronary Heart Disease
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to implement the new chapter eight of the Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework. [58902]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Responsibility for implementing chapter eight of the coronary heart disease national service framework (CHD NSF) lies with local national health service commissioners and providers. Shifting the Balance of Power" has seen money, control and responsibility pass to local health services so that the communities they serve have greater influence over the way local resources are spent and the way local services are run. This will allow greater scope for locally determined targets and priorities to be matched to local needs. The Department is working with local service providers, commissioners and other key stakeholders to support the NHS in implementing chapter eight.
For successful delivery, there will need to be effective health commissioning through local delivery planning processes, monitored and accountable through primary care trusts and strategic health authorities.
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