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21 Mar 2006 : Column 254W—continued
Benzodiazepine Addiction
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessments she has made of the number of long-term benzodiazepine addicts. [47362]
Caroline Flint: The Department has made no formal assessment of the number of long-term benzodiazepine addicts.
The number of prescriptions for benzodiazepines has fallen significantly from 15.8 million in 1992 to 12.4 million in 2004 1 . However, with the exception of instalment prescribing for diazepam, a benzodiazepine, we are unable to distinguish between prescriptions issued to patients who are addicts and those who are not.
1 The prescription information was obtained from the prescription cost analysis system and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community, that is, by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Total prescriptions include not only prescriptions originating from general medical practitioners in England but also from hospital doctors, dentists and, up to March 1994, armed services doctors and dentists, provided they were dispensed in the community. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospital or private prescriptions.
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat her latest estimate is of the number of benzodiazepine addicts in England; and what methods her Department uses to compile this information. [53563]
Caroline Flint:
We do not have records centrally of the number of benzodiazepine addicts in England. Prescription information does not tell us how many repeat prescriptions for benzodiazepines are issued to the same person, so it is not possible to pinpoint how
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many people are dependent. However, the number of prescriptions has fallen significantly from 15.8 million in 1992 to 12.4 million in 2004 1 . With the exception of instalment prescribing for diazepam, a benzodiazepine, we are unable to distinguish between prescriptions issued to patients who are addicts and those who are not.
1 The prescription information was obtained from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community, that is, by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Total prescriptions include not only prescriptions originating from general medical practitioners in England but also from hospital doctors, dentists and, up to March 1994, armed services doctors and dentists, provided they were dispensed in the community. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospital or private prescriptions.
Bournemouth Primary Care Trust
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money from its reserve fund Bournemouth primary care trust is required to pay back to the strategic health authority within 2005–06. [58931]
Caroline Flint: I am informed by Dorset and Somerset strategic health authority (SHA), that Bournemouth teaching primary care trust has not returned any money to the Dorset and Somerset SHA in 2005–06.
Chlamydia Testing Kits
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will extend the scheme of offering free chlamydia kits at chemists in London to other areas of the country. [52432]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 16 February 2006]: Anevaluation of the chlamydia screening pathfinder project is being carried out concurrently with the London pilot. Decisions about whether to extend the scheme nationally will be made once the evaluation has reported.
Choose and Book
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Choose and Book System has cost to implement to date. [54874]
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on 10 March 2006, Official Report, columns 1812–13W.
Colon cancer
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to Question 56552 tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 1 March 2006, on bowel cancer screening. [60013]
Ms Rosie Winterton: A reply was given on 15 March 2006, Official Report, column 2320W.
Community Pharmacies
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community pharmacies in Ruislip-Northwood constituency have (a) opened and (b) closed since 1997. [59647]
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Caroline Flint: Information on the number of community pharmacies by constituency is not collected centrally.
However, information prior to 2002 is available by health authority (HA), and from 2002, by primary care trust (PCT). The Ruislip-Northwood constituency is currently served by Hillingdon PCT which also covers the Uxbridge, and Hayes and Harlington constituencies. It previously sat within Hillingdon HA (1997–2002).
Table one shows the number of community pharmacies in Hillingdon HA between 1997 and 2002.
Table two shows the number of community pharmacies in Hillingdon PCT from 2002 onwards.
| Total number of pharmacies in Hillingdon HA(26) | Opened | Closed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 63 | — | — |
| 1998–99 | 62 | — | 1 |
| 1999–00 | 62 | — | — |
| 2000–01 | 62 | — | — |
| 2001–02 | 62 | — | — |
| Total number of pharmacies in Hillingdon PCT1 | Opened | Closed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 62 | — | — |
| 2003–04 | 62 | — | — |
| 2004–05 | 62 | — | — |
(26)As at 31 March of each year.
Data on pharmacy numbers.
From October 2002, PCTs took over responsibility for community pharmacies from HAs. Thereforedata on the number of pharmacies in England with NHS contracts is broken down to HA level until 2001–02, and PCT level from 2002–03 onwards. The change from HAs to PCTs may have resulted in some boundary changes and this is reflected in the data.
Information on the number of community pharmacies is collected from PCTs via the annual PHS1 data collection. The latest data available on General Pharmaceutical Services (1994–95 to 2004–05) was published on 27 January 2006. See the following link for this publication: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/genphmsvcengwaldecade05
The survey collects information on openings and closures of community pharmacies. Changes of address, relocations within the PCT are excluded. However, pharmacy minor relocations across PCT boundaries are included as an opening or closure as appropriate. Establishments that close under old ownership and re-open under new ownership within 10 days are regarded as staying open, even if the period between closing and opening straddles review periods.
Data for 2005–06 is not yet available.
Delayed Discharges
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there were in acute hospitals serving the West Lancashire area in the last 12 months; and how many acute hospital bed nights these represented. [58452]
Mr. Byrne:
The information requested is shown in the table.
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Source:
SitReps.
The delayed transfer of care figures are based on a snapshot taken on the last typical Thursday in the month. This differs to the day used in the separate, quarterly local delivery plans return (LDPR) commissioner collections on which the figures published in the Statistical Supplement to the chief executive's report to the NHS, December 2005 are based. The number of days delayed sums all delays in the month.
Due to the way the data are collected, the number of days delayed data for March, June, September and December 2005 are based on five weeks' data—all other months are based on four weeks' data.
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