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21 Mar 2006 : Column 275W—continued
PET Scanners
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will increase funding to NHS trusts to enable them to meet the costs to patients of travelling to the nearest PET scanner; and if she will make a statement. [55983]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 6 March 2006]: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for ensuring that there is provision of ambulance services, which could include patient transport services, to such extent as they consider necessary to meet all reasonable requirements. It is, therefore, for the local national health service to decide who provides patient transport services for eligible patients in their area.
PCTs are also responsible for ensuring that patients who travel to receive their traditional hospital care receive reimbursement of reasonable travel expenses where the patient can prove they require financial assistance.
PCT allocations for 2006–07 will increase by 9.2 per cent. on the previous year. All PCT costs, including both of these schemes, are met from those allocations.
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Pneumonia Injection
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of pensioners received a pneumonia injection in 2004–05. [52532]
Caroline Flint: By 31 March 2005, around 81.0 per cent. of people 80 years and over had been vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine.
By 31 March 2005, around 73 per cent. of people 75 years and over had been vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine.
By 31 March 2005, around 48.1 per cent. of people aged 65 years and over had been vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine. It should be noted that up until this date only those 75 years and over had been offered the vaccine routinely.
The policy to vaccinate those aged 65 years and over was introduced on 1 April 2005. Data on the number of people aged 65 years and over who were vaccinated from 1 April 2005 to 1 April 2006 will be collected autumn 2006.
Data on the percentage of people vaccinated between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2005 by primary care trust has been placed in the Library.
Population Growth
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment her Department has made of the likely impact of the projected increases in the population of South East England from the South East England Regional Assembly housing allocations on (a) demand for and (b) capacity of (i) primary care and (ii)secondary care; [54571]
(2) what plans she has to review the additional healthfunding allocated to the Government's identified growth areas for housing development. [54573]
Mr. Byrne: The aim of resource allocation is to provide equal levels of funding for equal levels of underlying need in the population. A key element of the formula used to achieve this objective is the count of thepopulation in an area.
The development of the formula is overseen by the advisory committee on resource allocation (ACRA), ACRA is made up of academics, national health service managers and general practitioners, and already has a work programme to improve the measure of population used to inform primary care trust (PCT) allocations.
The development of the formula is overseen by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), ACRA is made up of academics, NHS managers and GPs, and already has a work programme to improve the measure of population used to inform PCT allocations. ACRA will make recommendations in advance of the next allocations round.
The allocations for 2006–07 and 2007–08 were based on population projections produced by the Office of National Statistics. This includes expected population growth based on previous trends. In addition, a growth area adjustment was introduced for PCTs covered by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister growth area
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initiative. The takes account of the specific impact on population growth. This covers funding for both primary and secondary care.
Results Tariff
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons were for the withdrawal of the national tariff for payment by results; when her Department will indicate what payment by results tariff will apply for financial year 2006–07; and if she will make a statement. [58316]
Mr. Byrne: Regrettably it was necessary to withdraw the tariff for 2006–07 in order to correct underlying errors in the calculation. We are now testing the revised tariff with the help of national health service colleagues, and will publish a corrected version as soon as possible.
Sexual Health
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 446W, on sexual health, if she will place in the Library the review that was undertaken of sexual health service provision in Watford and St. Albans. [60138]
Caroline Flint: The review of the Watford and St. Albans genito-urinary service is currently being drafted and will be sent to the relevant stakeholders for consultation soon. Once this and other elements of the national genito-urinary service review is complete, a report will be published and placed in the House of Commons Library.
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the provision of sexual health services in Guildford. [50563]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on Tuesday 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1252W.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the provision of sexual health services in West Lancashire. [58454]
Mr. Byrne: The Department makes financial allocations direct to primary care trusts (PCTs). The responsibility for the provision of these services rests with the national health service at local level. The consideration that PCTs give to this is part of a range of factors that they must take into account in discussions with local health bodies and patient groups in deciding their policy on the provision of treatment services for their locality. This policy will reflect local health needs and priorities.
Social Care
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health from which survey the statement in paragraph 5.8 of the
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white paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say" that over a third of those receiving social care had not had a review in the past year was derived. [57653]
Mr. Byrne: The information about the number of social care reviews is derived from referrals, assessments and packages of care data (RAP) for adults in England in 2004–05.
The specific quotation relates to the performance assessment framework (PAF) indicator AO/D40 which shows that 37 per cent. of adults and older clients receiving social services were not reviewed in 2004–05. This percentage is based on the number of reviews for adults aged 18 and over (1.09 million) as a proportion of the total number of people receiving social services aged 18 and over, an estimated 1.72 million.
The final RAP report for 2004–05 was published on 28 February 2006 and is available on the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre's website at:
Unborn Babies
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has assessed on the extent to which unborn babies are actively learning about the outside world while in the womb. [59356]
Caroline Flint: The Department is aware of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' (RCOG) report, Fetal Awareness, Report of a Working party" (1997) and the Medical Research Council's Report of the MRC Expert group on Fetal Pain" (2001).
The RCOG's working party concluded that it is not possible for the fetus to be aware of events before 26 weeks' gestation.
Vaccination Programme
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the annual saving resulting from withdrawal in the UK of the universal TB vaccination programme in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006. [50687]
Caroline Flint: Funding for immunisation services including the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination programme, form part of the annual allocation to primary care trusts (PCT). PCTs are responsible for the management of those monies and running of immunisation programmes. As a result of the changes to the BCG vaccination programme, PCTs will redirect monies to reflect how the BCG programme willbe implemented within their PCT.
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