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3 May 2006 : Column 1689W—continued
Alzheimer's Disease
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the mild stages of Alzheimer's disease will be affected by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence draft recommendation on the three anticholinisterase drugs. [66141]
Jane Kennedy:
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) appraisal consultation document on donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine
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(review) and memantine for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, does not constitute its formal guidance on this technology.
The recommendations in the draft guidance are preliminary and may change before final publication, and it would be therefore inappropriate to comment further at this stage. NICE is currently considering responses to its consultation and will issue final guidance later in the year. Until that time, NICE'S original guidance on drugs for Alzheimer's disease, published in 2001, continues to apply.
Ambulance Response Times
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response time for ambulances to get to an emergency call-out in (a) England and (b) Taunton constituency was in the last year for which figures are available. [64258]
Jane Kennedy: The Department collects ambulance response time data by Ambulance Trust rather than by geographical area, and in relation to response time requirements rather than by average response time. Therefore, the information requested is not centrally collected in the required format.
The data that the Department does collect on ambulance response times is published in tables 5a, 5b, 6 and 7 of the statistical bulletin, Ambulance services, England: 2004–05, which is available in the Library and on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/36/79/04113679.pdf
This publication includes ambulance response time data for the Westcountry Ambulance Trust, which covers Taunton, and for the whole of England for 2004–05.
BCG Vaccination
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she (a) has issued and (b) plans to issue to primary care trusts on the BCG vaccination screening programme in schools; and if she will make a statement. [66649]
Caroline Flint: The Chief Medical Officer's letter dated 6 July 2005 outlining changes to the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) programme was sent to all primary care trusts (PCT) directors of public health. Further information was sent to PCT immunisation co-ordinators on 18 August 2005. This information is available on the Department's website at:
Breast Cancer
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients could be treated with Herceptin for early stage breast cancer within existing capacity in English hospitals; and by how much she expects that capacity to be expanded within (a) six months and (b) 12 months. [67966]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The Department does not keep central figures on local national health service capacity to deliver particular treatments. The NHS is expected to
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consider local needs and priorities as part of its planning process, taking account national strategies/guidance such as that from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
In the case of Herceptin, a HER2 test is needed to identify if a woman is HER2 positive and, as such, might benefit from treatment with Herceptin. Professor Mike Richards, the national cancer director, is working with cancer networks to ensure that testing arrangements are put in place to enable women who require it to be tested for HER2 status. This work is ongoing.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which primary care trusts in England have refused to prescribe Herceptin to patients with early stage breast cancer except in exceptional circumstances; [67968]
(2) which primary care trusts in England have agreed to prescribe Herceptin to patients with early stage breast cancer. [67967]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect information on local primary care trust (PCT) prescribing policies for different drugs.
It is for individual clinicians, in discussion with a patient, to decide whether or not it is suitable to prescribe a specific drug. PCTs may also need to be involved to decide whether to support the clinician's decision and supply the drug at the National Health Service's expense. PCTs need to take a range of factors into account, including local factors, when considering the funding of drugs and other treatments.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients (a) funded by the NHS and (b) funded privately are being treated with Herceptin for early stage breast cancer in NHS hospitals in England. [67969]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect information on the numbers of patients treated with specific drugs, whether in the national health service or privately.
Care Homes
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of elderly and mentally infirm people cared for in care homes in (a) Bristol North primary care trust and (b) Bristol South and West primary care trust have their fees paid for by (i) the NHS or (ii) local authority; and what percentage have their personal care costs paid for by themselves, a relative or another third party; [65304]
(2) what percentage of the fees charged by care homes in (a) Bristol North primary care trust and (b) Bristol South and West primary care trust is paid for by the NHS or local authority. [65305]
Caroline Flint:
The information is not held centrally in the form requested. However, table 1 shows expenditure on residential and nursing care placements made by Bristol City unitary authority in 2004–05 for the various adult client groups, including older people. This shows gross expenditure, income received from sales, fees and charges and the resulting net expenditure.
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Table 2 shows the number of residents supported by the council as at 31 March 2005, some of whom will have been placed in care homes outside Bristol.
Information on the percentages of the various ways costs are paid is not collected. According to the 2005 market survey by the independent analysts, Laing and Buisson, approximately 67 per cent. of the cost of residential care in the United Kingdom is funded by social services, or by the national health service to cover nursing care. It is estimated that approximately 100,000, or around 25 per cent., of residents nationally are privately or self funded.
Source:
Form PSS EX1
Note:
Data rounded to the nearest 5.
Source:
SRI return.
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