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3 May 2006 : Column 1696W—continued
Folic Acid
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment her Department has made of the possibility that ingestion of folic acid masks vitamin B12 deficiency; and if she will make a statement; [66098]
(2) what assessment her Department has made of the effects on the elderly of ingesting folic acid. [66099]
Caroline Flint: The scientific advisory committee on nutrition (SACN) was asked by the Government to consider the evidence that has arisen since the committee on medical aspects of food policy report Folic Acid and the Prevention of Disease" was published in 2000, and to advise on any gaps in the evidence base, with particular reference to the issue of folic acid masking vitamin B12 deficiency.
SACN published their draft report on Folate and Disease Prevention" in November 2005 for stakeholder comment. The committee are now in the final stages of preparing the report, which is expected to be published this summer. The report will include an assessment of the effects of increasing folic acid intake on the elderly. The Department will consider SACN's recommendations carefully after the report is published.
General Practitioners
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated annual cost per general practitioner is of the (a) employer's and (b) employees' contribution to the NHS superannuation scheme. [63936]
Mr. Byrne: The average estimated employer and employee pension scheme contributions in respect of general medical practitioners for the financial year ending 31 March 2004 were:
Under the new general medical services contract, general practitioners pay both the employer's and employee's contributions from a global sum that makes provision for these pension contributions.
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of Greater London's primary care trusts met the 48-hour target for access to GPs in the latest period for which figures are available. [65067]
Jane Kennedy: In March 2006, all primary care trusts covered by North West London, North Central London, North East London, South East London and South West London Strategic Health Authorities reported that they met this target.
Genito-urinary Medicine
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the future demand for genito-urinary medicine in the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Primary Care Trust area following the introduction of the chlamydia screening programme. [66414]
Caroline Flint:
Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United Kingdom. Reducing the prevalence of this infection is an important goal in the drive to improve sexual
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health, outlined in the White Paper, Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier". The Health Protection Agency manages the national chlamydia screening programme. The programme aims to control chlamydia through early detection and treatment of asymptomatic infection; reduce onward transmission to sexual partners; and prevent the consequences of untreated infection.
It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs), working in conjunction with strategic health authorities (SHAs), to decide on local delivery and planning of services. Kent and Medway SHA has informed officials that the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT is currently meeting locally agreed performance targets, and the SHA is working to ensure that all PCTs and trusts have plans in place to ensure the 2008 target of maximum 48-hour waiting is achieved.
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the funding available to the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley NHS Trust (a) from other primary care trusts for the provision of a genito-unitary facility and (b) to fund the introduction of chlamydia screening. [66415]
Caroline Flint: It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCT), working in conjunction with strategic health authorities (SHA), to decide on local delivery and planning of services. In 2006–07, £91.5 million was allocated to PCTs for sexual health modernisation which includes funding for chlamydia screening and contraception and abortion services. In addition, a further £25 million for capital was allocated this financial year to PCTs for sexual health services.
In December 2005, the Department allocated £165,000 to the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT for start up costs for the national chlamydia screening programme. This funding is aimed at setting up a chlamydia screening office, funding information technology and laboratory developments and identifying premises for the chlamydia screening office before screening begins.
Health Reforms (Patient Care)
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2006, Official Report, column 915W, on health reform in England: update and next steps, whether the Tariff will apply to a patient requiring acute services for a potentially terminal illness, as opposed to palliative care for a patient in whom the same illness has progressed beyond a point where acute services can reasonably be expected to contribute to the patient's recovery; and whether it will be (a) the patient's GP, (b) the hospital consultant and (c) the primary care trust which makes the judgement that acute, rather than palliative care is required for a patient at any stage of the patient's care. [62229]
Mr. Byrne:
The national tariff is structured around healthcare resources groups (HRGs), which represent clinically relevant groups of diagnoses and treatments that consume similar average levels of healthcare resource. In this way, the tariff applies on the basis of a patient's diagnosis and treatment combination rather than the severity of a patient's condition, for example terminal illness, albeit that these issues are related.
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A list of treatments currently excluded from the tariff are set out in Payment by Results: Implementation support guide 2006–07 (Technical Guidance), which is available on the Department's website. Funding for treatments outside the scope of payment by results continues to be negotiated locally.
Whether, or when, a patient should be given acute care or palliative care is a matter for the clinical judgement of the doctor responsible for the patient's care.
Health Trainer Programme
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the primary care trusts which are in the early adopter phase of the health trainer programme. [65897]
Caroline Flint: A list of the primary care trusts (PCTs) which are in the early adopter phase of the health trainer programme is shown in the following list.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mandatory core competences health trainers must satisfy before being employed by the NHS. [65948]
Caroline Flint: The mandatory core competences required to become a national health service health trainer has been placed in the Library.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost of training each health trainer; and if she will make a statement. [65950]
Caroline Flint: The Department has mandated a set of core competences to which all health trainers partnerships must adhere. Health trainer training is under the control of individual primary care trusts and costs will vary according to the locally designed training programmes.
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