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5 July 2006 : Column 1219W—continued
Diabetes
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people with diabetes in England have been provided with structured patient education in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006; [79374]
(2) how many primary care trusts are delivering National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for structured education for people with diabetes. [79375]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally. However, from January 2006, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s (NICE) health technology appraisal No 60— “Guidance on the use of patient education models for diabetes” requires all primary care trusts to implement NICE recommendations by providing all people with diabetes with high-quality, structured education. Compliance with NICE health technology appraisals is a core standard and is assessed by the Healthcare Commission as part of its annual health check.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings her Department’s Commercial Directorate held with her Department’s diabetes policy team about the potential impact on patient care of the Drug Tariff Part IX consultation before 24 October 2005; and how many such meetings have been held since that date. [81109]
Andy Burnham: A formal meeting was held between Dr. Sue Roberts, national clinical director for diabetes, on 21 June 2006 with representatives from the Department’s commercial directorate and the pricing and supply directorate.
Digital Hearing Aids
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to introduce a minimum waiting time of 18 weeks for patients in need of a hearing aid. [82194]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 604W.
Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the decision not to renew the contract for the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin. [76552]
Andy Burnham: At 27 June, the Department has received 1,282 letters regarding the decision not to renew its contract for the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.
Hon. Members and peers have also tabled 14 and 10 parliamentary questions respectively to the Houses on this issue.
Gender Dysphoria
Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what choices of provider are available for those referred for assessment, counselling and treatment, including surgery for gender dysphoria and related gender role
anxieties and conditions; whether the achievement of national waiting list targets apply to such referrals; and if she will make a statement. [78616]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The care and treatment pathway for people with gender dysphoria and related conditions usually begins with the patient's referral by their general practitioner to a psychiatrist or psychologist for assessment. If the referral is to a consultant psychiatrist, national waiting targets will apply.
Mental health services are not currently required to offer a choice of provider at the point of referral. If, following an appropriate period of assessment, gender reassignment surgery is recommended, that is usually the subject of a consultant to consultant referral which is also outside the scope of the requirement to offer a choice of provider.
The Department recognises that transsexualism is a medical condition and that the availability of gender reassignment surgery should be dependent on the clinical need of the individual patient. Primary care trusts commission gender dysphoria and surgery services on the basis of their assessment of the needs of their populations and available service capacity.
Health Services (Stoke-on-Trent)
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evaluation has been made of dental health for under-five-year-olds in (a) Stoke-on-Trent, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England. [80599]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information available centrally shows that average number of decayed, missing or filled teeth (DMFT) among five-year-olds in the area of South and North Stoke on Trent primary care trust (PCT) is 2.01, compared to 0.97 for West Midlands and 1.49 in England as a whole.
We have also taken note of the fact that Oldbury and Smethwick PCT, which has similar social profile to North Stoke, but receives fluoridated water, has a DMFT of 0.93. Changes we have made in the legislative framework governing fluoridation give communities with high levels of dental decay a real option of having their water fluoridated.
Independent Sector Treatment Centres
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the potential percentage increase is in the capacity for elective procedures in each relevant area for each independent sector treatment centre that has reached invitation to negotiate stage or beyond. [79280]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Invitations to negotiate have been issued for 14 schemes which are proceeding on current indicative figures which are approximate and subject to commercial negotiation.
Total elective activity in England in 2004-05 was 5,577,523 finished consultant episodes. In total, the phase two procurement is expected to provide 250,000 elective procedures per annum, which would be an increase in capacity of approximately 5 per cent. This is in addition to the capacity from the first wave of independent sector treatment centres.
Influenza
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2006, Official Report, column 1940W, on influenza, whether the invitation to tender indicated a preference for UK rather than overseas manufacture. [80824]
Ms Rosie Winterton: European Union procurement regulations do not allow us to specify a preference for United Kingdom rather than overseas manufacture in our invitation to tender.
Insulin Inhalers
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate (a) the extra number of NHS psychiatrists that would be needed and (b) the extra cost that would be incurred to implement the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s proposals for psychiatric testing for the prescription of insulin inhalers. [81108]
Andy Burnham: A second appraisal committee decision on inhaled insulin from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was published on 21 June for consultation. This does not constitute the NICE’S formal guidance on this technology. The recommendations made are preliminary and may change after consultation.
Leftover Prescription Drugs
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) advertising and (b) information campaigns her Department has conducted on how to return (i) unused, (ii) unopened and (iii) leftover prescription drugs in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [81431]
Andy Burnham: The Department actively promotes safe use, storage and return of unused, unopened and unwanted medicines to pharmacies for safe disposal. Since the introduction of the new community pharmacy contractual framework from 1 April 2005, the collection and disposal of unwanted medicines has been an essential service provided by all community pharmacies.
Information on the safe use, storage and return of unused and left over medicines has been included on the NHS Direct website. The NHS Direct self-help guide in the Thompson local directory, which has been distributed to 17 million households across England from April 2006, has a full-page advert encouraging people to return old and unwanted medicines to pharmacies for safe disposal. Messages about safe use, storage and disposal of medicines were also included in the “Ask About Medicines Week” campaign in November 2005.
Macmillan Nurses
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she has offered primary care trusts on
whether they should fund Macmillan nurses after the initial period of funding provided by the Macmillan Cancer Support organisation. [81077]
Ms Rosie Winterton: No central guidance has been issued to primary care trusts (PCTs) on whether they should fund Macmillan nurses after the initial period of funding from Macmillan Cancer Support.
It is for trusts to decide how many nurses, including palliative care nurse specialists, are employed in each specialty within hospitals. It is for local cancer networks, working in partnership with PCTs, strategic health authorities and their workforce development directorates, to assess, plan and review their workforce, education and training needs for all staff linked to the delivery of local and national priorities for cancer.
Mental Health Act
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what parts of the Mental Health Act 1983 she expects to be repealed by the forthcoming Mental Health Bill. [80843]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In amending the Mental Health Act 1983 to deliver our policy objectives, our intention is to repeal some elements of that Act. In particular, our plans are to introduce:
a new and simplified definition of mental disorder, which would involve amending those provisions that refer to different categories of mental disorder;
an appropriate treatment test, which would involve repealing provisions which relate to the so-called treatability test; and
supervised community treatment, which would involve the abolition of aftercare under supervision.
Motor Neurone Disease
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to appraise the use of non-invasive ventilation in motor neurone disease treatment. [82419]
Andy Burnham: The Department has no plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to issue guidance on the use of non-invasive ventilation in motor neurone disease treatment.
Members of the public and professionals are free to make suggestions on possible topics for interventional procedure guidance via NICE’s website at www.nice.org.uk.
NHS Banks
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many regional NHS banks have been established since 1990. [79669]
Andy Burnham:
There is only one NHS Bank, which covers all areas of the NHS in England. The Government’s commitment to establish an NHS Bank was included in “Delivering the NHS Plan” published
in July 2000. The NHS Bank existed in shadow form in 2002-03, and from 2003-04 it has continued as an advisory body.
NHS Complaints
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints against the NHS brought to the attention of the Healthcare Commission and closed by April took longer than (a) eight weeks, (b) six months and (c) one year from receipt of the complaint to closure. [82586]
Andy Burnham: The Chairman of the Healthcare Commission has confirmed that the Commission has faced higher than expected numbers of cases referred to it for independent consideration of national health service complaints since taking on the role in July 2004. From launch to the end of June 2006, 15,460 requests for independent review were received by the Healthcare Commission. Some 2,321 complaints are waiting to be investigated by a case manager. The average age of these queuing cases is 6.5 months. Of these, 2,021 have been waiting longer than eight weeks, 1,198 have been waiting over six months and no complaints have been waiting one year or longer for the start of a case manager review. In addition, there are some 2,907 cases under active review by case managers.
The Department and Healthcare Commission are working together to see how the NHS complaints process might be improved and how better local resolution of complaints can be achieved.
NHS Direct
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the pay reform agenda at NHS Direct; how many sites are waiting for payment of back pay; and when she expects this process to be completed. [82008]
Ms Rosie Winterton: NHS Direct has advised the Department that they are making good progress on pay reform and are working in partnership with unions locally.
Information is not held centrally on how many sites are waiting for payment of back pay but I understand that NHS Direct is currently working on the cost of arrears of pay and expect to have evaluated all relevant timesheets by July/August so that staff can receive their back pay as soon as possible thereafter.
NHS Finances
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely impact on services in trusts which have approved budgets which do not take into account interest and other payments on loans. [80923]
Andy Burnham:
In 2006-07, the informal and untransparent system of cash brokerage and planned support that had previously operated across the
national health service has been replaced by a formal system of interest-bearing loans and deposits.
NHS trusts that require additional cash will take out interest-bearing loans with the Department that will be disclosed in the balance sheet. This transparent reporting of financial performance will encourage organisations to address financial problems earlier.
Strategic health authorities are responsible for performance-managing both cash management and financial planning and should ensure that interest accruing on loans with the Department is included in the financial plans for 2006-07.
NHS Managers
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria she uses when deciding to increase the number of NHS managers. [78444]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The number of managers employed in each national health service organisation is a matter for local determination.
NHS Treatment
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many British taxpayers were charged for NHS treatment due to residency outside the UK for more than 6 months of the year in each year since 2000; how much revenue was raised from such charges; what criteria were used in deciding to apply such charges; and if she will make a statement. [80421]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Entitlement to access free national health service hospital treatment is based on whether someone is ordinarily resident in this country, not on British nationality or the past or present payment of National Insurance contributions or United Kingdom taxes. Anyone who is not ordinarily resident is subject to the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended. These regulations place a responsibility on NHS hospitals to establish whether a person is ordinarily resident, or exempt from charges under one of a number of exemption categories, or liable for charges.
Anyone who lives outside this country for more than 6 months is no longer automatically entitled to free NHS hospital treatment as they will not be considered ordinarily resident here. They will therefore be liable to charges unless they return to the UK to resume their permanent residency, or if they are exempt under another exemption category.
Successive Governments have not required the NHS to provide statistics on the number of overseas visitors seen or treated under the provisions of these regulations or on the costs of treatment. It is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated by the NHS for wounds caused by (a) a knife, (b) a dagger, (c) a sword, (d) other types of bladed article and (e) a firearm in each year since 1997; what proportion of the victims were (i) male and (ii) female in each category in each year; and how many in each category in each year were admitted as emergency cases. [79600]
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