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25 July 2006 : Column 1202W—continued
Childhood Vaccinations
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 227W, on immunisation, if she will place in the Library a list of those primary care trusts where general medical service partnerships have opted out of childhood immunisation services. [88913]
Caroline Flint: This corrects the information provided to the Answer of 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 227W, on immunisation. It shows as at 2004, 343 of general medical servicer practices had opted out of childhood immunisation services and according to revised 2005 data this has now fallen to 28. A list has been placed in the Library.
Children's Hospices
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will bring forward proposals to increase the funding of children's hospices; [73228]
(2) what recent discussions she has held with the Prime Minister on the funding of children's hospices; [73229]
(3) when she expects to make an announcement regarding the funding of children's hospices; [73690]
(4) if she will make a statement on the meeting on 17 May 2006 between the Prime Minister and representatives of the hospice movement regarding funding for children’s hospices. [73714]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 15 March 2006, Official Report, column 1454W, concerning children's hospices. The meeting that took place on 17 May 2006 was in response to the Prime Minister’s offer to meet representatives of the children's hospice movement. I understand that the hon. Member for Castle Point attended that meeting with representatives of the Association of Children's Hospices. The need to review the functions and funding of children's hospices was discussed and the effect the loss of Big Lottery funding was having on the services they provide to children and young people needing palliative care and their families.
Our manifesto commitment to double funding for end of life care, including children’s palliative care, was re-affirmed in the White Paper “Our health, our care, our say”. This commitment to increase funding will increase choice about where to receive palliative care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions so that the child or young person can live as normal a life as possible for as long as possible. We will make a statement about funding the commitment as soon as we can.
Chiron (Diamorphine Supply)
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when Chiron first informed the Department that it would not be able to provide expected supplies of diamorphine to the NHS at the end of 2004; and what warning period is required of suppliers to the NHS of essential pharmaceuticals of an interruption or planned ending of supply; [86674]
(2) whether financial penalties were applied to Chiron when it interrupted the supply of diamorphine to the NHS at the end of December 2004. [86675]
Andy Burnham: Chiron informed the Department that its supplies of diamorphine injection were limited on 16 December 2004, and it was unable to say when more would be available.
Guidelines issued jointly by the Department and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry “Ensuring Best Practice in the Notification of Product Discontinuations” state that companies should notify the Department of a product discontinuation at least three to six months prior to the deletion date, and 12 months where there is no therapeutic alternative.
Medicines legislation which came into force on 30 October 2005 requires marketing authorisation holders, within the limits of their responsibilities, to notify the Licensing Authority if a product is not going to be available either temporarily or permanently. In all but exceptional circumstances, two months notice is required.
Diamorphine injection is supplied through wholesalers to community pharmacists, and is also tendered and contracted for by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) on behalf of
national health service trusts. For the contracted supplies, Chiron was not subject to any financial penalty other than that which forms part of the standard NHS terms and conditions of contract for the purchase of goods, which is issued with all tenders by the NHS. There is no formally agreed warning period within NHS PASA contracts or terms and conditions.
Chiropractors
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 353W, on chiropractic management, how many chiropractors were employed by the NHS in each of the last three years; and at what cost. [79850]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of chiropractors and the cost to the national health service is not available as chiropractors were not separately identified in the workforce census from the rest of the non-medical work force.
Choose and Book Service
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been spent on the choose and book service. [77059]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: 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.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients have been unable to book an appointment on the telephone and online when they have been given a unique booking reference number by the Choose and Book system as a result of (a) human failure and (b) system error. [76380]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Clinical Academic Staff
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the number of clinical academic staff in (a) medical and (b) dental schools. [86364]
Andy Burnham: The Department and its partners are taking forward training schemes to implement the recommendations on clinical academic careers made last year by the academic careers sub-committee of modernising medical careers and the United Kingdom clinical research collaboration. In the first round, the clinical academic careers panel has recommended for funding:
104 programmes to support academic clinical fellowships (597 ACFs over five years); and
101 programmes to support clinical lectureships (303 CLs over five years).
The Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Department are also offering funding for up to 200 “new blood” senior lectureships through five annual rounds of awards.
Clinical Assessment Services
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the use of Clinical Assessment Services by primary care trusts; what the plans are for the introduction of a Clinical Assessment Service to deal with patients in Hertsmere; what standard of medical skills will be required of those providing that service; what other service specifications will be required; what target has been set for cost savings as a result of the introduction of the service; what the cost of the service is expected to be; what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the service on waiting times; what opportunities patients will have to have a say in the running of the service; and what consultations have been carried out with patients about the provision of a Clinical Assessment Service in Hertsmere. [86972]
Andy Burnham: Current advice is contained in a letter from the Department's director of access to primary care trust chief executives in July 2005. Referrals to community-based clinical assessment services, and other such centres, should happen only where it adds genuine clinical value for patients. A copy of the letter is available in the Library.
Information about the effects of the use of such services on referrals to secondary care is not held centrally.
Clinical Care (Peter Halley)
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where within the NHS the on-call doctor at Southend Hospital with responsibility for the treatment of Peter Halley of Southend-on-Sea following admission on 7 May 2004 now works. [87947]
Andy Burnham [holding answer 24 July 2006]: The Department does not hold information on the employment of individual doctors working in the national health service. All NHS trusts who employ doctors including temporary staff have a duty to check the good standing and employment history of those doctors and to ensure that they are fit to practise and fit for purpose, this includes checking whether an alert letter has been issued. Where doctors are supplied through agencies those agencies have a similar duty. Alert letters provide a mechanism by which the NHS can urgently communicate concerns of a serious nature in relation to a healthcare practitioner.
Clostridium Difficile
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which NHS hospital trusts have reported having patients in their hospitals with clostridium difficile in 2006; [88165]
(2) what guidance has been issued to (a) NHS hospital trusts and (b) NHS primary care trusts on dealing with clostridium difficile; and if she will make a statement; [88166]
(3) which primary care trusts have reported having patients in their hospitals with clostridium difficile in 2006. [88168]
Andy Burnham: Data on the number of “Clostridium difficile” reports for patients aged 65 and over is available for national health service acute trusts from the mandatory surveillance scheme on health care associated infections. Results for 2006 are not available but data for 2005 are available at:
www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/mandatory_report_ 2006.htm
Reporting of data is the responsibility of the NHS acute trust and therefore data are not available for primary care trusts.
The following guidance was sent to chief executives of NHS trusts and made available to Chief Executives of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts:
A joint professional letter from the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Nursing Officer went out to NHS Trusts in December 2005 to remind them of the importance of this infection. This letter listed the key actions to control “Clostridium difficile” and highlighted the guidance available(1,2). The letter is at:
www.dh.gov.uk/PubliationsAndStatistics/LettersAndCirculars/ProfessionalLetters/ChiefMedicalOfficerLetters/ChiefMeicalOfficerLettersArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4125069&chk=cuQ7C%2B.
As part of our delivery programme “Saving lives: a delivery programme to reduce health care associated infections including MRSA” a high impact intervention which is a tool to help reduce “Clostridium difficile” infections was published in June 2006.
A simple guide to “Clostridium difficile” is also available on the Department’s website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCare Topics/HealthcareAcquiredInfection/HealthcareAcquired GeneralInformation/HealthcareAcquiredGeneralArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4115800&chk=wHehV/
Although much of the current guidance is still extant we have asked the Health Protection agency to review the national guidance. Mandatory surveillance has shown a clear need to improve NHS performance and we believe that upgrading the level of surveillance and more rapid feedback of results will help performance. Therefore, we intend to move to quarterly publication as soon as it is feasible to do so.
(1 “)Clostridium Difficile” Infection, Prevention and Management A Report by a Department of Health/PHLS joint working group. 1994
(2) Guidelines for optimal surveillance of Clostridium difficile infection in hospitals Brazier JS and Duerden BI. Guidelines for optimal surveillance of “Clostridium difficile” infection in hospitals. Comm.Dis.Pub.Health. 1998:1;(4) 229-230.
Community Hospitals
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community hospitals in (a) South West London, (b) Surrey, (c) Middlesex, (d) Greater London and (e) England are having their closure discussed; and in how many such cases the possible closure is a result of NHS trust budget deficits. [58919]
Andy Burnham:
Making decisions on local healthcare provision, including the closure of community hospitals, is a matter for primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs) in consultation with the local population. Therefore,
the Department does not centrally collect information on the number of community hospitals that are having their closure discussed.
In paragraph 6.42 of the recently published Health White Paper ‘Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services’ it was made clear to national health service organisations that community hospital facilities should not be lost in response to short-term budgetary pressures that are not related to the viability of the community facility itself.
Therefore, no community hospitals should be closed solely as a result of NHS primary care trust budget deficits. Therefore, there is a commitment that PCTs taking decisions about the future of community hospitals are required to demonstrate to their SHA that they have consulted locally and have considered options such as developing new pathways, new partnerships and new ownership possibilities. In relation to this commitment, the Department has recently written to SHAs to clarify how it might operate in practice.
The Department has announced a £750 million capital investment programme and recently published a document that sets out how to take forward the agenda on community hospitals and community-based services and facilities. The document also includes case study examples of those areas that are already making the most of their community hospital, and highlights new developments that fit with the vision that the White Paper put forward. The document can be found on the Department’s website at:
www.dh.gov.uk.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) information and (b) support she has made available to hon. Members with community hospitals threatened with closure in their constituency. [58920]
Andy Burnham: The recently published Health White Paper “Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services” sets out how the Department intends to fulfil the Government’s manifesto commitment to develop a new generation of modern national health service community hospitals. The Department will keep Parliament updated with progress against this commitment.
However, making decisions on local health care provision, including the closure of community hospitals, is a matter for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in consultation with the local population. Therefore, the onus is on local NHS organisations to consult with local stakeholders, such as local hon. Members, and to make relevant information available as appropriate.
The Department has announced a £750 million capital investment programme and recently published a document that sets out how to take forward the agenda on community hospitals and community-based services and facilities. The document also includes case study examples of those areas that are already making the most of their community hospital, and highlights new developments that fit with the vision that the White Paper put forward. The document can be found on the Department’s website at www.dh.gov.uk.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the closure of community hospitals on the elderly; and what steps she is taking to lessen that impact. [58922]
Andy Burnham: This Government have invested heavily on developing alternatives to in-patient stays in hospitals, including more intensive support to enable people to stay in their own homes wherever that is safe and what the individual wants. We set out in the White Paper “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: a new direction for community services” that community hospitals can play an invaluable role in delivering services that patients need, and want close to home. We have stressed that short-term budgetary pressures are insufficient reason to close viable community hospitals that local people want and that they should only be closed after extensive consultation locally and when any proposals have been tested against the principles set out in the White Paper.
The Department has announced a £750 million capital investment programme and recently published a document that sets out how to take forward the agenda on community hospitals and community-based services and facilities. The document also includes case study examples of those areas that are already making the most of their community hospital, and highlights new developments that fit with the vision that the White Paper put forward. The document can be found on the Department’s website at www.dh.gov.uk.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral Statement of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 819W, on community hospitals, how many community hospitals in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire strategic health authority area she assesses as being based in Victorian workhouse facilities. [85963]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Suffolk West Primary Care Trust (PCT) currently provides services at Walnutree Hospital and Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire PCTs provide services on part of the Brookfields site (Davison House), all of which were workhouses originally.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has made an assessment of the likely demand for community hospital beds in East Cambridgeshire and Fenland primary care trust area over the next five to 10 years. [85965]
Ms Rosie Winterton: It is for primary care trust to assess and commission services to meet the needs of the populations that they serve.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community hospital beds there were in the East Cambridgeshire and Fenland primary care trust area in each year since 1997. [85980]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.
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