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4 Sep 2006 : Column 2070W—continued
to examine the services provided by the local authorities (social services), the health bodies and the police to Victoria Climbié, Marie-Therese Kouao and Carl John Manning; and
to reach conclusions as to the circumstances leading to Victoria’s death and to make recommendations to the Government on how such an event may be avoided in the future.
Child Health Interim Application
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent the working of the child health interim application has been affected by problems with (a) computer processes and (b) manual supporting processes. [85636]
Caroline Flint: The child health interim application (CHIA) is itself a collection of computer and manual supporting processes. The CHIA system was implemented following the withdrawal of the previous RICHS child health system. As a consequence of the migration there have been some validation and coding difficulties which are currently being addressed by Connecting for Health, the strategic health authority and the contractor (BT).
There are also some current issues with links required to other computer systems, which are also being addressed. Manual systems have been implemented to continue to provide some of the services that were available previously.
Child Obesity
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the impact on obesity levels of children (a) watching television and (b) using computers and other game consoles; [86580]
(2) what assessment she has made of the impact of television advertising promoting sedentary activities on children’s obesity levels. [86581]
Caroline Flint: The Department has made no formal assessment of the impact that sedentary behaviour such as watching television or using computers or other game consoles has on obesity levels in children. However, a large-scale cross-national body of survey-based research conducted on children and on teenagers is emerging, which generally shows a moderate correlation between the amount of television viewed and children’s diet or health.
Although there is no clear United Kingdom evidence that obese children are more likely to have low levels of physical activity compared to non-obese children, there is plenty of evidence showing that high levels of sedentary behaviour such as watching television or playing computer games are predictive of being obese and overweight.
The correlation could be because watching television or playing computer games does not expend any energy; in fact, it may even depress the metabolic rate.
The correlation could also be owing to television and playing computer games substituting for physical exercise, or because children watch television while consuming food and drinks that are high in fat and sugar.
As part of its work on developing a healthy living campaign, the Department is currently looking into what correlations there may be between obesity and sedentary behaviour. It has not found any clear evidence of the impact on obesity of television or video gaming but has made an intuitive assessment of a possible correlation, which has been supported by stakeholder and expert groups as part of a focus area review.
Child Vaccinations
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the level of child vaccinations in London. [85634]
Caroline Flint: The latest annual estimate of childhood vaccines was published in the Statistical bulletin NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 2004-05. A copy has been placed in the Library and is also available on The Information Centre for health and social care's website at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/immunisaton05/04119650.pdf/file.
Some problems have been encountered recently in collecting data on childhood vaccinations in London. We are exploring how these problems can be rectified.
Quarterly data are published by the Health Protection Agency in CDR weekly and is available on their website at:
www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/vaccination/vac_cover.htm
A copy has been placed in the Library.
Choose and Book
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2006, Official Report, column 321W, on Choose and Book, what information she collects from (a) primary care trusts, (b) acute trusts and (c) strategic health authorities on their allocation of budgets for Choose and Book. [85218]
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2006, Official Report, column 321W on choose and book, what assessment her Department has made of the likely financial impact of the choose and book system programme on local trusts and authorities. [82132]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Choose and Book will help commissioners and providers to manage resources efficiently by providing real-time information about demand in terms of referrals. The effect of this in a particular area depends on the response of managers and clinicians to the available information.
In terms of implementation costs, primary care trusts (PCTs) are being reimbursed for the short-term cost of upgrading existing general practitioner practice
systems so that they align with Choose and Book. PCTs have also received centrally funded support to resolve technical issues, and to pay for the necessary project management resource required locally. Funding is also available for acute trusts to support a technical upgrade to existing patient administration systems to make them align with Choose and Book.
Clinically Qualified Staff
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinically qualified staff are employed by the NHS in non-clinical roles. [88278]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.
Colonoscopy
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the likely change in the number of colonoscopies carried out each year under the NHS following the adoption of the new national guidelines on colonoscopy use. [78422]
Andy Burnham: No estimate has been made centrally of likely changes to the number of colonoscopies carried out following publication of the British Society of Gastroenterology’s report ‘Care of Patients with Gastrointestinal Disorders in the United Kingdom: A Strategy for the future’. Copies have been placed in the Library.
The Department is, however, in the process of agreeing local delivery plans with strategic health authorities which, for the first time, will include the number of colonoscopies planned for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Community Hospitals
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) letters and (b) other representations her Department has received on (i) Cranleigh Village Hospital and (ii) the future of Royal Surrey County Hospital. [87916]
Caroline Flint: A search of the Department’s correspondence database shows that there were approximately 38 completed cases on Cranleigh Village Hospital between September 2005 and to date. There were approximately 47 completed cases on Royal Surrey County Hospital between September 2005 and to date.
On 27 July 2005, my noble Friend (Lord Warner), the Minister of State responsible for NHS reform, had a meeting with a delegation to discuss Cranleigh Village Hospital. On 30 August 2005, my noble Friend wrote to Baroness Sharp of Guildford about Cranleigh Village Hospital, and on 26 April 2006, my noble Friend received a letter from Baroness Sharp of Guildford about this issue.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she plans to take to ensure that community hospitals can provide a comprehensive service for people who have (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) other complex and fluctuating conditions. [85295]
Andy Burnham: Decision-making on specific local healthcare provision, including services for people who have multiple sclerosis and other complex and fluctuating conditions, is a matter for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in consultation with the local population.
However, the Department expects national health service organisations to adhere to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on multiple sclerosis care, published in November 2003, and the national service framework for long-term conditions, published in March 2005.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the number of community hospital beds likely to be needed in Gloucestershire over the next (a) five and (b) 10 years. [85426]
Andy Burnham: It is for primary care trusts to assess and commission services to meet the needs of the populations that they serve.
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her Oral Statement of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 826W, on community hospitals, (1) how many community hospitals have (a) opened and (b) closed in the Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority area since 1997; and how many are being considered for closure; [85572]
(2) how many community hospitals in the Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority area she assesses as having Victorian workhouse facilities. [85573]
Andy Burnham: No community hospitals have been either opened or closed in the former Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority area since 1997. NHS West Midlands reports that only one community hospital in the area—Westcliffe hospital, operated by North Stoke primary care trust—is assessed as having Victorian workhouse facilities.
Continuing Care
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 27 June 2006, Official Report, column 321W, on continuing care, if she will provide the information broken down by (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary care trust. [87699]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Chairman of the West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 9 January, 10 April, 23 May and 6 June about the treatment of his constituents for sleep apnoea. [87933]
Caroline Flint
[holding answer 24 July 2006]: I have referred this matter to the chief executive of the NHS West Midlands Strategic Health Authority. I have
asked the chief executive to look into this matter and to reply directly to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Dentistry
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentistry practices are (a) serving NHS patients and (b) open to take on new NHS patients in each primary care trust in Hampshire. [79281]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of practices serving national health service patients and open to take on new NHS patients is not available centrally.
Provisional management estimates on the number of signed and rejected contracts in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority (SHA—now part of South Central SHA) area is available and is provided in the following table by primary care trust.
The table also sets out the estimated level of NHS services associated with accepted contracts compared with that of rejected contracts, based on weighted courses of treatment, or units of dental activity.
A contract may be for either a practice or an individual dentist.
Primary care trusts are using the funding associated with rejected contracts to commission additional services from other dentists.
| Number of contracts signed | Number of contracts rejected | Estimated level of NHS services associated with accepted contracts compared with rejected contracts (percentage) | |
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have left the NHS in the East Midlands strategic health authority in the last three years, broken down by parliamentary constituency. [86369]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the following table:
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