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4 Sep 2006 : Column 2090W—continued
Emergency and Acute Admissions
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department gives NHS Trusts on safe travelling times for (a) heart attack and (b) stroke patients for emergency admissions; how many hospitals in England accept acute admissions; and how many hospitals which accept acute admissions have people in their catchment area living more than one hour from the hospital. [88814]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 25 July 2006]: The national service framework (NSF) for coronary heart disease includes the recommendation that ambulance services put in place systems of care that transfer people with suspected heart attack to hospital in less than 30 minutes from the call. Response times are set for ambulance trusts to reach the scene of an incident.
The NSF standard, which national health service organisations are working towards, is that people with
heart attack are treated within 60 minutes of calling for professional help. In most parts of the country, ambulance trusts are training paramedics to treat patients with clot-busting drugs before arrival at hospital. Fifty-eight per cent. of patients are currently treated within 60 minutes of calling for help, compared with 24 per cent. before the NSF.
The Department has not issued guidance on safe travelling times for stroke patients. However, revised guidance on management of stroke for ambulance services is due to be issued by the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee.
The Department does not collect hospital level data. Population data at hospital or trust level are not collected centrally as NHS trusts do not have specific catchment areas. However, the Department collects data which showed that 286 NHS organisations (NHS trusts, primary care trusts and care trusts) had beds in acute wards open overnight in England in 2004-05. This figure is not necessarily the number of trusts in England that accept acute admissions. Some trusts may accept acute admissions and not have a ward classified as acute.
Emergency Readmissions
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency readmissions there have been in each quarter since 1997; and what the rate of patients readmitted as an emergency was for each quarter. [51929]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The data requested are shown in the table. Prior to 2002-03 data was only collected on a 75 and over age basis. This was expanded in 2002-03 to include all age ranges. Information is not collected on what proportion of readmissions may be due to something being amiss with the treatment in the previous hospital spell. Some patients and clinicians agree that it is better that the patient is discharged early and risk readmission.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency re-admissions there were in each quarter in 2005; and how many were of people aged (a) 0 to 10, (b) 11 to 18, (c) 19 to 65, (d) 66 to 75 and (e) over 75. [88964]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information for 2005 is not yet available owing to primary care trust reconfiguration. It will be available once reconfiguration is complete.
In future information on emergency re-admissions will not be available in the format requested. The data will be available on the National Centre for Health Outcomes Development (NCHOD) website at www.nchod.nhs.uk. The age ranges collected are 0 to
15, 16 to 74 and over 75. NCHOD would normally produce annually, not quarterly, data.
Emissions Trading Scheme
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many carbon dioxide emissions permits have been allocated to hospitals; and what the emissions were for each NHS hospital included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in the first year of operation. [86455]
Andy Burnham: One hundred and seven hospitals from the United Kingdom were operating in the European Union emissions trading scheme in 2005. A total of 879,241 allowances were issued in 2005 to those hospitals. The total of verified carbon dioxide emissions for those hospitals is 939,256 tonnes.
Epilepsy
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in England are being treated for epilepsy. [88023]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of children being treated for epilepsy is not collected.
Eye Disease
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of (a) cataracts, (b) cancer of the conjunctiva, (c) pterygium and (d) solar keratopathy resulting from exposure to sunlight; and what the estimated cost to the NHS was for the treatment of these conditions in the most recent year for which figures are available. [86070]
Caroline Flint: The following table provides information on the finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for the four conditions identified in the question. It is not possible to separately identify the cost of the individual diagnoses relating to exposure to sunlight.
| FCEs for 2004-05 for cataracts, cancer of the conjunctiva, pterygium and solar keratopathy | |
| Primary diagnosis | Total episodes |
| Notes: 1. FCEs An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 2. Diagnosis (primary diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital. 3. Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfall in data (that is the data was ungrossed). Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the Information Centre for health and social care. | |
Eye Tests
David Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many eye tests were claimed for in (a) England and (b) each region in each of the last 10
years; and what percentage of those who had eye tests subsequently received (i) spectacles for the first time and (ii) replacement or repairs of spectacles. [88141]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The tables showing the numbers of national health services sight tests, optical vouchers and repairs and replacements claimed for in each of the last 10 years for England and broken down by former strategic health authority area have been placed in the Library.
The number of those who receive spectacles for the first time is not collected centrally.
Vouchers are given to those in eligible groups to contribute towards the cost of spectacles or contact lenses. Eligible groups for repairs and replacements are children aged 16 and under, those in full-time education under 19 and other low-income groups.
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for low vision assessments in (a) primary care trusts and (b) social services departments in (i) England and (ii) Shropshire in the last period for which figures are available. [88672]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.
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