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23 Oct 2006 : Column 1718W—continued
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are receiving treatment for mesothelioma in each strategic health authority area. [92687]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We do not have information on patients currently being treated as data are gathered retrospectively.
Information on finished admission episodes and patient counts for 2004-05 where the primary diagnosis was mesothelioma is shown in the table. The information is broken down by the strategic health authorities based on the residency of patients, not where the patients are treated.
Modernising Medical Careers
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether consideration is being given to delaying the implementation of Modernising Medical Careers; and if she will list the bodies which have requested her to do so; [95315]
(2) whether it is planned under Modernising Medical Careers to conduct induction training for all doctors below consultant grade on 1 to 3 August 2007. [95243]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We expect all national health service employers to provide newly-employed doctors and other staff with induction training when they take up post. August has traditionally been a time when doctors in training change jobs.
This was the case under Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) when we successfully launched the foundation programme in August 2005. In August 2007, we will begin the introduction of new specialty training programmes. We plan to help NHS trusts to manage the transition to the new programmes by phasing the take-up of places in new programmes over a period to coincide with existing trainees completing training and leaving current training programmes.
MMC is a major initiative aimed to improve both patient care and doctors' training. For this reason it is subject to significant governance processes involving both the Department and the NHS. We are satisfied that MMC is proceeding satisfactorily and we do not consider it necessary to delay it. I understand that the Junior Doctors’ Committee has voiced a number of concerns in the press, though they have not made a direct approach. Departmental officials have met with their representatives to discuss these concerns and are keen to engage further with all stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation of MMC.
Neonatal Care
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how she will implement the choice agenda in neonatal care. [91710]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Neonatal care concerns the provision of specialist emergency care for very sick, premature babies. For that reason, it falls outside the scope of the current commitment to give people referred for planned hospital care a choice of provider.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for the development of a dedicated 24-hour neonatal transport service in England. [91711]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department has facilitated the development of 24 local neonatal managed clinical networks across England to provide a more structured, collaborative approach to caring for newborn babies. It is for each network to determine the appropriate arrangements for neonatal transport within their area.
Organ Removal
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps she (a) is taking and (b) has taken to ensure that bereaved families wishing to raise issues regarding organ removal and retention in cases of sudden death which occurred before 2000 are provided with details of relevant post mortem reports; [89433]
(2) by what means she is publicising the rights of bereaved families to reclaim before 2007 organs which have been retained by hospitals without consent. [89434]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In April 2001, ahead of a full review of the law in this area, the Government set up the Retained Organs Commission (ROC), a special health authority, to deal with issues arising from organ retention cases in England and Wales. The primary purpose of ROC was to manage the process by which national health service trusts provided information to relatives about retained organs and tissue and to ensure that organs and tissue were returned to those who requested them. In addition, ROC provided information and advocacy for relatives and families throughout this period.
As part of its package of guidance, ROC made specific mention of the need to facilitate access to medical records wherever appropriate. ROC completed its work in March 2004. Thereafter, the Department funded a helpline provided by the National Bereavement Partnership, which ensures an ongoing source of information and help for families.
More recently, the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) was set up under the Human Tissue Act 2004, which applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Separate legislation was introduced in Scotland under the Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006. The 2004 Act followed the fundamental review of the law. The HTA has now issued its own guidance in its code of practice on the “Removal, storage and disposal of human organs and tissue”, which builds on and supersedes the previous guidance. The code sets out how NHS trusts should ensure full and sensitive communication around all aspects of requests for information, and to consider locally whether there is a need for any further publicity. In cases following a coronial post mortem, family members can request a copy of the report via the coroner's office.
Positional Plagiocephaly
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to alert (a) general practitioners, (b) health visitors and (c) mothers to (i) the symptoms of positional plagiocephaly in newborn infants and (ii) the means by which the severity of the condition may be reduced. [89432]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: General practitioners and health visitors undertake a series of checks on health and development in children, known as the child health development programme, which is informed by professional guidelines, principally “Health for all children”. This includes guidance on detecting abnormalities in skull development, which may include positional plagiocephaly caused by allowing pressure to one part of a baby's skull over a period of time, typically during sleep and rest periods. This can cause a temporary flattening of a baby's head on the side the head rests upon which is commonly remedied by enabling babies to experience a range of positions during waking hours. The Department's guidance to parents on the first five years of their child's life “Birth to five”, and on reducing the risk of cot death, advocates babies being encouraged to experience a range of different positions and to play on their front when awake.
Public Smoking Ban
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department will announce a date for the introduction of the public smoking ban in England. [94441]
Caroline Flint: We have already committed to implementing smokefree legislation in summer 2007. The specific implementation date will be announced shortly.
Royal College of Midwives
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department next plan to meet the Royal College of Midwives. [94599]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is scheduled to meet Dame Karlene Davis of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) on 24 October. I am scheduled to meet Dame Karlene Davis of the RCM on 26 October. No other Ministers have any plans to meet with the RCM.
Self-Care
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work is being undertaken with health professionals' organisations to embed self-care in core curricula. [92287]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The National Director for Primary Care is carrying out a programme of visits and engagements with the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board, the General Medical Council, and
the medical Royal Colleges and Faculties to discuss and raise the profile of the self-care agenda. As a result, the Royal College of Physicians have included four self-care competences in their generic curriculum (covering 26 specialties). Officials are having parallel discussions with colleagues in college and faculty education departments to further develop self-care in core curricula. A programme of work with the nursing and allied health professional bodies will begin in the new year.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what work has been undertaken with NHS employers to (a) embed self-care in the knowledge and skills framework and (b) embed self-care in job descriptions and annual appraisals under Agenda for Change; [92288]
(2) what action her Department is taking to develop a self-care competency framework for NHS staff. [92289]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Skills for Health and Skills for Care will be consulting on a common core of self-care competences towards the end of the year. These have been developed in collaboration with carer and service user organisations and the Department. Work with national health service employers will follow on from the establishment of the common core competences.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring her Department is undertaking of the implementation of self-care strategies; and if she will make a statement. [92292]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: No targets have been set regarding implementation of self-care strategies. Self-care is part of the Government's strategy to put people more in control, to make services more responsive, to focus on those with complex needs and to shift care closer to home.
The Government's framework document for self- care strategies is set out in “Supporting people with long term conditions to Self Care—a guide to developing local strategies and best practice” a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
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