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25 Oct 2006 : Column 1963W—continued
Chorley Hospital
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the five most common reasons were for (a) out-patient and (b) in-patient admissions to Chorley hospital in the most recent period for which figures are available; [93850]
(2) how many people were admitted to Chorley hospital accident and emergency department in each of the last three years; [93851]
(3) what the most common reason was for admission to Chorley hospital accident and emergency department in the most recent period for which figures are available; [93852]
(4) how many ambulance admissions there were to (a) Chorley hospital and (b) Preston hospital accident and emergency departments in the latest period for which figures are available. [93853]
Andy Burnham: Data for individual hospitals are not collected centrally. The data in this answer relate to the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust. Information on ambulance admissions is not collected centrally.
Details of admissions via accident and emergency (A and E) departments are contained in the following table:
| Count of finished admission episodes for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Admission methods selected: Emergency—via A and E services, including casualty department of provider, Emergency—other means, including patients who arrive via A and E department of another health care provider | |
| Finished admission episodes | |
| Notes: 1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). 3. Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for Health and Social Care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. Whilst this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for Health and Social Care. | |
The five most common reasons for admission in 2004-05 were:
unknown and unspecified causes of morbidity;
pain in throat and chest;
syncope and collapse;
angina pectoris; and
other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Community Hospitals
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2006, Official Report, column 1207W, on community hospitals, what assessment her Department has made of the need for community hospital beds across England in the next five years. [91798]
Andy Burnham: We will consider proposals from primary care trusts (PCTs) under this programme. PCTs are in the best position to assess the needs of their local communities for these facilities.
The Department is committed to allocating £750 million capital funding to PCTs for new community hospitals and facilities over the next five years. We welcome bids from all PCTs and other interested providers, for example from the voluntary sector, whose strategic health authorities submitted applications to the Department by 21 October.
Dentistry
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices undertake National Health Service treatment in England for (a) adults and (b) children; and how many undertook such work in each category in 1998. [94167]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The table shows the number of dental practice postcodes in England where payments for NHS dental treatment were claimed between 1 January and 31 December each year.
| Adults only | Children only | Adults and children | Total | |
| Notes: 1. Data are for claims scheduled in the specified calendar years in both General Dental Services (CDS) and Personal Dental Services (PDS). 2. Children are defined as patients under 18 years on the date of acceptance for treatment. 3. There may be more than one practice at a postcode. 4. Data include notifications up to 12 October 2006. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) | ||||
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have ceased to work for the National Health Service since the new contract came into force; and if she will make a statement. [94176]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The numbers of primary care dentists on open national health service (NHS) contracts are collected and published quarterly. The
latest information shows that there were 19,462 dentists (performers) on open NHS contracts as at 30 June 2006 in England.
The final workforce information under the old contractual arrangements (as at 31 March 2006) showed that there were 21,111 dentists on open NHS contracts in England.
This comparison does not provide a reliable guide to the level of NHS dental services available. This depends not only on numbers of dentists but also, more importantly, on the amount of NHS work that they carry out. The aforementioned figures are consistent with the Department's estimate that around one in 10 dentists chose not to take up new NHS contracts from 1 April 2006, but management information indicates that these dentists carried out only around 4 per cent. of NHS dental services. Since 1 April 2006, primary care trusts have commissioned significant additional levels of NHS dentistry, more than making up for the 4 per cent. of services associated with dentists who did not take up new contracts.
Further information is available in reports published by The Information Centre for health and social care.
Statistical information on the new contracts (quarter 1, June 2006) is available at:
http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstatsq2o6.
Historical statistical information on the former General Dental Services contract and Personal Dental Services pilots is available at:
http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) NHS dentist training places and (b) dentists there were in each of the last 20 years. [93835]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The number of undergraduates admitted to dental schools varies depending upon the number of students who meet the entry criteria offered to them by the school. The table shows the number of home and European dental students admitted to English dental schools and the number of general dental services (CDS) and personal dental services (PDS) dentists in England, as at 30 September each year.
Fibromyalgia
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures she plans to put in place (a) to enable quick diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia and (b) to support people with fibromyalgia to continue in or return to work; [91594]
(2) whether the NHS has designated anyone as having responsibility for the welfare and interests of people with fibromyalgia. [91595]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The NHS Improvement Plan set out the Government’s priority to improve care for people with long term conditions—such as fibromyalgia—by moving away from reactive care based in acute systems towards a systematic, patient-centred approach focussed on improving health outcomes for individuals.
“Supporting People with Long Term Conditions”, published January 2005, sets out a new national health service and social care model designed to help local NHS and social care organisations improve care for people with long term conditions and provides a structured approach to help health and social care communities embed locally more effective approaches to the care and management of their chronically ill populations. It highlights the infrastructure needed to support better care as well as the need for a delivery system designed to match support to different patient needs.
Head Injuries
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action has been taken to implement the recommendations of the Health Committee Report 2001 in respect of rehabilitation services for those who have suffered a head injury; and if she will make a statement; [93266]
(2) what steps have been taken since 2001 to improve methods of data collection on the incidence, prevalence and severity of head injury; [93267]
(3) what data are available for planning of services and other purposes relating to those who have suffered from a brain injury; [93268]
(4) what steps have been taken since 2001 to identify (a) responsibility for the planning of head injury rehabilitation and (b) the appropriate location for such rehabilitation. [93269]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In our response to the Committee (Cm 5226, July 2001) the Government undertook to take their recommendations into account in drawing-up the national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions, and subsequently did so. The NSF was published last year and we are now working with stakeholders to implement it.
It is the responsibility of local health and social care professionals to plan and commission services to meet the current, and forecast, needs of the people they serve.
Data on the incidence of head injuries are collected and made available through the hospital episode statistics system. We have not made recent changes to this system.
Health Inequalities
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards reducing health inequalities within (a) England and (b) London. [93975]
Caroline Flint: Progress on reducing health inequalities in England is measured against the public service agreement (PSA) target and the 12 headline indicators set out in the national health inequalities strategy, the Programme for Action. The most recent report, the Status Report on the Programme for Action, published in August 2005, shows that the gap in life expectancy and infant mortality has continued to widen since the target baseline. The life expectancy gap has increased by 1 per cent. for males and 8 per cent. for females. The gap in infant mortality has increased from 13 per cent. to 19 per cent. The 12 national headline indicators monitor those programmes and policies that are expected to make a significant impact on health inequalities. The report shows no change for most indicators but early progress in three key areas:
reductions in child poverty;
improvements in housing quality; and
a reduction in the inequalities in cardiovascular disease and cancer death rates, in absolute terms.
In London, five of the 11 spearhead local authority areas covered by the London strategic health authority are making sufficient progress to narrow the life expectancy gap for both men and women in line with the target of reducing the gap by 10 per cent. by 2010. A further four areas are on track to narrow the gap for males or females. The remaining two areas are currently off track to meet the 2010 target.
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