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31 Oct 2006 : Column 350W—continued
| West Midlands | East | London | South East | South West | ||||||
| Number | Rate | Number | Rate | Number | Rate | Number | Rate | Number | Rate | |
| Notes: 1. Infant mortality rate is defined as deaths at ages under one year per 1,000 live births. 2. Figures for 2005 are provisional Source: Key Population and Vital Statistics, Vital Statistic Tables (Office for National Statistics) | ||||||||||
Influenza Vaccinations
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pensioners in Hendon qualify for influenza vaccinations; how many doses of vaccination have been available to the NHS in Hendon in each of the last three years; how many doses have been administered by the NHS in Hendon over the same period; and if she will make a statement. [96927]
Caroline Flint: This information is not held centrally. General practitioners are responsible for ordering vaccine direct from the supplier of their choice, so the number of patients requiring vaccine and the amount of doses ordered is dependent on what local GP list sizes are and what they actually ordered.
The following table shows the flu vaccine uptake for people over 65 in Barnet primary care trust (PCT) for the last three years:
| Flu uptake at Barnet PCT | |
| Percentage | |
Junior Doctors
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to announce how many junior doctor training posts there will be in each specialty under Modernising Medical Careers. [98402]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers announced on 29 September indicative figures of 22,000 to 23,000 for the number of places planned to be available during the transition to new specialty training programmes in 2007. Further information is required before final figures can be
confirmed early in the new year. Further work is being undertaken so that more precise information, including a breakdown by specialty, can be given in due course.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of specialties within the new junior doctor training posts. [98403]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The provisional number of training places in England projected by the postgraduate deans to be available next year is slightly in excess of 30,000. This includes about 11,500 places in foundation programmes, 15,500 places in specialty training programmes and a further 3,300 places in fixed-term specialty training appointments.
These figures are indicative and are still subject to further discussions with postgraduate deans, medical Royal Colleges and the national health service and will be refined later in the year. Work on the distribution across individual specialties is now under way and the outcome will be published when the figures are confirmed. Foundation programmes are not specialty specific.
The number of training places in each training programme is planned over time to provide the number of specialists and general practitioners necessary to deliver patient care. Entry to training programmes will be by competition. Each applicant will be able to make up to four applications and can therefore choose to compete for both specialties and locations.
Selection and recruitment will be managed by postgraduate deans according to person specifications developed for each specialty. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by expert panels comprising specialists in the field and service representatives. This process will be supported by the Medical Training Application Service (MTAS), a UK-wide web-based system designed to support the efficient handling of applications. This new system went live on 25 October this year for the handling of foundation programme applications and goes live January 2007 for the start of specialty recruitment.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what career advice is being provided to junior doctors regarding the changes taking place under Modernising Medical Careers. [98404]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Junior doctors have access to personal career advice through their postgraduate medical deanery's career advice service, which has received funding specifically for this purpose. For more general advice about the changes in specialty/general practitioner training, a comprehensive plan of events, publications, presentations and articles will start with the launch of the new programmes by England's Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, on 13 November 2006. These are planned specifically for the transitional years. In the future, NHS Careers has proposed to offer web-based, national information to support local career advisers.
Mr. Jeremy Browne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect on services caused by junior doctors taking time off to
attend interviews for the new junior doctor training posts advertised from November 2006; and what steps she has taken to minimise such effects. [98405]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Deaneries are working with trusts to establish a detailed calendar of interview dates, locations and times for the national recruitment next year.
The national interview schedule will be made available in advance so that trainees will be able to identify the four possible dates they might be interviewed and, with this information, cover and service arrangements can be planned well in advance.
Trainees can have a maximum of four interviews—this is a far smaller number than many trainees have had in the past and with advance planning of dates trusts will be able to manage the situation without undue disruption.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her assessment is of the capability of the IT infrastructure of NHS trusts to deal effectively with the recruitment process for the new junior doctor training posts. [98406]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Recruitment to medical training programmes starting in 2007 will be undertaken through the medical training application service (MTAS). In order to use MTAS, recruitment teams need to have access to the same IT infrastructure as is required to access national health service jobs: a standard internet browser and an e-mail account.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the British Medical Association on the introduction of Modernising Medical Careers. [96263]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I understand that the junior doctors’ committee have voiced a number of concerns in the press around modernising medical careers (MMC), though they have not made a direct approach. 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.
Long-term Care Costs
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate she has made of the number of people who had to sell their homes in order to pay for long-term care in 2006-07; [95591]
(2) what percentage of patients who received long-term care from the National Health Service had to pay towards their care in 2006-07; [95592]
(3) what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of patients who have to sell their homes in order to receive long-term nursing care. [95593]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: National health service care, including continuing care and nursing care, is free at the point of delivery.
Social services care is means tested, based on an individual's assets, and is provided by local councils.
Since 2001, no one has had to sell their home in order to enter a care home as they can agree a deferred payment with their council, which is claimed back at a later date. Under this scheme, the council meets the cost of the care home place and these costs are recouped from the estate of the resident on death.
Mesothelioma
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost of providing (a) herceptin for breast cancer and (b) alimta for mesothelioma for each patient with such diseases in the South West of England, broken down by primary care trust area. [96240]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information about the cost of providing herceptin for breast cancer and alimta for mesothelioma to individual patients is not centrally collected.
However, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has assessed that the cost of providing herceptin for early breast cancer is approximately £24,500 per patient and the cost of providing alimta for mesothelioma is approximately £8,000 per patient. Costs may vary in different settings because of negotiated procurement discounts.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are receiving treatment for mesothelioma in the South West of England, broken down by primary care trust. [96241]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of people receiving treatment for mesothelioma is not centrally collected. Information on count of finished consultant episodes where the primary diagnosis was mesothelioma for primary care trusts in the south west of England is provided in the following table.
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