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7 Nov 2006 : Column 1310W—continued
Pfizer
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect on the NHS of recent changes to wholesale arrangements involving drugs manufactured by Pfizer; what assessment she has made of the effect of the changes on the cost to the NHS of drugs manufactured by Pfizer; and if she will make a statement. [97452]
Andy Burnham: This is a commercial matter for Pfizer. Pfizer have assured the Department that it will make every effort to ensure that these new arrangements will not result in any disruptions in the supply of its United Kingdom-sourced branded medicines to national health service patients nor any increase in costs. The Department will monitor these new arrangements with a view to taking corrective action if appropriate.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to prevent the imposition of quotas by pharmaceutical manufacturers on the supply of medicines supplied to pharmaceutical wholesalers and retailers. [97339]
Andy Burnham: The way in which pharmaceutical manufacturers supply medicines to wholesalers and retailers is a commercial decision. The Department works closely with those in the supply chain to ensure that patients receive their medicines.
Physiotherapists
Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trained physiotherapists there are; how many are in training; how many are unemployed; and what assessment she has made of the longer-term prospects of employment for physiotherapists. [98712]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are 19,997 qualified physiotherapists in the national health service in England and approximately 6,489 students who have begun training to be a physiotherapist since 2003-04. The physiotherapy three-month vacancy rate was1.1 per cent. at 31 March 2006 compared with five per cent, in 2001.
The department does not collect information on the number of physiotherapy graduates who have been unable to secure a post.
Work force planning is the responsibility of local NHS employers and strategic health authorities, who need to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of physiotherapists to meet local service needs.
The Department, jointly with NHS employers, wrote to all chief executives of strategic health authorities, NHS trusts and primary care trusts on 30 October 2006, encouraging NHS organisations to work together to manage work force change. The letter launched a new framework which outlines good practice and promotes local partnership working, across the health and social care sectors, for the benefit of displaced staff and new qualifiers leaving training. A copy of the letter and framework is available in the Library.
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the possible effect of addressing deficits in the NHS on recruitment of physiotherapist graduates. [98796]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 1 November 2006]: The recruitment of staff is the responsibility of local health organisations, which will ensure that there are sufficient numbers of physiotherapists to meet local service needs. The Department, jointly with NHS Employers, wrote to all chief executives of strategic health authorities, national health service trusts and primary care trusts on 30 October 2006, encouraging NHS organisations to work together to manage workforce change. The letter launched a new framework, which outlines good practice and promotes local partnership working, across the health and social care sectors, for the benefit of displaced staff and new qualifiers leaving training. A copy of the letter and framework has been placed in the Library.
Plagiocephaly
Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the development of moulding helmets and cranial banding for plagiocephaly. [100019]
Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is not developing guidance on cranial banding for plagiocephaly.
Polling and Research
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by (a) the NHS and (b) her Department on Ipsos MORI polling and research in the last six months. [99663]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Over the past six months, from1 May to 31 October 2006, the Department has spent £110,800 on polling and research with Ipsos MORI.
The Department does not collect figures centrally for national health service spending on polling and research.
Post-65 Health Services
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of total spending on hospital and community health services in England is accounted for by treatment of or provision of services to people aged over 65 years; [96330]
(2) what percentage of healthcare spending in (a) England and (b) Surrey is accounted for by treatment of or provision of services to people aged over 65 years; [96331]
(3) if she will adjust the weighted capitation model in order to reflect the healthcare needs of people aged over 65 years. [96332]
Andy Burnham: Approximately 43 per cent. of total hospital and community health services expenditure in England is accounted for by the treatment of or provision of services to people aged over 65 years.
We do not have information on the percentage of healthcare spending in Surrey accounted for by those aged over 65 years as regional data is not collected centrally. This information would only be available locally. Contact details for local NHS organisations are available on the internet at the following address: www.nhs.uk.
The weighted capitation formula includes adjustments for age related need. They are explained in “Resource allocation weighted capitation formula: fifth edition”, which is available from the Library or at www.dh.gov.uk/allocations.
Pregnancy
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to encourage pregnant women to exercise regularly; and if she will make a statement. [97868]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Keeping fit and healthy during pregnancy is important for the wellbeing of both mother and baby. The Department has issued advice on physical activity during pregnancy in The Pregnancy Book, which also recommends some exercises that pregnant women should try to fit into their daily routine. This book is given free to all women who are pregnant for the first time.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on stress in pregnancy; and if she will make a statement. [99270]
Andy Burnham: The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant in aid from the Office of Science and Innovation, part of the Department of Trade and Industry. Recent MRC funded research relating to stress in pregnancy includes:
Dr. Veronica O’Keane, Institute of Psychiatry—Comparison of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in depressed and healthy pregnant women.
The MRC has also funded a number of relevant cohort studies including:
Professor G. Davey-Smith, University of Bristol—Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC): A reference population for genetic and environmental epidemiology;
The Southampton Women’s Survey maintained by the MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre; and,
The Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development based at University College London.
Primary Care
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was to the public purse of the reconfiguration of primary care in Cambridgeshire up to 30 September; and if she will make a statement. [96890]
Andy Burnham: The costs of the changes that were announced on 16 May will depend on a number of factors, including the location of new organisations being created, the number of people in the new organisations, and new pay ranges for very senior managers as well as changes in estate costs following reconfiguration.
These arrangements are currently being worked up and discussed with trade unions and staff. Until those discussions have been concluded and the detail of new arrangements agreed it is not possible to confirm or accurately forecast costs.
Commissioning a patient-led NHS is designed to deliver £250 million savings from administration costs through streamlining for reinvestment in frontline services. The savings are expected to be realised by the end of 2007 and then every year for reinvestment beginning in 2008-09.
We have asked strategic health authorities to oversee the generation of the savings locally. Each SHA has a cost envelope that it should realise but it is for local determination to work out the best way of achieving these savings.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the new primary care trust offices in Dereham, Norfolk, will be purchased via a private finance initiative. [97191]
Andy Burnham: This is a local matter. However, I understand that the newly formed Norwich primary care trust (PCT) accommodation will not be a private finance initiative. The new accommodation will be built by Breckland council and will be leased to the PCT.
Public Health (Control of Disease) Act
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to review the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. [98757]
Caroline Flint: “Getting Ahead of the Curve”, the infectious disease strategy published by the Chief Medical Officer in January 2002, made clear our intention of reviewing the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. Our current priority is to implement the International Health Regulations 2005 in the United Kingdom.
Quality Outcomes Framework
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to link the quality and outcomes framework and implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance. [94601]
Caroline Flint: The Department is seeking to ensure that wherever possible National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance should underpin specific quality and outcomes framework (QOF) indicators and that there should be no contradiction between QOF and NICE guidance.
NICE are working with NHS Employers (which negotiates changes to the QOF with the general practitioners committee of the British Medical Association) to map QOF indicators onto NICE guidance. This is to ensure that QOF indicators are compatible with NICE guidance and that any apparent differences arising from the different purposes of NICE guidance and QOF are explained.
Residential Care/Supported Living
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the process by which discretionary awards of personal expenses allowances are made to people in residential care by local authorities; and if she will make a statement. [97260]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Councils have discretion to vary the amount of the personal expenses allowance in special circumstances but no data is held centrally on the use of this discretion.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of differences in income between people in (a) residential care and (b) supported living tenancies; and if she will make a statement. [97256]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department has not made any assessment of the differences in income between people in residential care and supported living. There are no plans to undertake such an assessment.
Restaurant Inspections
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many restaurants and other food outlets were closed down for breach of food safety regulations in each year since 2002. [98288]
Caroline Flint: Two of the actions taken by local authorities to enforce food safety law will result directly in the closure of the food establishment concerned: emergency prohibition notices or orders, and voluntary closures. However, in a very few cases, the emergency prohibition notice may be issued against a specific piece of equipment, and the food establishment could continue to operate in other ways.
The information for England is contained in the following table. Information relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved administrations.
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