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30 Nov 2006 : Column 913W—continued
Health Care Expenditure
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much per capita was spent on health services in (a) Hartlepool constituency and (b) England in each of the last 10 years. [100729]
Andy Burnham: National health service expenditure per head for England is shown in the table. Figures are not available for expenditure per head for Hartlepool constituency but expenditure accounted for by the Hartlepool Primary Care Trust has been provided for the five years it has been in existence.
| £ per head | ||
| Hartlepool | England | |
| Note: Expenditure shown for Hartlepool Primary Care Trust does not include all NHS expenditure within the constituency. Expenditure on general dental services and pharmaceutical services accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and Prescription Pricing Authority, respectively, are excluded from the primary care trust figures. This expenditure cannot be included within the figures for the individual health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts. Figures for Hartlepool and England are not therefore directly comparable. Expenditure by NHS trusts is not included as the majority of this would result in double counting within the constituency. An element of strategic health authority expenditure is also omitted as it cannot be accurately allocated to the constituency or primary care trust area. Sources: 1. Audited summarisation schedules of Hartlepool Primary Care Trust. 2. Net NHS England expenditure figures. 3. Office for National Statistics unweighted population figures. | ||
Health Centres
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she gives to (a) health trusts and (b) social services departments in respect of health centres which provide (i) long-stay and (ii) respite care for (A) adult and (B) child patients with complex needs. [102396]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: No guidance has been issued.
Health Professionals
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) headcount and (b) full-time equivalent (i) doctors, (ii) nurses and (iii) other health professionals were employed by independent sector providers in relation to centrally procured healthcare services for NHS patients in each year since 2004-05. [101931]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is shown in the table:
| Whole time equivalent | Headcount | |
| Notes: Figures are shown for those employed by independent sector providers in relation to independent sector treatment centres, walk- in centres with a commuter focus and the mobile ophthalmology services. The figures do not include the centrally procured general supplementary contracts, the mobile MRI service or the chlamydia screening service. | ||
Health Visitors
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that health visitors are fully involved in the Government’s plans to teach parenting skills. [106639]
Andy Burnham: We are involving health visitors in a range of parenting initiatives. The social exclusion action plan health-led parenting project will test an intensive model of parenting support for at-risk families and will be delivered by health visitors and midwives. Health visitors are being encouraged to contribute to Sure Start children’s centres and we have set up a working group to review the future role of health visitors that will include looking at their important contribution to parenting.
Hospital Marketing Code
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what consultations have taken place with non-departmental bodies on the introduction of the hospitals marketing code; [106720]
(2) if she will introduce financial limits on costs arising from hospitals’ advertising subsequent to the introduction of the hospitals marketing code. [106721]
Caroline Flint: In the “Operating Framework for 2006-07” the Department set out its expectation that providers would not want to spend excessively on advertising and marketing.
The Department published a draft “Code of Practice for promotion of NHS Services” for consultation on 27 November 2007, copies are available in the Library. The consultation will run until 28 February 2007 and we would welcome views from all those with an interest.
Hospital-Acquired Infections
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost to the NHS was of hospital-acquired infections in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [102584]
Andy Burnham: A study by the Public Health Laboratory Service in 1999 estimated that hospital-acquired infections cost the national health service £1 billion a year. Further data are not available.
Source:
R. Plowman, N. Graves, M. Griffin, J. A. Roberts, A. V. Swan, B. Cookson, L. Taylor. The socio-economic burden of hospital acquired infection. Public Health Laboratory Service 1999.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts she expects to halve their infection rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by 2008; and if she will make a statement. [102588]
Andy Burnham: We have set a target of halving the rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias (bloodstream infections) by 2008. Acute trusts have agreed local targets to reduce the number of MRSA bacteraemias which, taken overall, are designed to deliver the target. They do not however, require all trusts to halve their rates of infection. For example, trusts with low numbers are required to maintain or further improve their rates.
The Department is only half way through its three-year programme aimed at delivering the target. We expect every trust to plan to deliver the reduction required.
Infant Formula Milk
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2006, Official Report, column 75W, on infant formula milk, what powers she has to prevent (a) the use of goats milk protein in infant formula milk and (b) the sale of such products in England under (i) domestic and (ii) European legislation. [106552]
Caroline Flint: The European infant formula and follow-on formula legislation has been implemented in the United Kingdom by the infant formula and follow-on formula regulations 1995. Local authorities are responsible for the enforcement of the domestic regulations.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for ending the practice of using goats milk protein in infant formula milk. [106553]
Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised that the sale of infant nutrition products based on goats milk protein is in breach of European Union and United Kingdom infant formula legislation. There is no timetable but FSA is working to promote full compliance with the legislation, acknowledging that in certain circumstances, it may take time for businesses to make the necessary arrangements to market their products in accordance with the legislation.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many British-based companies include goats milk protein in the manufacture of (a) infant formula and (b) follow-on formula; how many infant nutritional products on the market include goats milk protein; and over what period of time such (i) companies and (ii) products have been including goats milk protein. [106554]
Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency is aware of one United Kingdom-based company that currently imports and markets a goats milk product labelled as suitable for infants. The company has marketed the product for infant nutrition purposes since the mid-1990s, but has agreed to reposition it as a foodstuff for general consumption. New product labelling will not make any claim that it is suitable for infant nutrition purposes.
A second UK-based company imported and marketed a different goats milk product for infant nutrition purposes from 2004 until 2006. The company has repositioned the product as a foodstuff for general consumption. The labelling of the product no longer makes any claim that it is suitable for infant nutrition purposes.
A UK-based internet retailer previously sold a third goats milk formula product, but stopped selling it in the UK in February this year.
Influenza Vaccine (Plymouth)
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why GP surgeries in Plymouth will not receive their full orders of influenza vaccine until December. [103372]
Caroline Flint: General practitioners purchase their own supply of flu vaccine direct from the supplier of their choice. This year there are six suppliers of flu vaccine to the United Kingdom. The Department is not responsible for the supply of flu vaccine to individual general practitioners.
Lyme Disease
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Lyme disease there have been in each strategic health authority area over the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [106667]
Caroline Flint: Data on cases of Lyme disease in each strategic health authority are not routinely available. Data for England and Wales over the past five years are available as follows:
| Number of cases | |
| Source: Health Protection Agency http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/zoonoses/lyme_borreliosis/enhanced.htm | |
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what standard clinical practice is for diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease; and if she will make a statement. [106668]
Caroline Flint: Internationally recognised criteria for the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis are routinely used for diagnosis within the national health service through the Health Protection Agency’s Lyme Borreliosis specialist diagnostic service. These are based upon stringent interpretation of serological tests for specific antibodies to the causative organism, Borrelia burgdorferi, and are recommended in the United States of America, Europe and the United Kingdom and are as follows:
Serum samples for the detection of antibodies to B. burgdorferi should be analysed by a two-test procedure:
a sensitive screening test, for example Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) or Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA). All samples judged to be reactive or equivocal in the screening test should then be confirmed by
a Western blot for antibodies to specific B. burgdorferi antigens. The Western blot should only be used in succession with an ELISA or IFA test. Detailed interpretive criteria for Western blots differ between Europe and the USA, to take into account differences in the geographic distribution of the infecting genospecies.
Treatment is with antibiotics, usually doxycycline or amoxicillin. Early treatment usually clears the rash within several days and helps to prevent the development of complications.
More serious symptoms also respond to antibiotic treatment, but the symptoms may be slower to resolve because damaged tissue takes time to heal. Nervous system symptoms such as meningitis or nerve inflammation usually require treatment with intravenous antibiotics. Detailed studies have shown excellent long-term outcomes for most people who receive appropriate treatment.
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