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30 Nov 2006 : Column 917W—continued
Maternity Care
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which hospitals have lost neonatal intensive care cots due to the impact of NHS trust deficits; [101826]
(2) how many neonatal intensive care cots were available in each of the last five years; [101827]
(3) how many babies born in England in each of the last five years required neonatal care. [101828]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information on hospitals that have closed neonatal intensive care cots due to the impact of national health service trust deficits is not collected centrally.
Information on the number of neonatal intensive care cots available in each of the last five years is set out in the following table.
| Average daily number of available neonatal intensive care beds in England, 2001-02 to 2005-06 | |
| Available beds | |
| Notes: 1. This is the average daily number of beds available in wards open overnight classified as intensive care: Neonates. 2. ‘Intensive care: neonates’ is actually the number of beds in wards classified as 'neonates: intensive care wards'. Therefore this may include beds that are not neonatal intensive care beds. Source: Department of Health form KH03 | |
Information on the number of babies born in England in each of the last five years that required neonatal care is not collected centrally.
Medical Error
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to minimise fatalities due to medical error in hospitals. [102551]
Andy Burnham: The Government are concerned about national health service patients affected by adverse events. It established the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in July 2001 to develop and maintain a national reporting and learning system (NRLS) for patient safety incidents so that these incidents could be analysed and sources of risk identified and acted upon. This system is now in place across the NHS, all trusts have been connected and are reporting to the system from late 2005. Data collected by the agency are based on incidents reported by NHS staff.
The NPSA is reviewing incidents resulting in death and is in discussion with key stakeholders to identify appropriate strategies to address the underlying risk in areas where there is the opportunity for a national patient safety solution.
The agency has also issued 20 national patient safety solutions, of which seven have been patient safety alerts addressing high risk patient safety issues, these are:
improving compliance with oral methotrexate;
reducing the harm caused by misplaced naso and orgastric feeding tubes in babies under the care of neonatal units;
correct site surgery;
advice on reducing harm caused by the misplacement of nasogastric tubes;
clean hands help to save lives;
crash call number; and
safe storage and handling of potassium chloride.
The agency is evaluating the impacts of these in terms of reducing harm to patients. Two examples where there is information about the potential benefits are:
clean your hands campaign—99 per cent. of hospitals in England and 100 per cent. of hospitals in Wales have implemented this campaign. It is expected that at least 89 deaths per year will be averted, rising to 445 averted deaths per year after five years; and
potassium chloride—it is estimated that one to two deaths every year are prevented.
Mental Health Services
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the number of acute beds for mental health patients of (a) working age and (b) above working age in Gloucestershire. [101447]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There are no plans by the Department to increase the number of acute mental health beds for people of working age and above working age in Gloucestershire. It is for local national health service primary care trusts in conjunction with their strategic health authorities to make an assessment of the local health service provision, including mental health services.
Migraine
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of (a) adults and (b) children who experience migraine attacks in England. [102529]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have made no estimates of the number of adults and children who have experienced migraine attacks.
Myasthenia Gravis
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the prevalence rate of myasthenia gravis is; what NHS funded (a) treatment and (b) research facilities there are for the condition; and if she will make a statement. [103676]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Myasthenia Gravis Association have estimated the prevalence for this condition at around one in 10,000 people in the United Kingdom.
Patients with myasthenia gravis are able to access a range of national health service and social care services, tailored to meet their individual needs, to help them manage their condition. It is for primary care trusts, in consultation with other stakeholders, to determine which services, including those for people with myasthenia gravis, their local populations require and to ensure the appropriate provision of these services.
The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
Over 75 per cent. of the Department’s total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. Details of individual
projects, including some concerned with myasthenia gravis, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research
Neurology/Epilepsy
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which specialist epileptic care units in (a) Greater London, broken down by London borough, and (b) England require additional funding in order to comply with current Health and Safety standards. [101248]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Trusts are responsible for compliance with health and safety standards, laws and regulations.
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what process children with epilepsy go through in order to obtain a statement of special educational needs; and how they are assessed. [101254]
Mr. Dhanda: I have been asked to reply.
Children with a medical condition like epilepsy would not be considered to have special educational needs (SEN) unless they also had a significant learning difficulty or their medical condition prevented or hindered them from making use of the educational facilities generally available in their areas for children of their age. If either or both of these reasons applied to a child with epilepsy and it was necessary to assess the child with a view to giving him or her an SEN statement then the child would be assessed and statemented in the same way as other children with SEN. This is provided for by the Education Act 1996 and associated Regulations and set out in the SEN Code of Practice. The assessment arrangements require the local authority to seek written advice from the parents, the school, educational psychologists, health and social services and any others the local authority thinks it is desirable to take advice from. The local authority decides whether to draw up a statement and the contents of any statement in light of this advice.
New Burton House
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding the possible closure of New Burton House in Stafford. [102395]
Caroline Flint: There have been no representations made on this issue, which is a local operational matter.
Next of Kin
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elderly people were unable to provide a next of kin whilst seeking medical treatment in each year since 2000; how many of these were consequently unable to obtain treatment; and if she will make a statement. [104160]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
Information on the numbers of people who either could not, or chose not to, nominate someone as their next of kin does not exist. The
national health service does not require any person to nominate someone as their next of kin as a condition for obtaining treatment.
NHS Compensation
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid by the NHS in compensation in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary care trust; and for what reasons compensation has been paid during that period. [106589]
Andy Burnham: Primary care trusts were first established in 2000-01 and strategic health authorities in 2002-03. Data is available from these years until 2005-06.
The information has been placed in the Library.
NHS Foundation Trusts
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with Monitor on the number of compulsory redundancies made by NHS foundation trusts in the first six months of 2006-07. [101690]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There have been no discussions with Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) on this matter.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to alter the role of Monitor in determining the borrowing powers of NHS foundation trusts. [101692]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There are no plans to alter the role of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) in determining the borrowing powers of national health service foundation trusts. The powers of Monitor are set out in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (Anti-TNF Drugs)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the extent to which NHS patients have access to the new generation of anti-TNF drugs for rheumatoid arthritis. [103058]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have made no assessment of the extent to which national health service patients living with rheumatoid arthritis have access to anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs. All primary care trusts in England and Wales are obliged to fund, from general allocations, anti-TNF therapy for those patients with rheumatoid arthritis who meet the clinical guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Royal Free Hospital
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health which services (a) have been and (b) will be
transferred from Mount Vernon to Royal Free Hospital; and if she will make a statement. [100833]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Transfer of the plastic surgery service took place on 3 October 2006, when all elective adult and paediatric in-patient procedures were transferred to the Royal Free Hospital Trust in Hampstead.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on refurbishment of the Royal Free Hospital Trust buildings; and if she will make a statement. [100838]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The refurbishment of trusts’ estates are a matter for the local national health service.
However, NHS London reports that the Royal Free Hospital Trust is about to conclude the third successful year of an eight year rolling programme of compliance refurbishment work. Work undertaken this year includes three major ward refurbishments and the creation of a purpose built new medical assessment unit. In February 2007 major refurbishment will continue, to include a further four wards.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been of the Choose and Book system at the Royal Free Hospital since its introduction; how many additional staff have been employed to run the system; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the new system. [100995]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This information is not held centrally.
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future of the accident and emergency department at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. [101702]
Caroline Flint: The NHS West Midlands reports that there is ongoing consultation on local NHS acute services, which relates solely to paediatric and urology services. The local national health service has reasserted its views that the current consultant-led accident and emergency departments at both the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital will be retained. This is in line with ministerial commitments given at the time of the merger in 2003.
Sleep Apnoea
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people in (a) England, (b) Redbridge and (c) Waltham Forest who have sleep apnoea; what treatment is available for sleep apnoea on the NHS; how many are estimated to suffer from it; where in East London the treatment is available; what policy local primary care trusts have for funding the relevant treatment; and if she will make a statement. [103592]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
Data on the number of people with sleep apnoea are not available centrally but the British
Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association estimates that 4 per cent. of men and 2 per cent. of women are affected by the condition.
Patients with sleep apnoea are able to access a range of national health service and social care services, tailored to meet their individual needs, to help them manage their condition. It is for health professionals in primary care organisations, in consultation with other stakeholders, to determine which services their populations require and ensure the appropriate level of provision. In terms of sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea, this would include, where appropriate, the provision of continuous positive airway pressure equipment as well as other treatments and interventions such as advice to promote weight loss. It is for health professionals to decide what treatment to offer patients, in consultation with the patient and informed by the patient’s medical history.
Information on specialist sleep apnoea services in East London is not available centrally.
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