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6 Dec 2006 : Column 540W—continued
Cholesterol
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of the Quality and Outcome framework on cholesterol level since its introduction. [104373]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The quality and outcome framework (QOF) measures achievement against a scorecard of 146 indicators, with 76 indicators in the clinical domain. It includes three quality indicators for control of cholesterol in patients with coronary disease, stroke and diabetes. The following tables show the percentage of available points achieved against these indicators across England demonstrating that general practice practices are making good progress in improving control of cholesterol in patients with cardiovascular disease.
The applicable QOF indicators and the overall percentages are in the following tables.
| CHD 8—Percentage of patients with coronary heart disease whose last measured total cholesterol (measured in the last 15 months) is 5mmol/l or less | |
| QOF Year | Overall percentage CHD 8 for England |
| Stroke 8—Percentage of patients with TIA or stroke whose last measured total cholesterol (measured in the last 15 months) is 5mmol/1 or less | |
| QOF Year | Overall percentage stroke 8 for England |
| DM 17—Percentage of patients with diabetes whose last measured total cholesterol within previous 15 months is 5mmol/1 or less | |
| QOF Year | Overall percentage DM17 for England |
| Notes: Some patients may be excluded from the indicator because of exceptions and exclusions. Only patients registered with a general practice participating in QOF will be included. | |
Choose and Book
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) hospital trusts and (b) independent sector treatment centres are using the choose and book system; and how many are mental health trusts, broken down by region. [102685]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The table shows how many of each type of organisation have used choose and book up to 19 November 2006, by strategic health authority.
| Organisations using choose and book system as at 19 November 2006 | |||||||||
| Strategic health authority | Foundation trusts | Foundation mental health trusts | NHS trusts | NHS mental health trusts | Independent sector treatment centres | Other independent sector providers | Care trusts | Primary care trusts | Total |
Clinical Training
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to co-ordinate clinical training supervised by strategic health authorities to ensure consistency of (a) quantity and (b) quality of training. [104371]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Each strategic health authority (SHA) has a work force lead and a postgraduate deanery as well as a senior officer responsible for commissioning. These functions work together at an SHA level and also meet at a national level. A work force review team based in the national health service and funded by the Department informs their work. A work force programme group allows work force leads to discuss important matters with senior officials in my Department. Departmental officials also work closely with postgraduate deans and commissioning leads.
SHAs decide on the quantity of training available and this is approved and quality assured by the appropriate regulatory or professional body. For example, the postgraduate medical education and training board holds regular discussions with postgraduate deans to ensure that its standards are met.
Community Pharmacies
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the trend in the number of community pharmacies in England receiving payments for delivering agreed additional hours between 2004-05 and 2005-06, as shown in table 12 of the General Pharmaceutical Service (Annual Bulletin) 2005-06; and how many community pharmacies provided additional agreed hours in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06, broken down by primary care trust area; [106165]
(2) how many additional agreed hours each primary care trust agreed with community pharmacies in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06. [107393]
Andy Burnham: The proportion of community pharmacies overall providing additional agreed hours for example, in the evening or at weekends declined from 45.5 per cent. in 2004-05 to 31.9 per cent. in 2005-06.
This continues a trend seen in previous years although the change between 2004-05 and 2005-06 is more marked. However, this change may be offset by 1,432 new out of hours services provided by pharmacy contractors as a local enhanced service for the first time in 2005-06. Some of these new services may have replaced previous agreements for additional hours.
The change may also be attributed to the increase in a community pharmacy’s minimum contracted hours from 30 to 40 hours per week from 1 April 2005 and to those contractors who have opened pharmacies for at least 100 hours per week under reforms to the control of entry system introduced from April 2005.
Tables will be placed in the Library showing the number of community pharmacies in England receiving payment for additional agreed hours as at 31 March 2005 and 31 March 2006 by primary care trust (PCT) area.
These tables update information at national level contained in table 12 of the statistical bulletin “General Pharmaceutical Services in England and Wales 1996-97 to 2005-06”, first published by the Information Centre in November 2006. These data are compiled from annual returns from primary care trusts and have not previously been published by PCT.
In compiling these data, it is apparent that PCTs have interpreted the information requirements differently. Some PCTs stated the total number of community pharmacies providing both types of additional agreed hours services, while other PCTs stated the number of community pharmacies providing any such additional service. Caution should therefore be exercised in comparing individual PCT data. This consistency issue refers only to the final column in each of the tables being placed in the Library. However, this does not affect the information set out in table 12 of the statistical bulletin relating to the numbers of pharmacies receiving payment for agreed additional hours which is considered to be accurate.
Information requested on additional agreed hours each PCT has agreed with community pharmacies is not held centrally.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the (a) optimum and (b) actual level of enhanced services being commissioned by primary care trusts under the community pharmacy contract; [106130]
(2) how many local enhanced services primary care trusts agreed with community pharmacies in each primary care trust area in 2005-06. [107394]
Andy Burnham: Table 9 of the NHS Information Centre’s statistical bulletin “General Pharmaceutical Services in England and Wales 1996-97—2005-06” shows that in 2005-06, the first year of operation, 16,920 local enhanced services were provided by community pharmacies under the new contractual framework. Appendix A to the bulletin breaks this information down by primary care trust. Out of 303 primary care trusts, 241 (80 per cent.) commissioned such services. A copy of the bulletin has been placed in the Library.
Primary care trusts determine which, if any, of these services they commission in the light of their assessment of pharmaceutical needs, available resources and health priorities locally.
Delayed Discharge: Cornwall
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital patients in Cornwall had their discharge delayed by (a) up to eight days, (b) between eight and 14 days, (c) between 14 and 28 days and (d) more than 28 days in the last year for which figures are available. [104462]
Andy Burnham: The information is not collected centrally.
Dentistry
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that NHS dental provision is available for those who are unable to travel to a dentist’s surgery because of disability or ill health. [104709]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning dental care services to reflect local needs and priorities. This includes commissioning appropriate dental care, such as domiciliary services, for patients with special needs.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many units of dental activity in each band was recorded by the Business Service Authority in each month since the start of the system, broken down by primary care trust. [105941]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information has been placed in the Library.
Activity reported in the first few months of the new dental contracts was significantly affected by the time-lags between dentists completing courses of treatment, dentists reporting courses of treatment to the NHS Business Services Authority (BSA), and the BSA processing these data. These time lags will also have varied between primary care trusts (PCTs) depending on the BSA schedule group to which they belong.
Minus figures may appear due to adjustments that may be made to the previous months data.
Sources:
The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority (BSA)
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) adults and (b) children are registered with NHS general dental practices in York; and how many were registered at York practices in each year since 1997. [106451]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is as follows.
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