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18 Dec 2006 : Column 1698W—continued
Care Contracts: Torbay
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to assess the service provided by the three care companies recently awarded five-year care contracts for the provision of services for vulnerable
people in Torbay; how regularly she plans to do so; and what notice clauses there are in the contracts should any of the three companies default on the provision of services which they have contracted to provide. [109802]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The provision of services in Torbay is a matter for the local national health service. However, I am informed by NHS South West that the three providers are Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) registered and are therefore subject to external monitoring.
I am also informed by NHS South West that the contracts between the providers and Torbay Care Trust include termination clauses relating to failure to deliver care or failure to act in accordance with the contract, in line with the trust’s normal contract guidelines.
Care Homes
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on care home fees. [104596]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In the year 1 December 2005 to 30 November 2006, there have been 14 parliamentary questions, 191 letters from hon. Members, 433 letters from organisations and the public, and 85 e-mails to the Department about care home fees and charges. The issues raised include fees paid by local authorities to care homes, the fees paid by service users to care homes, top-up fees and other issues related to charging and fees.
Chaplains
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many publicly-funded full-time equivalent chaplaincy staff there were in the NHS in 2005-06, broken down by religion; what the cost was of chaplaincy staff in 2005-06; what estimate she has made of the costs in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08; and whether she has made an assessment of the merits of providing equivalent pastoral support for those who are not religious and who may not wish to receive such support from a religious chaplain. [105334]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect data on national health service hospital chaplaincy.
The Department remains committed to the guidance “NHS Chaplaincy: Meeting the Religious and Spiritual Needs of Patients and Staff” issued to NHS trusts in November 2003 about patients' access to spiritual care, irrespective of their faith or beliefs.
NHS trusts are responsible for delivering religious and spiritual care in a way that meets the diverse needs of their patients. How they do so is a matter for local determination, particularly as these arrangements vary considerably. It is not for Ministers to intervene in these matters.
Choose and Book Software
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many referrals have been made from general practitioner surgeries (a) directly and (b) indirectly to referral management centres using choose and book software. [107382]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information is not available centrally.
Chronic Disability
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to create centres of excellence for patients with chronic disability in East Sussex. [105169]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I am informed by NHS South East Coast that the primary care trusts in East Sussex are currently discussing plans to create a centre of excellence for patients with chronic disability in East Sussex as part of the Creating an NHS Fit for the Future programme.
Clinical Assessment and Treatment Services: Lancashire and Cumbria
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timescale is for the introduction of clinical assessment and treatment support services in Lancashire and Cumbria. [104726]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Services are expected to commence from mid 2007.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients have received cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in each of the last five years; how many finished episodes of CBT took place in each of the last five years; how many CBT practitioners are registered; and how many NHS staff are receiving training in CBT; [105644]
(2) what percentage of mental health patients have received talking therapy in each of the last five years. [105629]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not centrally available in the requested format. That said, we have embarked on a £3.7 million programme, as set out in our 2005 manifesto and in the ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’ White Paper to investigate the most effective way of providing quick and easy access to talking therapies in the community. We will also be undertaking work to enable the statutory regulation for those delivering psychological therapies, which in turn will improve the clinical governance for psychological services and ensure the delivery of clinically effective interventions.
Communications Masts
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the health effects surrounding the siting of (i) mobile telephone and (ii) other communications masts. [110130]
Caroline Flint:
Measurements have consistently shown that radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field exposures surrounding mobile phone masts (base stations) are very much lower than the international guidelines (www.ofcom.org.uk and www.hpa.org.uk/
radiation). The guidelines are based on a thorough review of published scientific literature. They apply to mobile phone masts, other communications masts and all exposures to electromagnetic fields irrespective of their source. The expert authorities keep the guidelines continually under review.
Nevertheless, in response to continued concern, the mobile telecommunications and health research (MTHR) programme, jointly funded by Government and industry, has supported a number of studies investigating the potential health effects of (RF) mobile phone technology below the guideline levels. Most of the studies relate to mobile phone exposures which are considerably higher than base station exposures albeit still below the guidelines.
Individual studies under the MTHR programme relating directly to base stations include a study of cancer incidence in early childhood near mobile phone base stations being carried out at Imperial College London and a study of symptoms associated with RF electromagnetic field exposure being carried out at the University of Essex. A description of all the individual studies in the MTHR programme can be found on its website:
www.mthr.org.uk.
Research on the potential health effects from mobile phone technology is evaluated periodically by the Health Protection Agency’s Radiation Protection Division. The report entitled “Mobile Phones and
Health 2004”, available on the HPA website (www.hpa.org.uk/radiation), noted that there are continuing concerns about the impact of base stations on health and well-being “despite the current evidence which shows that exposures of individuals are likely to be only a small fraction of those from phones”.
Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the letter of 25 October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. E. Mooney. [107992]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I apologise for the delay in replying to this letter. Unfortunately, we have no record of receiving it in the first instance.
We have now received a copy from the right hon. Member and will provide a reply shortly.
Delayed Discharges
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there were in each NHS trust in London in each of the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [106855]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information is in the table.
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