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18 Dec 2006 : Column 1706W—continued
Dentistry
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 6 December 2006, Official Report, column 548W, on dentistry, if she will list the (a) most common reasons for primary care trust income being below expected levels and (b) options available to trusts in taking corrective action. [108802]
Ms Rosie Winterton: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to review with dentists the potential factors affecting levels of patient charge income. It is not possible to assess at national level the precise relative importance of different factors. However, relevant factors may include the annual number of units of dental activity commissioned by PCTs, the time needed for new dental services to be commissioned and come into operation, the timeliness of the reports submitted by dentists on completed courses of treatment, changes in the mix of charge-paying and charge exempt patients treated, and the incidence of certain charge-free courses of treatment for patients who would normally pay charges. Variations in these and other factors may either reduce or increase the income from patient charges from one year to the next.
Any action taken by PCTs and dentists will depend on the nature of the factors relevant at local level. Action might, however, include improving the timeliness of reporting, reviewing practice protocols for accepting new patients, and discussing with providers the reasons for higher than expected levels of charge-free treatments.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists (a) met, (b) did not meet and (c) exceeded their mid-year target for delivery of 30 per cent. of their units of dental activity as at 30 September, broken down by primary care trust. [109777]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The contracts between dentists and primary care trusts provide for an agreed annual level of activity. Providers of dental services are, however, required to participate in a mid-year review if the provider has provided less than 30 per cent. of the annual service level between 1 April and 30 September.
It was for primary care trusts to assess whether a mid-year review was required. Primary care trusts made a local assessment of progress against annual service levels, taking into account data from the national health service business services authorities on the courses of treatment for which data had been processed and any additional data available locally. A comparable analysis at national level could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 442W, on dentistry, when she expects to be able to estimate with certainty the full levels of income likely to be raised this year from patient charge revenue from NHS dental services. [109778]
Ms Rosie Winterton: No definitive estimate of patient charge revenue is possible ahead of receiving final outturn data for the full financial year. The Information Centre for health and social care will publish information on income from dental patient charges in due course. Primary care trusts will be monitoring patient charge revenue at a local level in the context of managing their overall net financial commitments.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006, Official Report, columns 440-41W, on dentistry, under what circumstances NHS walk-in centres provide dental treatment. [109779]
Ms Rosie Winterton: National health service walk-in centres are expected to provide a specified range of services for minor illness and injury. Primary care trusts are free to decide that their local walk-in centre should provide additional services. However, the Department is not aware of any walk-in centres that provide dental treatment.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that access to NHS dental health care is available in those practices where contracted units of dental activity have been reached. [110105]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The annual service levels reflected in contracts for providing national health service primary dental care services are based on the numbers of courses of treatment undertaken during the 12-month reference period, October 2004 to September 2005, but with the opportunity to carry out less complex courses of treatment than under the previous fee-per-item system of remuneration. The new contracts are thereby designed to support dentists in planning their patterns of work over the course of the year, while at the same time spending more time with patients and having more time for preventative work.
If a dental practice delivers these annual service levels over a significantly shorter period, it is for the local primary care trust to review the reasons for this with the practice concerned and agree appropriate action.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) Forest of Dean constituency have (i) reached and (ii) exceeded their contracted units of dental activity since the implementation of the new dental contract. [110106]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department publishes regular information on the number of commissioned units of dental activity. The Information Centre for health and social care publishes information each quarter on the number of units of dental activity delivered and processed by the Business Services Authority during the year to date. The latest published information which covers the period from April 2006 to September 2006 is made available at England, strategic health authority and primary care trust (PCT) level. Information is not available by individual dental practice.
The latest published information shows that the former West Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust had not reached or exceeded its commissioned annual number of units of dental activity by 30 September.
Sources:
Commissioned units of dental activity: Department of Health form DCO1 September return.
Delivered and processed units of dental activity. The Information Centre for health and social care.
NHS Business Services Authority
Dentures and Hearing Aids
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) dentures and (b) hearing aids were lost within NHS hospitals in England in the latest year for which figures are available; and what procedures are in place to assist patients who have been affected by such losses. [103607]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This information is not held centrally.
Every national health service trust in England provides a patient advice and liaison service (PALS), who will be able to assist patients who have been affected by losing their hearing aid or dentures.
Departmental Communications
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communication officers, (c) press officers and (d) promotional officers are employed in her Department; and what estimate she has made of expenditure on communications for the Department in 2006-07 on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff. [104222]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In October 2006 there were 51 marketing staff and press officers employed by the communications directorate. A total of 70 staff were employed in other functions within the directorate. The total external expenditure by the directorate for 2005-06 was £54.6 million excluding any staff-related costs.
Departmental Staff
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of staff employed in her Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001. [104466]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Data on the disabled status of civil servants, for the years requested, are available in the Library and on the Civil Service website.
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2005/table_p.xls
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/disability_apr04_4nov04.xls
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/archive/index.asp
For previous reporting periods declaration of a disability is voluntary.
Diamorphine
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the availability of diamorphine for medical purposes in the UK since 27 March 2006. [109132]
Andy Burnham: The Department is continuing to maintain regular contact with both suppliers of diamorphine to the national health service and has had discussions with potential new entrants to the market. The supply situation is being monitored closely and is expected to improve during 2007.
Drug Analysis
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 442W, on drug analysis, (1) whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has performed an August update for its adverse drug reaction data; and if she will make a statement; [109735]
(2) when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) intends to begin the three-monthly cycles of updates for its adverse drug reaction data published on its website; [109736]
(3) when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) upgrade of the drug safety monitoring database and data reporting systems will be completed. [109737]
Andy Burnham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently implementing a major upgrade of the drug safety monitoring database and data reporting systems as part of the Sentinel programme. The full implementation of the Sentinel programme will transform all the MHRA regulatory responsibilities from paper-based systems to electronic working, both internally within the MHRA and externally with its stakeholders.
The first phase of the new drug safety monitoring module of the Sentinel programme was introduced in May 2006, ahead of the introduction of full electronic reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by marketing authorisation holders in accordance with agreed international standards. Initial technical and data issues are being resolved within a planned programme and in liaison with the pharmaceutical industry.
The MHRA continues to provide anonymised aggregated adverse drug reaction data on request in response to specific enquiries from health professionals, the public and pharmaceutical companies. Publication of drug analysis prints on the MHRA website will be resumed as soon as current technical and data issues have been resolved.
East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on funding redundancy payments by the East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust and its predecessors in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [107654]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This information is not collected centrally.
Emergency Treatment
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were admitted to hospital with cardiac arrest in each of the last five years; and how many of those people (a) survived and suffered brain damage and (b) survived and were discharged from hospital. [105095]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Data on patients surviving cardiac arrest with brain damage or on survival from cardiac arrest are not collected centrally. Treatment of acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) is audited and it is possible to link these data to data on mortality after 30 days. However, audit of cardiac arrest treatment is in its early stages and trend data are not yet available. In the last five years the numbers in England treated in hospital with a definite diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction were:
| Number | |
The 30-day mortality rates for those treated for this same period were:
| Percentage | |
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the audited times were for (a) call to needle and (b) call to door times for thrombolysis in case of acute myocardial infarction in the constituencies of (i) Hemel Hempstead, (ii) Watford, (iii) St. Albans and (iv) South West Hertfordshire in each month since 12 December 2005. [105164]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is available quarterly in a format which allows measurement of the percentage of cases delivered to hospital within 30 minutes (call to door percentage) and also the percentage of people treated within 60 minutes of calling for help (call to needle percentage). The following table shows the latest data available for the former Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority area.
| Percentage | ||
| Period covered | Call to door | Call to needle |
| Source: Myocardial Infarction national audit project (MINAP). | ||
Officials have advised that information relating to individual hospitals’ performance for call to door and call to needle is available from local trusts.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the East of England Ambulance Trust has to assist clinicians at Watford general hospital to meet the three-hour targets for thrombolysis of non-haemorrhagic strokes. [105166]
Ms Rosie Winterton: It is expected that local services should agree local protocols for dealing with issues of capacity. Development of trust procedures should involve discussions with local national health service providers to ensure targets are met.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact on deaths from stroke and acute myocardial infarction of ambulance response times in excess of 10 minutes; and if she will make a statement. [105245]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are no data collected nationally on deaths from suspected stroke or myocardial infarction as a result of ambulance response times in excess of 10 minutes.
999 ambulance calls are prioritised based on information obtained from the caller. The national response time requirement for calls classified as category A (immediately life-threatening) is that 75 per cent. of patients should receive an emergency response within eight minutes. In 2005-06 over 1.2 million
category A calls received a response within the eight-minute standard. For strokes the emphasis on a rapid response, where there are no life-threatening signs and symptoms, is to facilitate immediate scanning and thrombolysis for suitable patients.
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