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19 Dec 2006 : Column 1920W—continued
Health Direct
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services will be offered by the organisation Health Direct; and when it will begin offering services to the public. [105353]
Caroline Flint: Health Direct will offer a comprehensive range of interactive health improvement resources via the internet, mobile phone (SMS text), and potentially also via interactive digital TV and digital TV text services. The service will deliver national health service-accredited information and resources, including an online personal health assessment and supporting SMS and email services, to help individuals improve their health. Health Direct will support the delivery of the obesity, smoking, sexual health, mental health, excessive drinking and health inequalities public service agreement targets.
Health Direct will be launched on a six-month pilot basis in an early adopter community, primary care trust/local authority, in October 2007 where the service will be tested among the public and health professionals. This will be followed by a national launch by end of 2008-09.
Health Promotion
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of health promotion initiatives since the abolition of the Health Development Agency in 2005. [108399]
Caroline Flint: The functions of the former Health Development Agency were transferred into the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on 1 April 2005. Since the abolition of the Health Development Agency in 2005, NICE has published public health guidance on the effectiveness of health promotion initiatives on smoking cessation and on physical activity. NICE guidance on the effectiveness of obesity interventions was published on 13 December 2006.
Healthy Living Centres
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the aim is of the network of healthy living centres; what the costs of the centres were in 2005-06; and what analysis she has undertaken of their effectiveness. [109364]
Caroline Flint: The healthy living centre (HLC) programme was set up to promote health and well-being, to reduce health inequalities and to the improve the health of the most disadvantaged people.
HLCs were funded by a £300 million Big Lottery Fund (Big) programme with substantial associated local funding. In total 257 HLC awards were made by Big in England (352 in the UK). Of this, in 2005-06, £35.4 million was disbursed by Big to HLCs in England (£47.5 million over the UK). Big Lottery Funding to HLCs will end over the next two years.
The Department and the Big Lottery Fund each commissioned the Tavistock Institute to lead evaluations of the HLC programme. The report for the Department on HLCs in England was published in 2006 and has been placed in the Library. The Big Lottery Fund interim evaluation report can be found
on their website at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk. Big’s final evaluation report on the HLC programme will be published in spring 2007.
Hospital Infections
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) cases and (b) fatalities there were arising from (i) clostridium difficile and (ii) C difficile type 027 in each month for which records are available; and how many of these were healthcare acquired. [105434]
Andy Burnham: Monthly data for cases of Clostridium (C.) difficile in all age groups are not available. The annual totals of cases of C. difficile associated disease in adults aged 65 over, which are reported under the mandatory reporting scheme by all acute national health service trusts in England since January 2004, have been published(1) and were 51,690 in 2005 and 44,107 cases in 2004.
National data on cases of C. difficile type 027 are not available. A small number of strains of C. difficile were typed in 2005 in the random sampling survey and the results have been published. It is not possible to differentiate between hospital acquired and community acquired cases of all C. difficile including type 027.
The number of deaths where C. difficile was mentioned on the death certificate and the number where it was the underlying cause of death by month of death are given in the following table(2). It is not possible to state how many of these were healthcare associated as the place where an infection was acquired may not be known to the doctor certifying the death, and a question asking where infections were acquired is not specifically asked on the death certificate.
It is not possible to say how many of these deaths involved C. difficile 027 as this level of detail is not provided on death certificates.
Notes:
1. Mandatory surveillance of health care associated infections report 2006 at:
www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Surveillance_of_Healthcare_Associated_ Infection_2006.pdf
2. Mandatory surveillance of health care associated infections report 2006 at:
www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Surveillance_of_Healthcare__Associated_ Infection_2006.pd
| Number of death certificates with C. difficile mentioned and as the underlying cause, by month, England and Wales, 2001 to 2004 | ||||||
| January | February | March | April | May | June | |
| July | August | September | October | November | December | |
| Source: The Office of National Statistics http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/HSQ30.pdf | ||||||
Infectious Diseases
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006, Official Report, columns 560-61W, on infectious diseases (border control), where immigrants entering the UK other than at Heathrow and Gatwick are referred for chest X-rays. [109811]
Caroline Flint: Medical inspectors working at ports of entry pass the details of immigrants they consider require further medical examination to the national health service local to the immigrant's destination address. It is a matter for clinicians at local level whether to refer an individual for a chest x-ray, or any other diagnostic test.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006, Official Report, columns 560-1W, on infectious diseases (border control), how many immigrants were referred for radiography in each year for which figures are available, broken down by point of entry. [109816]
Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect these data centrally. I would refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 28 November 2006, Official Report, columns 560-61W, for the number of individuals who were referred for radiography at Heathrow and Gatwick airports over the previous three years for which figures are available.
IVF Treatment
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what lower age limits are set by each primary care trust for access to IVF treatment. [110343]
Caroline Flint: ( )We do not collect information centrally on the in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) provision of each( )primary care trust (PCT). The clinical guideline on the assessment and treatment for people( )with fertility problems, produced by that National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence,( )recommends IVF, where appropriate, for couples in which the woman is aged 23-39 at the( )time of treatment. We are aware that some PCTs currently have differing age limits and we( )are working with the patient support organisation Infertility Network UK to help PCTs( )engage with fertility patients in the planning and prioritisation of services.
Keep Warm, Keep Well Campaign
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what factors led to her decision to shut down the Keep Warm, Keep Well campaign helpline; and what her estimate was of the cost of continuing to provide the service; [105775]
(2) what assessment she has made of the effect on vulnerable groups of her decision to close the Keep Warm, Keep Well campaign helpline. [105776]
Caroline Flint: The decision was based on the duty to ensure the most cost effective way of distributing information on keeping warm and well in cold weather and to seek value for money for the tax payer. Only a very small percentage of calls were about health matters, and the line was acting as a signposting service to other services as half of all callers were referred on to other helplines such as the warm front scheme and the winter fuel payments helpline. In addition, since the start of Keep Warm, Keep Well, other health information services such as NHS Direct have become established. In 2005-06 only 16,000 calls were received by the Keep Warm, Keep Well helpline at a cost of£11 per call, despite promotion of the helpline number. In contrast we distributed over two million information booklets, at a cost of 15p per booklet. The cost savings were around £175,000.
It is too early to assess the impact on vulnerable groups of closing the line. However, resources have been devoted to extending the reach of the information materials by working through stakeholders and gaining coverage of the campaign messages in the media. To date 2.5 million campaign items have been ordered or distributed by our stakeholders. The campaign has promoted the other helplines, and callers to the Keep Warm, Keep Well former number will be signposted to these other helplines. Additionally, other campaigning activities, i.e. linking winter warmth messages with the Department's flu campaign target vulnerable populations.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received following her decision to shut down the Keep Warm, Keep Well campaign helpline in July. [105777]
Caroline Flint: Representations have been received from National Energy Action, Age Concern, Energywatch and Energy Retail Association. This has prompted a review of coverage of the current helplines in order to identify any gaps in service provision. Additionally, the Department is working in partnership with other Government Departments and Warmfront to improve partnership working and targeting of vulnerable groups.
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