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8 Jan 2007 : Column 46W—continued
Medical Staff (Sexual Offences)
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered (a) doctors and (b) dentists were (i) convicted and (ii) cautioned for sexual offences in each year since 1997. [112661]
Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 14 December 2006, Official Report, column 1360W.
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency last updated the information on its website on (a) the Yellow Card Scheme and (b) on each individual drug analysis print; and if she will make a statement. [105711]
Andy Burnham: Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme. Approximately 19,000 reports of suspected ADRs are reported to the MHRA/CHM through this scheme each year by health professionals and patients.
The MHRA is committed to making information about the yellow scheme and the information it collects as accessible as possible on the MHRA website. Information on the Yellow Card Scheme website was most recently updated on 1 December 2006. Drug analysis prints were most recently updated on 18 November 2006 to include ADR data received by the MHRA up to and including 26 May 2006.
The MHRA is currently implementing a major upgrade of the drug safety monitoring database and data reporting systems. This upgrade includes a review of the presentation of aggregated drug safety information with a view to making the information easier to interpret. Subsequent to this redesign, the MHRA will update the adverse drug reaction data on a three-monthly cycle.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reasons items are removed by the medicines control agency from health food shops; [110122]
(2) what factors determine whether the medicines control agency removes from a retailer (a) the complete stock and (b) a sample of a product which they wish to test; and if she will make a statement; [110123]
(3) what guidance she issues to retailers on the categories of goods which are liable to seizure by the medicines control agency; [110124]
(4) what strategy the medicines control agency adopts in seizing products deemed unsafe from retailers in particular areas; what approach was used in relation to seizures from Hedonic of Portsmouth; and what the purpose of the seizures made was; [110404]
(5) what steps the medicines control agency has taken to seize health food products deemed unsafe from (a) wholesalers and (b) importers. [110360]
Andy Burnham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the United Kingdom regulatory authority with responsibility for the licensing and control of medicines on the UK market.
In the UK, medicinal products on the UK market are controlled under the Medicines Act 1968 and supporting regulations. The Act places controls on the sale, supply, distribution and manufacture of medicinal products in the UK. It also places a statutory duty on the Secretary of State for Health to enforce, or secure the enforcement of, the provisions of the Act. Section 8 contains rights of entry, powers to inspect products and equipment, to take samples and to seize products and documentation in order to ascertain whether or not there may have been a contravention of the legislative requirements. MHRA guidance on the legislative requirements is available in the “Rules and Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Distributors 2002” and on the MHRA website at www.mhra.gov.uk. No specific MHRA guidance is issued to retailers.
Medicinal products which do not meet the regulatory requirements cannot be guaranteed for their safety, quality or efficacy and may pose a significant risk to public health and their sale or supply may constitute a criminal offence. Products suspected of breaching these legislative requirements can be inspected, sampled and seized under powers available under section 8 of the Act. If it is not known whether or not a product offered for sale is falling outside licensing requirements, a sample can be taken and submitted for analysis.
Enforcement officers at MHRA carry out investigations into suspected illegal activity involving medicines on a UK-wide basis. If products in stock at a retail outlet are found to be illegally on sale, they can be seized and removed from the premises. The products seized from Hedonic in Southsea were in response to an adverse drug reaction report for a product on sale for humans and containing Benzyl Piperazine (BZP) a derivative of a veterinary product, Piperazine. MHRA investigations are continuing.
Mental Health
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many individual patients received treatment for mental illness in each of the last 10 years; [105655]
(2) how many episodes of treatment for mentally ill patients were completed in each of the last 10 years. [105656]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information is not available in the requested format. Information on the number of finished episodes under the care of consultants in the psychiatry group in each of the last 10 years is shown in the table.
| Count of finished consultant episodes where the main specialty of the consultant was mental health (700-715) NHS hospitals, England, 1995-96 to 2004-05 | ||||||
| Learning disability | Adult mental illness | Child and adolescent psychiatry | Forensic psychiatry | Psychotherapy | Old age psychiatry | |
| Notes: 1. Care is needed when analysing hospital episode statistics (HES) data by specialty, or by groups of specialties (such as Acute). Trusts have different ways of managing specialties and attributing codes so it is better to analyse by specific diagnoses, operations or other recorded information. 2. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE). 3. An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. Sources: 1. Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). 2. The Information Centre for Health and Social Care. | ||||||
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to introduce a system of payment by results for mental health services. [108619]
Andy Burnham: The Department is currently working with the national health service information centre and the NHS to develop a classification system for mental health services. The Department will provide further progress on these developments in the document “Future of Payment by Results: 2008-09 and beyond” to be published early in 2007.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to fulfil the commitment in the “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say” white paper to introduce statutory regulation for psychological therapies. [109730]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government have long accepted that psychotherapists, counsellors and other talking therapists require statutory regulation in the interests of public protection. Once a prerequisite infrastructure is in place to provide statutory regulation, the Government intend that the Health Professions Council will regulate psychotherapists and counsellors.
The public consultation on proposals to reform the regulation of medical and non-medical healthcare professions closed on 10 November 2006. Ministers will shortly consider the future work programme on healthcare professional regulation in the light of the responses received and the Government’s own policy objectives.
Skills for Health launched an initial competence framework identifying the scope of practice involved in psychotherapy and counselling, for consultation between 1 December 2006 and 28 February 2007. This will inform the standards for statutory regulation.
Metered Dose Inhalers
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which EU countries (a) have and (b) have not phased out the use of CFC-based metered dose inhalers (MDIs); and what discussions her Department have had with those countries which have phased out MDIs on disseminating best practice; [108855]
(2) what steps the Government have taken to phase out the use of CFC-based metered dose inhalers. [108892]
Andy Burnham: The United Kingdom Government have already declared the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to be non-essential for three medicines in metered dose inhalers (MDIs)—ipratropium, salbutamol and fluticasone. The scope for further UK declarations is currently under review as part of further action to take forward the UK transition strategy for CFC-based metered dose inhalers.
The remaining need for CFCs for MDIs was most recently considered by member states, including the UK, at the meeting on 8 December 2006 of the
Management Committee of EC Regulation 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer. The European Commission plans to hold a joint meeting of member state Environment and Health Departments in March next year to further discuss continuing phase-out work.
Under the EU strategy for the phase-out of CFCs in metered dose inhalers, active ingredients in CFC-based MDIs are grouped into six categories. Five member states have declared the use of CFCs to be non-essential in all six categories. These are Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania and Slovenia.
Ministerial Meetings
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what occasions she has met the chief executive of the (a) South East Coast strategic health authority and (b) West Sussex Primary Care Trust and predecessors since May 2005. [105623]
Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with the chief executive of South East Coast strategic health authority (SHA) on 22 March and 14 July 2006.
I met with the chief executive of National Health Service South East Coast on four occasions; the dates are as follows: 22 March 2006, 10 July 2006, 20 September 2006 and 11 October 2006.1 also met the chief executive of West Sussex PCT on 12 December 2006.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she met (a) the Chief Executives of (i) NHS Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority and (ii) East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust and (b) their predecessors in each year since May 2005; and if she will make a statement. [108461]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with the current Chief Executive of the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and the former Chief Executive of the South Yorkshire SHA, among others, during a recent visit to Harrogate on 18 October 2006.
In addition, the Department's Top Team meet with chief executives of SHAs from across the country on a monthly basis. My right hon. Friend attends these meetings wherever possible.
New Mother Discharges
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the minimum time is following delivery of a baby that a mother should be discharged. [109664]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The length of stay in a maternity unit following delivery of a baby is a matter for the clinical judgment of the healthcare professionals involved in the mother’s care. In line with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s clinical
guidelines “Routine postnatal care of women and their babies”, published in July 2006, this decision should be reached following discussion with the mother and take into account the health and well-being of the woman and her baby and the level of support available following discharge.
Newcastle Primary Care Trust
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what population assumptions were used for allocations to Newcastle primary care trust in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06 and (c) 2006-07; and what assumptions are planned to be used for the 2007-08 allocation; [107335]
(2) what population figures for the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne were used as the basis for allocating resources to the Newcastle primary care trust in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06 and (d) 2006-07; and what figure will be used for the basis of allocation in 2007-08. [108666]
Andy Burnham: Primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations are based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) census populations adjusted for cross boundary flows where patients are resident in one PCT and registered with a GP practice in another PCT.
2003-04 to 2005-06 allocations used 2001 ONS sub-national population estimates and 2002 GP practice lists. 2006-07 and 2007-08 allocations used 2003-based ONS sub-national population projections for 2006 and 2007 respectively and 2004 GP practice lists.
The ONS populations for Newcastle-upon-Tyne are shown in table 1.
| Table 1 | |
| Allocation year | Population |
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