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8 Jan 2007 : Column 66W—continued
Sexually Abused Children
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which projects are funded by primary care trusts to support children who have experienced sexual exploitation. [108005]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There is no central record of primary care trust (PCT) funding for projects to support children who have experienced sexual abuse and/or sexual exploitation. Given the restructuring of PCTs and strategic health authorities (SHAs) over the past year, it is unlikely that this information could be obtained directly from PCTs at the moment.
However, there will be PCTs that do contribute to the specific funding of projects such as the sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) which are funding jointly by the police and health service locally and involve voluntary sector partnerships.
The statutory health services for children will also have in contact with them children who have been sexually abused and exploited for example through CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services). In addition, the Department provides funding to the voluntary sector through its section 64 grant and the Department of Health has recently distributed £12 million capital funding for 2006-07 to PCTs.
The joint Department of Health and National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) victims of violence and abuse prevention programme (VVAP) is currently completing a programme of research which will be used to develop national service guidelines for child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation during 2007. These will be disseminated to PCTs and other health organisations.
Side Effects
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of hospital admissions were caused by side effects from prescribed medication in each of the last three years; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of treating patients affected by such side effects in each year. [108642]
Andy Burnham: The most recent estimate of the burden of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the United Kingdom comes from a study published in the British Medical Journal in July 2004. The study conducted in two large hospitals in Merseyside, suggested that ADRs account for 6 per cent. of hospital admissions. This is a similar estimate to a number of studies worldwide, including figures from the United States. The study did not differentiate between prescribed and unprescribed medicines; however the majority of ADRs were associated with prescribed medicines. The projected annual cost of such admissions to the national health service (NHS) is £466 million.
This study highlights the importance of effective systems for monitoring and responding to issues relating to the safety of medicines, a process called ‘pharmacovigilance’. This study, which was funded by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency {MHRA), underlines the Agency’s commitment to improving the evidence base for pharmacovigilance in the UK. As part of this commitment to improving pharmacovigilance, the MHRA is working to strengthen and widen access to the Yellow Card Scheme for reporting suspected ADRs. Access has recently been widened to allow patients to report.
Special Advisers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of her Department's civil servants work full-time to support departmental special advisers; and what the salary is of each such civil servant. [106506]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department employs one full-time civil servant to support departmental special advisers as an executive officer on a pay range between £21,156 and £28,112.
Specialist Diet Foods: VAT
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions have taken place between her Department and the Treasury on the effect of removing the VAT exemption on specialist diet foods. [109894]
Caroline Flint: No discussions have taken place between the Department and HM Treasury on the effect of removing the VAT exemption on specialist diet foods.
Speech Therapists
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 5 December 2006, Official Report, column 389W, on speech therapists, how many speech therapists there are in each strategic health authority per head of general population. [108786]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the number of qualified speech and language therapy staff in England per 100,000 of the population by strategic health authority area as at 30 September each specified year.
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| Sources: 1. The Information Centre for Health and Social Care Non-Medical Workforce Census. 2. ONS National Census. | |||
Staff Magazine
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department publishes an in-house staff magazine. [108623]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department publishes a monthly in-house staff magazine called Link. The magazine is sent to all staff in the Department and its agencies.
Training
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost was of training each (a) doctor, (b) nurse, (c) physiotherapist and (d) speech and language therapist for the entire period between entering onto a degree or diploma course until full registration, inclusive of tuition, bursary and salary support costs in the last period for which figures are available. [108622]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information for England on the average cost of training each doctor, nurse, physiotherapist and speech and language therapist for the entire period between entering onto a degree or diploma course until full registration, inclusive of tuition, bursary and salary support costs are given in the table.
| Staff group | 2005-06 cost (£) |
| Source: Financial and workforce information return November 2004 and national health service student grant unit for nurse, physiotherapists and speech and language therapist bursaries. | |
Training Grade Doctors
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes are being proposed by South East Coast strategic health authority in hospital training grade doctor budgets. [105653]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In 2006-07 the Department decided to issue the education and training (MPET) budget, which provides a significant contribution to hospital training grade doctor budgets, as part of a bundle of central budgets to strategic health authorities (SHAs). The bundle included money to fund workforce programmes, the quality and outcomes framework, clinical excellence awards as well as other miscellaneous programmes. This has provided the SHAs with the maximum flexibility to determine locally their own priorities, including investment in education and training.
The MPET budget was not cut in the 2006-07 allocations, in fact, allowing for inflation, it was broadly similar to the level of funding in 2005-06. However, within the overall resources allocated, it is up to each SHA to determine their own priorities including how much is invested in education and training.
The NHS South East Coast reports that it has agreed a reduction across all devolved central budgets, including MPET. Although the SHA has identified
budgets that will receive a reduced allocation, it has not been prescriptive in terms of how the savings are made.
Turnaround Teams
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list the hospitals which have been sent turnaround teams; and what ward closures (a) are planned and (b) have been implemented in the last 12 months at each; [108070]
(2) if she will list the bodies which are being funded to provide hospitals with turnaround plans; and how much each is receiving for this work. [108071]
Andy Burnham: A list of the national health service trusts where the Department has been informed that strategic health authorities (SHAs) have decided that turnaround support is needed is shown as follows. The Department does not hold information on ward closures at a local level.
Hospitals make local arrangements for support and advice in producing turnaround plans. This information is not held by the Department.
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