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19 Feb 2007 : Column 58W—continued


NHS Finance

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the financial effect on the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust of funding being directed to private sector providers for clinical assessment treatment and support services and elective surgery. [112358]

Andy Burnham: The six primary care trusts (PCTs) in Cumbria and Lancashire are currently carrying out public consultation on the details of the local implementation of the clinical assessment, treatment and support (CATS) services in the two counties. The consultation covers the locations of the CATS sites, the impact on the wider health services, how the CATS can fit seamlessly into the pathway from general practitioner referral through to local hospitals treatment, and whether the clinical specialties proposed (orthopaedics, rheumatology, ear, nose and throat, general surgery, urology and gynaecology) are the most appropriate. The PCTs are also undertaking a locality impact assessment of the CATS scheme on existing health service providers.

NHS Homeopathic Hospitals

Sir Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her policy is on the provision of homeopathic treatment by the four NHS homeopathic hospitals in England. [111994]

Caroline Flint: These hospitals fall under the jurisdiction of the part of the national health service in which they are based. Any decisions on the services these hospitals provide are therefore the responsibility of these NHS health care organisations. The Government consider that decision-making on individual clinical interventions, whether conventional, or complementary/alternative treatments, have to be a matter for local NHS service providers and practitioners as they are best placed to know their community's needs. In making such decisions, they have to take into account evidence for the safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness of any treatments, the availability of suitably qualified practitioners, and the needs of the individual patient.


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We expect primary care trusts to support innovative and entrepreneurial practices to redesign clinical pathways and secure services that are needed locally and that includes exploring opportunities to develop complementary and alternative health therapies.

NHS Service Delivery and Organisation Research and Development Programme

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account was taken of the NHS Service Delivery and Organisation Research and Development Programme briefing paper An assessment of the clinical effectiveness, cost and viability of NHS General Practitioners with Special Interest (GPSI) services of September 2006 when the decision was made to announce a shift of NHS care closer to patients, with particular reference to (a) cost effectiveness, (b) clinical outcomes and (c) patient satisfaction. [107383]

Andy Burnham: None—this was precluded by the timing of publication. The commitment to offer more NHS services closer to people’s homes was announced in the White Paper “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say” which was published in January 2006. Subsequently, in February 2006, we launched the “Care Closer to Home” demonstration project to support delivery of the White Paper commitment. The research paper was published some months later and we will take it into account in evaluating the demonstration project.

Obesity

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate of obesity was in (a) children and (b) adults in Essex in each of the last 10 years. [111823]

Caroline Flint: The main source of data for the prevalence of obesity among children and adults is the Health Survey for England. The information is not available in the format requested.

The data on obesity prevalence among children are not available by the strategic health authority (SHA). However, data are available for the years 2002-04 combined for the east of England Government office region (GOR), which includes Essex SHA.

The following table sets out the prevalence of obesity among children in the east of England, broken down by age, in 2002-04.

Prevalence of obesity among children in the east of England Government office region(GOR), by age, 2002-04(1)
Age Percentage of population

2 to 10

13.4

11 to 15

18.7

2 to15

15.3


Age Bases (unweighted)

2 to 10

743

11 to 15

436

2 to15

1,179



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Age Bases (weighted)

2 to 10

808

11 to 15

462

2 to15

1,271

(1) Data are aggregated over the three years, 2002, 2003 and 2004 to achieve a sufficiently large sample size for analysis at this level.
Source:
Health Survey for England 2002, the Department of Health.
Health Survey for England 2003, The Department of Health.
Health Survey for England 2004, The Information Centre.

The following table sets out the observed and age standardised figures for obesity prevalence in adults by Strategic Health Authority (Essex SHA) for the years 1994-96 to 2000-02, and observed values for 2002-04.

Proportion of adults who are obese (BMI over 30) in Essex SHA, by year, England, 1994-96 to 2002-04( 1,2)
Percentage of population
Observed Age standardised

1994-96

13.7

13.8

1995-97

16.6

16.5

1996-98

19.0

18.3

1997-99

18.9

17.9

1998-2000

20.2

19.4

1999-2001

19.8

19.2

2000-02

20.6

20.2

2002-04(3)

20.9

(1 )Data are aggregated over the three years, to achieve a sufficiently large sample size for analysis at this level.
(2) Samples have not been weighted for non-response.
(3) Age standardised figures not available for 2002-04.
Source:
Health Survey for England: Health and Lifestyle indicators for Strategic Health Authorities 1994-2002, the Department of Health.
Health Survey for England 2002, the Department of Health.
Health Survey for England 2003, the Department of Health.
Health Survey for England 2004, The Information Centre.

Paediatric Diabetes: Shropshire

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people under the age of 15 years were diagnosed with diabetes in (a) the area served by Shropshire County Primary Care Trust and (b) each constituency in Shropshire in each of the last five years; [117772]

(2) how many paediatric diabetes specialist nurses were employed by Shropshire County Primary Care Trust in each of the last five years. [117773]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to Question 113834, tabled by the hon. Member for Cotswold on 5 January 2007. [111441]

Ms Rosie Winterton: A reply was given on 23 January 2007, Official Report, column 1740W.

Plutonium

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the Department calculates the maximum dose of Plutonium-239 provided for under article 13 of Council Directive 96/29/Euratom of 13 May 1996 laying down basic safety standards for the protection of
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the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionising radiation. [111816]

Caroline Flint: Council Directive 96/29/Euratom does not provide values for minimum dose, rather it provides dose coefficients. Dose coefficients are given for inhalation and ingestion of Plutonium-239 by members of the public. These values were supplied to the European Union by National Radiological Protection Board staff (now the radiation protection division of the Health Protection Agency) working under the auspices of the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP). The reference document is ICRP Publication 72: Age-dependent doses to members of the public from intakes of radionuclides: Part 5, compilation of ingestion and inhalation dose coefficients. Annals of the ICRP 26 (1). Pergamon, Oxford, UK.

Premature Birth

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why the medical research expenditure on preventing premature birth figures of £3.7 million for 2004-05 reported to Parliament differed from the figure of £6 million subsequently reported to the BBC. [116628]

Caroline Flint: The information given in the written reply the former Minister with responsibility for Delivery and Quality (Andy Burnham) gave the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 15 May 2006 was correct. I regret that the figure of £6 million contained in the statement the Department issued on 16 December in response to the Action Medical Research campaign for more funding for research into premature birth was incorrect. Officials have apologised to the charity for the unintentional error.

Resource Accounting

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007, Official Report, column 62W, on resource accounting, when she plans to look again at reversing the impact of past resource accounting and budgeting reductions on delivery of financial balance on 2006-07. [118244]

Andy Burnham: The implications of reversing the impact of past resource accounting and budgeting deductions are currently being reviewed. A decision on this issue will be announced once these considerations are complete.

Sexual Health

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress she is making towards the target announced in her Department’s National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV of 27 July 2001 (a) that 60 per cent. of all genito-urinary medicine clinic attenders should take an HIV test and (b) to reduce the number of newly acquired HIV infections by 25 per cent. by the end of 2007. [113032]

Caroline Flint: The targets announced in the sexual health and HIV strategy became national standards in 2002, in line with ‘Shifting the Balance of Power’ and
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the need to minimise the number of centrally determined targets. Genito-urinary medicine clinics achieved an uptake rate for HIV testing of 66 per cent. in 2004 and 70 per cent. in 2005, which exceeded the national standard.

Newly acquired (incident) HIV infections in the United Kingdom occur primarily in gay and bisexual men. Incidence in this group is monitored through unlinked anonymous surveillance of those with previously undiagnosed HIV infection attending a sample of genito-urinary medicine clinics. This surveillance indicates that the level of new infections has been stable since 2001, when the incidence standard was set.

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) targets have been set and (b) budgets have been allocated for testing for sexually transmitted infections in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [116391]

Caroline Flint: Sexual health is a higher priority now than it has ever been. It is one of the top six priorities for the NHS in 2006-07 and was a key feature of the Public Health White Paper “Choosing Health: Making healthy choices easier”, copies of which are available in the Library.

The “Choosing Health” White Paper introduced strengthened performance management for sexual health. In particular, NHS local delivery plan (LDP) targets have been introduced for:

We are making good progress on the GUM target. Already 65 per cent. of patients are seen within 48 hours. This compares with 48 per cent. in August 2005.

The number of new cases of gonorrhoea fell by 13 per cent. in 2005. This is particularly significant given the previous 10 per cent. fall in cases from 2003 to 2004, and with fewer cases reported across all English regions.

The chlamydia LDP target will be introduced in 2007-08.

Sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment is funded through general allocations and is not separately identified. In addition, primary care trusts (PCTs) received funding for implementing the targets in the White Paper “Choosing Health: making healthy choices easier”. PCT revenue allocations separately identify funding to support the implementation of “Choosing Health”. It is for PCTs to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations.

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many 15 to 18 year olds in Nottingham Primary Care Trust area (a) had abortions and (b) were diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections in each of the last five years. [117973]


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Caroline Flint: The available information is set out in the following tables.

Number of abortions to women under 19, resident in Nottingham City Primary Care Trust, 2002-05
2002 2003 2004 2005

Total aged under 19 years old

197

192

206

185

Notes:
1. Information by PCT is not available prior to 2002.
2. For reasons of confidentiality, at PCT level, the total number for 15 to18-year-olds can not be released separately from the under 19 total.

Diagnoses of selected sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics in 15 to 19-year-olds in Nottingham Primary Care Trust, 2001-05
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Females

519

602

594

536

525

Males

187

200

207

234

244

Total

706

802

801

770

769

Notes:
1. Selected STIs where age groups were available include primary and secondary syphilis, uncomplicated gonorrhoea, uncomplicated chlamydia, genital warts (first attack) and genital herpes (first attack).
2. Data on the age band 15 to 18 are not collected centrally.

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