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22 Mar 2007 : Column 1143W—continued
Osteoporosis
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to discuss with interested parties the decision by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to restrict treatment for osteoporosis to those aged over 70 years; and if she will make a statement. [127581]
Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not yet published its final guidance on the use of treatments for primary and secondary prevention of fractures in post-menopausal women with osteoporosis. NICE issued an appraisal consultation document on 5 March 2007 setting out its draft recommendations and inviting comments by 26 March 2007. NICE’s appraisal committee will then meet to consider consultation responses and formulate its final guidance.
NICE is an independent body and I have no plans to discuss this ongoing appraisal with interested parties.
Primary Health Care: Bedfordshire
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the Bedfordshire primary care trust and its predecessors to ensure that clinical professionals other than general practitioners receive appropriate training to carry out semi-specialist services at primary care level in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [122831]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally. It is for the primary care trusts in discussion with local general practitioners (GPs) to decide how many GPs with a specialist interest are required and how to fund any necessary training.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Tamworth
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) men and (b) women in Tamworth constituency were (i) tested and (ii) treated for a sexually transmitted disease in each of the last five years. [128331]
Caroline Flint: Data on sexually transmitted diseases in residents in the Tamworth constituency are not available or on the number of people tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
Data on the number of all diagnoses in genito-urinary clinics (GUM) in the South Staffordshire primary care trust (PCT), which is within the Tamworth constituency, is given in the table.
| Females | Males | |
| Notes: 1. Data is presented for the South Staffordshire PCT within which Tamworth constituency falls. 2. Aggregated data from five GUM clinics are presented, of which one falls within the Tamworth constituency. 3. Data is only available to December 2005. 4. The data available are from GUM clinics only, as only diagnoses made in this setting are recorded in the KC60 return. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the dataset. 5. The data available are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of treatments provided or testing performed, as those are not available. 6. The data available are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of people diagnosed. For example, individuals may be diagnosed with several co-infections and each diagnosis will be counted separately. 7. The PCT referred to is the PCT where the clinic is based. This is not necessarily the PCT where the patient is resident, as GUM clinics are open access services. | ||
Surgical Dressings
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of maggot debridement therapy in limiting the spread of (a) MRSA and (b) other hospital acquired infections; and if she will make a statement. [127744]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The effectiveness of maggot debridement therapy has not been assessed specifically for meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA) or other healthcare associated infections.
However, as the use of this therapy is reasonably well established for the treatment of chronic ulcers there is no reason why it would not be considered for MRSA infected or colonised ulcers.
This therapy cannot be used for all wounds but when it is it must form part of a team response involving the infection control team (including the clinical microbiologist), the tissue viability nurse, possibly input from plastic surgeons and other clinicians with wound healing expertise. Additional treatment, including relevant systemic antibiotics, may also be necessary.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published Guidance on the use of debriding agents and specialist wound care clinics for difficult-to-heal surgical wounds in 2001. NICE has advised the national health service that the choice of
debriding agent, which includes the use of maggots for difficult to heal surgical wounds should be based on comfort; odour control; other aspects relevant to patient acceptability; the type and location of wound, and total costs.
Vaccination
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2007, Official Report, column 1978W, on vaccination, whether her
Department had a three-month stock of vaccines for the routine childhood immunisation programme on 1 March. [127922]
Caroline Flint: On 1 March, the Department had over three months stock of all vaccines used in the routine childhood immunisation programme apart from one vaccine. A delivery of this vaccine was made in the week commencing 5 March, taking its stock holding to over three months.
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