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29 Mar 2007 : Column 1784W—continued
musculoskeletal conditions;
palliative care;
respiratory medicine; and
sexual health.
The Department has commissioned the Royal College of General Practitioners to review these frameworks. Revised versions will be published later this year as competency based specialty frameworks.
On training, the departmental guidance makes it clear a qualification alone is not enough and that GPwSIs should have acquired skills through supervised practice in an appropriate setting. Detailed training requirements are however a local matter and information on such training is not collected centrally.
Heart Diseases: Exhaust Emissions
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will commission research into the relationship between levels of air pollution from motor vehicles and rates of heart attack amongst women; and if she will make a statement. [120485]
Caroline Flint: The commissioning of research into this area will need to be considered along with other research priorities.
A paper produced by Miller et al, 2007, on the ‘Long-term exposure to air pollution and incidence of cardiovascular events in women’, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine 2007; 356: 447-458 on 1 February 2007.
The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants considered this important publication at its meeting on 23 February 2007 and are exploring the findings in more detail, including the need for further research.
Heart Diseases: North West Region
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with the North West Strategic Health Authority on the adequacy of sufficient personnel to operate myocardial perfusion scanners in the region. [128224]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There have been no discussions between the Department and NHS North West about the staffing of myocardial perfusion scanners in the region.
Hepatitis
Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is planned in the next 12 months to ascertain the likely incidence in the UK of all types of chronic hepatitis over the next decade; and if she will make a statement. [129016]
Caroline Flint: The Medical Research Council (MRC) funds a portfolio of basic and underpinning research relating to the various types of hepatitis, which may lead to further understanding of the condition. Research specifically related to the likely incidence of all types of chronic hepatitis over the next decade in this country is not currently being funded.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is carrying out ongoing work to estimate the future burden of hepatitis C-related disease in this country. The HPA and the British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL) are collaborating on a study of end-stage liver disease in patients who are infected with hepatitis B or C and on a pilot survey of the number of people infected with hepatitis C who are treated and treatment outcome in this country.
Hepatitis C
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2007, Official Report, column 2298W, on Hepatitis C, what her assessment is of the reasons for the increase in the number of laboratory cases of Hepatitis C in the London region between 2002 and 2006. [129652]
Caroline Flint: Acute hepatitis C infection usually occurs without symptoms, and there are no laboratory tests to differentiate between acute (recent), chronic (long-standing) or resolved hepatitis C infection. Therefore, trends in the number of laboratory diagnoses reflect the number of individuals being tested, rather than the incidence of infection, and those infections identified may have been acquired years or even decades earlier.
The rise in the number of laboratory diagnoses of hepatitis C in London is likely to reflect greater awareness of hepatitis C and increased testing of individuals as part of the investigation of liver disease (including abnormal liver function), testing in known risk groups or as part of screening (for example for occupational health reasons).
Hospices: Finance
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to ensure that hospices receive adequate funding; and if she will make a statement on the future of hospice funding. [121029]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning and funding palliative care services locally, including the level of funding for hospices. It is for PCTs to determine how to use the funding allocated to them and to commission service; to meet the healthcare needs of their local population.
As part of the dignity in care for older people initiative, Ministers have recently announced a capital fund of up to 40 million that adult hospices can bid for to improve their environment.
The role of, and funding for hospices are among the issues which will be considered by the end of life care strategy.
We have announced funding of £27 million over 3 years for children’s hospice services. The first grants were made in October 2006. We have also established an independent review of the long term sustainability of children's palliative care services (including children’s hospices). The review is due to report in spring 2007.
Hospital Beds
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bed days were occupied by patients with long-term conditions in each year since 1997-98. [123148]
Andy Burnham: Information on the number of hospital bed days occupied by patients with long-term conditions is not collected.
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to identify and promote best practice on the management of hospital lengths of stay. [130077]
Andy Burnham: The National Health Service Institute for Innovation and Improvement has published a number of documents that include advice on best practice. These are available on its website at www.institute.nhs.uk and include:
Delivering Value and Quality: Focus on Productivity and Efficiency,
Delivering Value and Quality: Focus on High Volume Care, and
Delivering Value and Quality: Directory of Ambulatory Emergency Care for Adults.
Hospitals Closures: Media Interest
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007, Official Report, column 39W, on hospital closures (media interest), what methodology was used to arrive at predictions for media interest (a) now, (b) in the summer, (c) in the autumn and (d) in the future as indicated on the heat maps released by her Department on 7 November 2006; and for what reasons her Department analysed media interest surrounding potential hospital closures. [118245]
Andy Burnham: It is routine for the Department to monitor media activity and uses a range of methods to do this. The Department produced a set of maps following discussions with strategic health authorities (SHAs). These gave an indication of local media coverage of health service issues by SHA. The maps have not been updated.
Hospitals: Admissions
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the impact of the introduction of referral management schemes by primary care trusts on patient choice; and if she will make a statement; [121925]
(2) when she expects to answer Question number 121925, on referral management schemes, tabled by the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green on 16 February. [130621]
Andy Burnham: There has been no central assessment as this is for local determination.
The Department’s guidance to the national health service is clear that, whether patients are referred direct to hospital by their general practitioner, or through a referral management scheme, they should be offered the choice of which hospital they wish to be referred to. We have asked primary care trusts to review existing referral management centres to ensure that they create tangible benefits for patients, and uphold the principles set out in Care and resource utilisation: ensuring appropriateness of care, published on 14 December 2006. This is available in the Library and at:
One of the principles in this document is that choice should be offered to patients when they are referred to hospital.
Hospitals: Infections
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has undertaken on the relationship between hospital lengths of stay and hospital acquired infection. [130076]
Caroline Flint: Length of stay was one of the factors considered in a report by Public Health Laboratory Service: Plowman, Rosalind et al and is available at:
This found that patients who acquired an infection in hospital remained in hospital longer than uninfected patients. On average an infection resulted in an extra 11 days in hospital.
The Department is also working on a desk analysis aimed at studying links between hospital level methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates and a variety of factors relating to hospital policy, management and patient mix. One of the variables included is an aggregate average length of stay measure for inpatients in each trust. This will test whether, other things being equal, hospitals whose patients have long lengths of stay tend to have higher MRSA rates than hospitals with shorter lengths of stay. The report is being peer reviewed and will be published later this year.
The mandatory surveillance of health care associated infections report 2006, available in the Library and at www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/mandatory_report_2006.htm, provides information on acquisition and length of stay.
In-patients
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged (a) 50 to 64, (b) 65 to 74 and (c) 75 years and over were placed on (i) general wards and (ii) specialist wards in each of the last 10 years, broken down by primary care trust; and if she will make a statement. [116248]
Andy Burnham: The information is not available.
Kettering General Hospital
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will visit Kettering General Hospital to discuss local NHS funding. [115517]
Andy Burnham: There are no immediate plans by the Secretary of State to visit Kettering General hospital.
Funding is allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs) who are responsible for commissioning appropriate services to meet the health needs of their local populations.
Funding for the former Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT increased by over 31 per cent. (£63 million) in the three years from 2003-04 to 2005-06. The new Northamptonshire Teaching PCT which was formed on 1 October 2006 will receive £139 million in the two years from 2006-07 to 2007-08.
When the PCT allocations for 2006-07 and 2007-08 were made, Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT, which has since been merged to form the Northamptonshire Teaching PCT, received an increase of 29.4 per cent, over these two years compared to a national average increase of 19.5 per cent, and the fifth highest increase of any PCT.
Kidney Patients
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England (i) were diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and (ii) required renal replacement therapy in each year since 1997; [128439]
(2) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England received renal replacement therapy in each year since 1997. [128442]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There is no national registry of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Over 99.9 per cent., of people with CKD will be under the care of general practitioners (GPs) and not seen by secondary or tertiary hospital services.
At general practice level, maintenance of a practice register of patients with CKD became a part of the quality and outcomes framework in April 2006, which in due course should mean that a very rich dataset will be available for every community in the country.
The United Kingdom Renal Registry (UKRR) holds data on patients receiving renal replacement therapy. The Newcastle renal unit has only been returning these data to the UKRR since 2002. The registry has analysed this data and determined that the number of people receiving renal replacement therapy in South Tyneside at the end of each year since then is in the following table.
| Number of people receiving renal replacement therapy in South Tyneside | |
| As of 31 December | Number |
In the North East of England, the number of people receiving renal replacement therapy at the end of each year is in the following table.
| People receiving renal replacement therapy in the North East of England | |
| As of 31 December | Number |
Across England, the number of people receiving renal replacement therapy at the end of each year is in the following table.
| People receiving renal replacement therapy across England | |
| As of 31 December | Number |
Data on the number of patients receiving renal replacement therapy are not collected by parliamentary constituency.
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England were on the waiting list for treatment for dialysis services in each year since 1997. [128440]
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