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24 Apr 2007 : Column 1036W—continued
Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust: Pollution Control
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust has spent on buying carbon dioxide permits under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme since the inception of the scheme. [130799]
Caroline Flint: Essex Rivers Healthcare National Health Service Trust does not fall within the provisions of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2005 and as a result has no financial obligations arising from the scheme.
General Practitioners: Gravesham
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the closure of GP practices in Gravesham. [130997]
Caroline Flint: This is a matter for the local national health service. However, the NHS South East Coast Strategic Health Authority reports that West Kent Primary Care Trust has no plans to close general practitioners practices in the Gravesham area.
Health Services: Private Sector
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what meetings (a) officials and (b) Ministers have had to discuss the outsourcing of primary care trust functions with (i) the private sector, (ii) the not for profit sector, (iii) Mr. Simon Stevens and (iv) Mr. Paul Corrigan; [131765]
(2) what meetings she had with staff from the commercial directorate on each day between 20 June 2006 and 10 July 2006; which staff she met; and what the subject was of each meeting. [131767]
Andy Burnham: Ministers regularly meet with officials to discuss policy and its delivery.
The procurement team working within the commercial directorate of the Department has held meetings with bidders who wished to be considered for inclusion on the framework for procuring external support for commissioners. These have been in accordance with procurement law. The majority of meetings were with the private sector although the not for profit sector was represented in the bidder pool. Mr. Simon Stevens, of United Health Europe, attended meetings on 9 August 2006 and 1 November 2006. There were no meetings with Mr. Paul Corrigan.
Health Trainers
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the health trainers announced in the Choosing Health White Paper have been appointed. [131329]
Caroline Flint: There are currently 1,100 health trainers recruited to the programme. It is anticipated there will be 1,500 health trainers in spearhead areas by the end of first quarter 2007-08.
Health: Investors in People
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in incorporating a healthy business assessment in the Investors in People standard as proposed in her Department's White Paper “Choosing Health”. [127832]
Caroline Flint: Following the publication of “Choosing Health”, the Department commissioned Investors in People UK to develop a new framework dedicated to improving health and well-being in the workplace, firmly underpinned by evidence.
A pilot of the latest version of the Investors in People's health and well-being at work framework is now under way, with over 100 organisations undertaking live assessments against the standard.
Heart Disease and Stroke Services
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department’s report of 5 December on the clinical case for reconfiguration in the context of heart disease and stroke services (1) how many hospitals in each of the strategic health authorities will provide the highest level of emergency diagnostic and treatment services for heart attack and stroke patients; and what assessment she has made of the effect of the proposed reconfiguration of accident and emergency departments on the future resources of ambulance trusts; [109384]
(2) how many hospitals she expects to provide a (a) 24 hour emergency angioplasty service, (b) 24 hour thrombolysing service for patients with cerebral vascular embolism and (c) 24 hour diagnostic scanning and other services to support these procedures; [109385]
(3) what would be the (a) fewest locations it would be safe to provide and (b) most accident and emergency departments her Department considers to be feasible with full 24 hour per day emergency diagnostic and treatment facilities for heart attack and stroke patients. [109396]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department is currently in the middle of a study involving 11 hospitals (10 primary angioplasty centres) to test the feasibility of extending primary angioplasty as the treatment of choice for heart attack in England. The study is looking at different models of service and different geographies. An independent evaluation is assessing workforce implications, costs and the patient experience of primary angioplasty. It will be for local commissioners to decide on their service configuration taking into account the lessons from this study. An interim report on the study is due in 2007 with the final report due in early 2008.
The Department has also commenced work on an 18-month programme to develop a national strategy for strokes. We will be examining different models of care for different geographical areas and it will be for local commissioners to decide upon.
The reconfiguration of accident and emergency departments is for the national health services locally to decide upon, following full consultation with local people. We would expect the development of any proposals for reconfiguration to include an assessment of the impact on the health economy as a whole, including the impact on ambulance trusts.
Homeopathy
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will take steps to ensure that patients requesting homeopathic treatment are able to attend one of the NHS homeopathic hospitals in England; [127995]
(2) what steps she is taking to ensure that primary care trusts make patients aware that homeopathic treatment is an option on the NHS; [127996]
(3) if she will make a statement on the availability of homeopathy in NHS hospitals. [127997]
Caroline Flint: The homeopathic hospitals in this country fall under the jurisdiction of the national health service in the area in which they are based. Any decision on the services any of these hospitals provide are the responsibility of those NHS health care organisations.
The Department commissioned the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health to publish a guide to complementary medicine for patients which gives them the information they would need to make an informed choice about the treatment they would wish to have. This publication is available online at www.FIH.org.uk. Information is also available on the NHS Direct website, www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk, on the possibility of homeopathy being available from one of the five NHS homeopathic hospitals in the United Kingdom as well as some general practitioner practices providing access to homeopathic treatment.
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. Clinical responsibility rests with the NHS professional who makes the decision to refer and who must therefore be able to justify any treatment they recommend. If they are unconvinced about the suitability of a particular treatment, they cannot be made to refer.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether patients prescribed homeopathic treatment will be able to access it from (a) one of the four NHS homeopathic hospitals and (b) local NHS homeopathic clinics; and what commitments the Government has made to the continued provision of homeopathy through NHS homeopathic hospitals. [131760]
Caroline Flint: The homeopathic hospitals in the United Kingdom fall under the jurisdiction of the national health service in the area in which they are based. Any decisions on the services any of these hospitals provide are the responsibility of those NHS healthcare 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. Clinical responsibility rests with the NHS professional who makes the decision to refer and who must therefore be able to justify any treatment they recommend. If they are unconvinced about the suitability of a particular treatment, they cannot be made to refer.
Hospices: Finance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department's press release of 9 April 2007 entitled National Funding for Local Hospices, what proportion of the £40 million allocated for hospice funding will be available in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08. [131907]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In September 2006, as part of the Dignity in Care programme, we announced £50 million to be made available over 2006-07 and 2007-08 to enable adult hospices to bid to make physical improvements to their buildings. Hospices were invited to apply for a share of £40 million of this funding to improve their facilities and provide greater dignity for people at or nearing the end of life.
On 9 April 2007 we announced that a total of 191 schemes in 146 hospices had been approved for funding to a total of £40 million. These grants will enable a wide range of improvements for patients and their families, such as more single rooms which offer greater privacy and dignity, additional facilities to allow families to stay overnight with their relatives and more therapeutic and social spaces.
All grants are subject to the individual hospices' receipt of formal confirmation and acceptance of terms and conditions. Once terms are accepted, the funds will be issued over the duration of the projects. We expect the majority of the funding to be issued during 2007-08.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department’s press release of 9 April 2007 entitled National Funding for Local Hospices, which bids for a share of £40 million were unsuccessful; and what the value of the bid was in each such case. [131914]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information is in the following table.
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