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3 May 2007 : Column 1842W—continued


Cost Shunting

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Julia Goldsworthy) of 24 April 2007, Official Report, column 777, on cost shunting, whether she has made an assessment of the merits of permitting primary care trusts and local authority social services departments (a) to amalgamate to form one organisation and (b) to amalgamate their budgets to operate strategically through a single budget. [134991]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department encourages close co-operation between local authorities and primary care trusts as this is in the best interests of the overall health and social care system and in improving the health and well-being of local communities. The approach taken to this co-operation is a matter for local decision, but there are powers to make joint appointments and for partnership arrangements, which include powers to create single pooled budgets, to be established as permitted under section 75 of the NHS Act 2006 and for an application to be made to the Secretary of State to establish a care trust as permitted under section 45 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001.

Good Hope Hospital

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancelled operations there were in each of the last 10 years at Good Hope Hospital. [134508]

Andy Burnham: Data were collected at health authority level only prior to 2001-02. From 2001-02 onwards, data were collected at trust level.

The number of last minute cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons at Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust for the years 2001-02 to 2005-06 are shown in the table.

Last minute cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons
Number

2001-02

550

2002-03

781

2003-04

761

2004-05

465

2005-06

565

Note:
A last minute cancellation is one that occurs on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they have arrived in hospital, or on the day of their operation.
Source:
Department of Health dataset quarterly monitoring of cancelled operations (QMCO).

Health Services: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with Warrington Primary Care Trust on its decision to stop funding treatment services at a GP practice in Birchwood; and if she will make a statement. [135570]

Andy Burnham: The Department has had no discussions with Warrington primary care trust about the funding of treatment services at a general practitioner practice in Birchwood.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people who work but do not live in Birchwood have been treated by the GP practices there in the last 12 months; and what assessment has been made of the likely impact on accident and emergency services at Warrington Hospital if there was a reduction in the number and types of services available at those practices; [135571]

(2) if she will ensure that an independent expert in primary care is appointed to review treatment room services provided in Birchwood during the six months of extended funding which has been offered by the primary care trust. [135572]

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally. Warrington primary care trust, working in conjunction with North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust, is responsible for assessing the impact of any proposed changes to service provision.

Health Visitors: Manpower

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of health visitors working in the NHS; and what steps she is taking to increase these numbers. [135301]


3 May 2007 : Column 1843W

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 1 May 2007]: There were 12,034 health visitors in post as at 30 September 2006 in the national health services in England.

The overall number of nurses working in primary and community care settings has significantly increased by over 29,500 (38.2 per cent.) since 1997.

It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts to commission, develop services in response to local needs, and to ensure that appropriate services are provided for the local population.

Healthcare: Acquired Infections

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2007, Official Report, column 723W, on healthcare-acquired infections, when she expects the Health Protection Agency to publish on its website the number of reported cases of (a) MRSA and (b) Clostridium difficile for the period April 2006 to March 2007; and if she will make a statement. [132310]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Data on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections have been collected through the mandatory surveillance scheme since April 2001 and are published by financial year (April to March). The Health Protection Agency (HPA) plans to publish the data for the last financial year (April 2006 to March 2007) in late July 2007.

Data on Clostridium difficile associated disease have been collected through the mandatory surveillance scheme since January 2004 and are published by calendar year. Data for 2006 are due to be published in April 2007 and the HPA plans to publish the data for the first quarter of 2007 (January to March) in late July 2007.

Data on both diseases have been routinely published quarterly since January 2007.

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 October 2006, Official Report, column 774W, on MRSA, what progress her Department has made on its internal desk analysis of hospital organisation specialty mix and MRSA; and when she plans to publish the report. [131929]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: As part of its programme to reduce healthcare associated infections the Department is undertaking peer review of this internal desk analysis. It is planned to publish this later this year once the peer review is complete.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of STERIS Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide technology in tackling MRSA within the NHS. [132968]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Rapid Review Panel has reviewed Steris’ vaporised hydrogen peroxide and awarded it a recommendation 2 stating that basic research and development has been completed and the product may have potential value; in use evaluations/trials are now needed in an national health service clinical setting.


3 May 2007 : Column 1844W

The Department is currently funding a project to evaluate environmental cleaning for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. As part of this Steris’ vaporised hydrogen peroxide equipment will be evaluated alongside wet disinfection in both a hospital side room and a controlled exposure chamber.

Hospitals: Hygiene

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on improving hygiene in hospitals in each of the last five years. [132729]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information is not collected centrally on the amount that has been spent on hospital hygiene in the last five years. However, as a measure of the importance that the Government attach to this matter, a capital fund of £50 million was launched in December 2006 to support local initiatives to improve hygiene standards.

Hospitals: Leeds

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the plans for a children’s and maternity hospital in Leeds. [132969]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Making Leeds Better is a comprehensive plan for improving healthcare in the city. It is the ambition of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, the Leeds Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the national health service to centre children’s services on one new site in the city. This remains the case.

However, concerns have been raised about the affordability of this project. Leeds PCT is investigating how this might be resolved prior to public consultation and the next major milestone, the submission of the outline business case, which is still over 20 months away.

No decision will be taken on Making Leeds Better without public involvement.

Hyperactivity

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) the area corresponding as closely as possible to Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in each of the last seven years. [134771]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information is not collected on the number of people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In March 2006, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidance on the use of drugs to treat ADHD. NICE has estimated that around 5 per cent. of school-aged children meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, equivalent to 366,000 children and adolescents in England and Wales, but not all these children will require medication.

The position concerning ADHD in adults is unclear. There have been a number of follow-up studies of those given the diagnosis as children, which indicate that a small proportion may continue with ADHD problems into adulthood.


3 May 2007 : Column 1845W

Members: Correspondence

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2007, Official Report, column 746W, on Members’ correspondence, when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Billericay of 14 March on the proposed independent sector treatment centre for Basildon. [134940]

Andy Burnham [holding answer 30 April 2007]: I will respond to the letter of 14 March from the hon. Member for Billericay shortly.

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2007, Official Report, column 1045W, on Members’ correspondence, when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Billericay of 8 March concerning Mr. O’Reilly. [134941]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 30 April 2007]: The Department received a copy of the letter from the hon. Member on 26 April 2007. A reply was issued on 2 May 2007.

Mental Health Services: Greater Manchester

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was provided in unweighted allocated funds per head of population for mental health services in (a) Trafford and (b) Salford in the last 12 months. [135665]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Separate allocations are not made for mental health services. It is for each primary care trust (PCT) to determine what proportion of the resources allocated to it are spent on commissioning mental health services and on the other health care needs of their local populations.

The latest allocations made to the Salford and Trafford PCTs are set out in the following table.

£ million
2006-07 2007-08

Salford

346.8

374.6

Trafford

275.4

299.5


Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time was between referral and first appointment for primary care psychological services in (a) Trafford and (b) Salford in the last 12 months. [135667]

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

Mid-Essex Primary Care Trust

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2007, Official Report, column 132W, on Mid-Essex Primary Care Trust, how many administrative staff there are in the Mid-Essex Primary Care Trust. [127913]


3 May 2007 : Column 1846W

Andy Burnham: The following table shows the staffing figures as at September 2006 (which are the latest data available within the Department).

NHS hospital and community health services: administrative staff in the Mid-Essex primary care trust( 1) by level as at 30 September 2006
2005( 1) 2006

Headcount

Total administrative staff

365

342

Senior manager

18

19

Manager

56

51

Clerical and administrative

291

272

Full-time equivalent

Total administrative staff

283

264

Senior manager

18

18

Manager

52

47

Clerical and administrative

213

199

(1) Mid-Essex PCT was formed on 1 October 2006 from a complete merger of Chelmsford PCT, Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT and Waltham, Baintree and Halstead care trust. 2005 figures are an aggregate of these three predecessor organisations, provided for the purposes of comparison. Due to various complex issues, it is not possible to directly compare previous staffing levels with those of the newly formed PCT—as not all local authority boundaries are co-terminus with those of PCT.
Source:
The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Multiple Sclerosis: Medical Treatments

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people received treatment for multiple sclerosis in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997; [135314]

(2) how many people were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997. [135316]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of people diagnosed with, and receiving treatment for, multiple sclerosis is not collected.


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