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8 May 2007 : Column 146W—continued
Health Services
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether referral of an NHS patient by a GP to an NHS provider gives the provider the authority to treat that patient. [131956]
Andy Burnham: The “Technical notes for Choice at Referral—Guidance Framework for 2006/7” produced by the Department requires that a general practitioner referral, where clinically appropriate, constitutes an authority to treat that patient.
Health Services: Prisons
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Browne) of 16 April 2007, Official Report, columns 383-87W, on primary care trusts: prisons, who is responsible for the (a) commissioning and (b) provision of healthcare facilities within the private prison estate; who provides such services at each private prison; and if she will make a statement. [134613]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
Regional commissioners, on behalf of the chief executive of the National Offender Management Service, commission the prison contractor to provide appropriate healthcare services to meet the requirements of the contract. It is for the contractor to determine how this is delivered for individual establishments. A table of current healthcare providers for the 11 contracted establishments follows.
| Contracted sector healthcare provider | ||
| Establishment | Contractor | Healthcare Provider |
Health Services: Training
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the indicative budget is for multi-professional education and training (MPET) in 2007-08; what advice she has given to strategic health authorities on top slicing this budget for strategic reserves; and what estimate she has made of the amount to be top-sliced from the MPET budget in 2007-08. [134162]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The indicative budget for the multi-professional education and training (MPET) in 2007-08 is £4.3 billion, a 3.6 per cent. increase on the 2006-07 indicative budget. No advice has been given to strategic health authorities on top slicing this budget for strategic reserves. Therefore no estimates have been made of the amount that might be top-sliced by strategic heath authorities from the MPET budget in 2007-08.
Health Services: Warrington
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what communication she has had with (a) the North West Strategic Health Authority and (b) Warrington Primary Care Trust on the Primary Care Trust's proposal to establish a number of polyclinics in Warrington. [134029]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There has been no communication with the NHS North West or the Warrington Primary Care Trust on the proposals to establish polyclinics.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from members of the public in Warrington about Warrington Primary Care Trust's plans for changes in the way primary healthcare is delivered. [134031]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There have been five representations from members of the public on Warrington Primary Care Trust's proposals to develop local health services.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has received any representations on the management of Warrington primary care trust (PCT); and what steps she is taking to improve the management of the PCT. [134032]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There have been no representations on the management of Warrington primary care trust.
Heart Diseases: Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2007, Official Report, column 859W, on heart diseases: accident and emergency departments, which 30 centres offer primary angioplasty; and which offer a 24-hour, seven days a week service. [134102]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are 27 centres that offer primary angioplasty in England. These are shown in the following lists:
Daytime hours only (seven days):
Birmingham City Hospital
Bristol Royal Infirmary
Hemel Hempstead General
John Radcliffe Hospital
Manchester Royal Infirmary
New Cross Hospital
Northwick Park
North Hampshire Hospital
Royal Bournemouth Hospital
Royal Brompton Hospital
Sandwell District General Hospital
Southampton General Hospital
Walsgrave Hospital
Wythenshawe Hospital
Birmingham Heartlands Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital
Harefield Hospital
Heart Hospital
James Cook University Hospital
Kings College Hospital
London Chest Hospital
Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (not week-ends)
Royal Free Hospital
St. George’s Hospital
St. Mary’s Hospital
St. Thomas’ Hospital
Yorkshire Heart Centre
Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost per quality adjusted life year of (a) cholesterol testing and diet therapy, (b) treatment with statins, (c) heart pacemaker insertion, (d) cardiac bypass surgery and (e) heart transplant; and if she will make a statement. [135307]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 3 May 2007]: There is a wide range of published data on cost per quality adjusted life year for each of these procedures which suggests that all of these interventions are within an acceptable cost effectiveness range.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recently conducted a health technology appraisal on statins which has updated national policy so that the threshold for national health service intervention with statins has been lowered to encourage their increased use. They are currently working on guidance on lipid management, due out later this year. That guidance will set out any revisions to current policy on targets for controlling cholesterol.
Heart Diseases: Portsmouth
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support her Department has made available to Portsmouth city primary care trust to implement chapter 8 of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease; and what her plans are for future support. [132989]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Responsibility for supporting local national health service services in the delivery of Chapter 8 of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease, covering arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, rests with local cardiac networks, in the case of Portsmouth, Central Southern Cardiac Network. The Heart Improvement Programme, a national team located within the national health service, supports the work of cardiac networks, acknowledging the diversity of those that exist to meet local needs, enabling them to communicate and share learning with each other to promote their success.
Homeopathy
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the Government’s policy on patient choice will enable patients to choose homeopathy from a local NHS homeopathic clinic or an NHS homeopathic hospital; [136165]
(2) if she will issue guidance to primary care trusts to remind them that homeopathy in the NHS should continue to be an option for all patients; [136173]
(3) whether it is the Government’s policy that homeopathic treatment should continue to be provided via NHS homeopathic hospitals; [136174]
(4) whether any patient wishing to choose NHS homeopathic treatment will be able to access it from one of the four NHS homeopathic hospitals over the next five years. [136247]
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.
The “Our Health, our care, our say” White Paper makes it clear that primary care trusts (PCTs) will be holding practices accountable for the use of public money under practice-based commissioning, and that PCTs will be expected to support practices that are innovative and entrepreneurial. They will be working with them to secure services that are needed locally, for example exploring opportunities to develop complementary or alternative therapies (of which homoeopathy is one example) as a component of patient choice.
Hospices: Expenditure
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines she has provided to primary
care trusts on the proportion of their budget which should be spent on (a) children's hospices and (b) adult hospices. [134524]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: None. The level of public funding a hospice receives is a matter for local negotiation between the local primary care trust (PCT), who are responsible for commissioning and funding palliative care services locally, and the hospice. We are currently developing an adult End of Life Care Strategy, which will consider funding for adult hospices and other adult end of life care services.
In November 2005 we issued guidance for commissioners of palliative care services, “Commissioning Children and Young People's Palliative Care Services: A Practical Guide for the NHS Commissioners”. This is a practical guide for PCTs and practice based commissioners to help them in identifying local palliative care needs and models of effective delivery.
We have also commissioned an independent review into the future sustainability of palliative care services for children and young people who have a life-limiting or life-threatening condition. This is being led by Professor Sir Alan Craft, Head of Child Health at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Sue Killen, a senior civil servant. We expect to receive their recommendations very shortly.
Hospital Planning
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice was provided to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel by the North East Strategic Health Authority on the issue of a single hospital site north of the Tees. [111486]
Andy Burnham: The Independent Reconfiguration Panel published their report on maternity and paediatric services in North Tees and Hartlepool on 19 January 2007.
The report contains the advice of all the written evidence received, including that of the North East Strategic Health Authority.
Hospitals: Public Transport
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital trusts provide subsidised public transport for their staff; and if she will make a statement. [132315]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
The provision of subsidised public transport for national health service staff is determined in line with local employment and transport policies.
Hospitals: Waiting Lists
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has provided to local NHS trusts on the operation of minimum waiting times for elective clinical and diagnostic procedures. [133772]
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department plans to publish a tolerance threshold for adherence to the 18 week waiting time target. [131898]
Andy Burnham: The requirements of the national health service in terms of 18 weeks in 2007-08 were set out in the operating framework published in December 2006. These are the March 2008 milestones of 85 per cent. within 18 weeks for admitted patients, 90 per cent. within 18 weeks for non-admitted patients, and all diagnostic tests within six weeks. We expect to set out the requirements that will apply for the target date of December 2008 later in 2007.
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