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25 July 2007 : Column 1198Wcontinued
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many teenagers were admitted to accident and emergency in (a) Hampshire and (b) England as a result of drinking alcohol in the last (i) 12 months and (ii) five years; [150957]
(2) what treatments were most frequently administered to teenage drinkers admitted to accident and emergency departments in the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years in (i) Hampshire and (ii) England. [151007]
Dawn Primarolo: Data on the age of patients attended to or the treatments given in accident and emergency (A & E) departments is not collected centrally.
It should be noted that there is a difference between alcohol related disease and other alcohol related admissions: data on the age of patients attended to or the treatments given in A & E departments is not collected centrally. Data is also not collected on injuries sustained where alcohol has been a contributory factor.
However, the following table shows the numbers of Finished Admission Episodes (FAE) for 13 to 19-year-olds admitted to hospital via A & E departments with a primary diagnosis of alcohol related illnesses for each year for the past five years.
Count of FAE with a primary diagnosis of alcohol related Illnesses admitted via A & E for 13-19 year olds, d ata for NHS Hospitals, England, 2005-06 | ||
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority of Residence | England (inc. Hampshire) | |
Notes: FAE A FAE is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients as a person may have more than one admission within the year. Assessing growth through time Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected by the national health service, there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. Diagnosis (primary diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital. The ICD10 Codes used to define alcohol related conditions are as follows: T5lToxic Effect of Alcohol K70Alcoholic Live Disease F10Mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol Age: Data is for those who were between 13 and 19 years old at the start of the episode Admission Method: Admission method 21 and 28 were selected for A & E admissions This data is for patients admitted to hospital as an inpatient, via A & E. This does not reflect the number of A & E attendances. Source: HES, The Information Centre for Health and Social Care |
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the (a) distribution and (b) effectiveness of assertive outreach services. [151022]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Assertive outreach teams provide intensive support for people with severe mental illness who find it difficult to engage in more traditional mental health services. At 31 January 2006, there were 525 assertive outreach (AO) teams in England.
Assertive outreach services are effective in caring for about 18,400 people (at 31 March 2007). The table shows the distribution of AO teams across England by strategic health authority (SHA). The difference between the SHA total and the England total is due to some teams not being assigned to an SHA.
Number of AO teams in England by strategic health authority in January 2006 | |
SHA name | Total AO teams |
Source: Service mapping. |
Mr. Anthony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to collect national figures on the number of people with autism. [151951]
Ann Keen: The Department has no plans to collect national figures on the number of people with autism.
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the (a) direct and (b) indirect costs of a blood transfusion. [151995]
Dawn Primarolo: We cannot estimate the cost of an individual blood transfusion. However, the cost of a unit of red blood cell is £134.
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of cancer patients who suffer from anaemia; [151996]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on costs to the NHS of using erythropoietin for the treatment of cancer-related anaemia; [152022]
(3) what treatments are (a) licensed, (b) recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and (c) being reviewed by NICE for the treatment of cancer-related anaemia; [152023]
(4) what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of cancer patients receiving treatment for cancer-related anaemia. [152098]
Ann Keen: Options available to address anaemia in cancer patients include blood transfusions, iron supplementation, erythropoietin and adjustments to a patients cancer treatment regime.
On 29 June 2007 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its preliminary recommendations on the use of erythropoietin for the treatment of anaemia induced by cancer treatment.
These preliminary recommendations are currently with stakeholders for consultation and they have until 23 July 2007 to submit comments. Final guidance from NICE is expected later this year.
The Department has not made any estimate of the number of cancer patients who suffer from anaemia or who receive treatment for anaemia.
However, the NICE appraisal of erythropoietin sets out that a large European study of almost 15,000 cancer patients found that, at enrolment, around half of the patients had anaemia. This proportion increased during treatment, particularly with chemotherapy. Proportions also appeared to be larger in patients with lymphoma, myeloma and gynaecological cancers than in patients with other types of cancer.
The Department has not made an assessment of the potential effect on costs to the national health service of using erythropoietin. However, NICE estimates that the cost of a course of treatment with erythropoietin is approximately £2,500 to £5,000, excluding VAT.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be responsible for implementing the cancer reform strategy. [151721]
Ann Keen: The cancer reform strategy is currently being developed and mechanisms to implement the strategy will be considered as part of this in due course. The Department aims to publish the strategy before the end of the year.
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of (a) state and (b) privately-funded care home places in (i) Eastbourne, (ii) East Sussex and (iii) England per head of population. [151406]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Neither the Department nor the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) collects data on population numbers. Information on the number of care and nursing homes and registered places is collected by CSCI as part of its registration and inspection activities.
The Office for National Statistics has supplied data on numbers of adults aged 18 and over in England and the East Sussex council areas. Numbers of care and nursing home places in England and East Sussex as percentages of the numbers of adults aged 18 and over are shown in the table. Data on numbers of places in Eastbourne is not available.
Care home places are not registered as state or privately funded; care is funded in a variety of ways. Depending on their circumstances, residents may fund their own care, or be partly or wholly supported by councils or the national health service, or organisations such as charities and previous employers. As a result, the same place may, at different times, be state or privately funded depending on the circumstances of the resident occupying it.
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) occupied and (b) available extra care housing places there are in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) East Sussex. [151407]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This information is not collected centrally.
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on human health of man-made chemicals found in household goods, with particular reference to (a) perfluorinated compounds, (b) phthalates, (c) phenolic compounds and (d) brominated flame retardants; and what measures the Government plans to protect human health against the effects of such chemicals. [151748]
Dawn Primarolo: Regulations are in place that require the manufacturers of household goods to make risk assessments on the impact of the chemicals found in those household goods, and this would include any impacts on human health. Responsibility for these regulations lies with other Departments.
Manufacturers and suppliers of chemicals and chemical products are required under the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002 to classify their products in line with an European Union-wide classification system and to label them accordingly. When appropriate, the product must carry a warning symbol and risk phrases that indicate the category of hazard. When supplied for workplace use, the products must additionally have a safety data sheet that sets out the particular risks associated with the use of the product.
Since 1993, over one hundred hazardous substances have been assessed for their risk to human health and the environment under the European Unions Existing Substances Regulation (EC/793/93). Where appropriate, control measures have been put in place including, in some cases, restrictions on the marketing and use of these substances.
Other regulations for protecting the consumer are the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform's General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (GPSR) which implement the European Commission (EC) General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC) and apply to all consumer products that are not covered (and to the same extent) by specific European safety legislation.
The GPSR requires manufacturers to ensure that products present no risk or only the minimum risk compatible with the product's use, and that they are accompanied by appropriate warnings and instructions for use.
The EC has adopted the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, and amending Directive 67/548/EEC and Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 (COM(2007) 355 final). This proposed act will align the EU system of classification, labelling and packaging substances and mixtures to the United Nations Globally Harmonised System (GHS). It will complement the new EU Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation Chemicals (REACH).
The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) provided advice on the toxicity and tolerable daily intake of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate. The statement was published in November 2006.
Phthalates are a family of chemical substances, with a range of properties. Extensive research into the effects of certain phthalates on both the environment and human health has been carried out at a European level, under the auspices of the EUs Existing Substances Regulation (793/93/EC). Details of the programme can be found on the European Chemicals Bureau website at:
ecb.jrc.it/existing-chemicals/.
The United Kingdom takes the view that phthalates must be considered on a case-by-case basis and that risk assessments should be based on evidence. Where the database is insufficient to complete a risk assessment, it is normally expected that the industry will carry out the required additional research. However, Government have asked its expert committee, COT, to keep the area of environmental chemicals and reproductive health under review and will consider their advice on the need for additional research in this area.
The term used may apply to phenolic disinfectants, phenolic resins or to the vast range of chemicals which include a phenol ring, some of which will have had assessments carried out.
COT reviewed the toxicology of the brominated flame retardant, tetrabromobisphenol A, in relation to potential environmental contamination and their statement was published in 2004.
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