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25 July 2007 : Column 1208W—continued
Contraceptives: Young People
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many girls aged (a) 11, (b) 12, (c) 13, (d) 14, (e) 15 and (f) 16 years were given the morning after pill in each of the last three years. [151062]
Dawn Primarolo: Data on prescriptions dispensed in the community for contraception by age are not available (almost all of these prescriptions are written by general practice).
The available information on emergency hormonal contraception supplied by community contraception clinics is shown as follows. We are unable to provide data by individual ages; data are only collected by the age-bands shown.
| Occasions on which emergency hormonal contraception were supplied by community contraception clinics by age and year—England | ||||
| Thousand | ||||
| of which: | ||||
| All ages | under 15 | 15 | 16-17 | |
| (1 )data revised in 2004-05 publication. Source: The Information Centre KT31 return. | ||||
Dental Services
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department categorises teeth bleaching carried out by dentists as a health procedure. [152011]
Ann Keen: Yes, we share the view taken by the General Dental Council that all tooth whitening procedures, including bleach and laser treatment, constitute the practice of dentistry. Consequently the procedures may only be carried out by a dentist.
Dental Services: Waiting Lists
Sandra Gidley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the average
waiting time for NHS dental work in (a) Southampton, (b) Hampshire and (c) England in each year since 1997; [151025]
(2) what assessment he has made of the trends in waiting times in (a) Southampton, (b) Hampshire and (c) England since 1997. [151026]
Ann Keen: Information is held centrally on waiting times for dental services provided in hospital settings. The available information for the period requested has been placed in the Library.
Information on waiting times for dental treatment in primary care is not held centrally.
Dental Services: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) adults and (b) children were registered with NHS general dental practices in York as at March 2007. [151620]
Ann Keen: The requested information is not collected centrally.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent NHS general dental practitioners there are in York. [151621]
Ann Keen: The information is not available in the requested format. As of 31 March 2007, there were a total of 342 dentists on open national health service contracts in the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust area.
Doctors: Vetting
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) Criminal Records Bureau, (b) security, (c) health and (d) registration status checks are carried out on overseas doctors seeking to work in the United Kingdom. [151149]
Ann Keen: The national health service is required to undertake a wide range of pre and post employment checks, as set out in guidance issued by NHS Employers in May 2005 on safer recruitment. The guidance covers all procedures for the full range of checks to be made, before appointment of anyone in the NHS. It applies to all NHS settings. The Healthcare Commission monitor NHS trusts on their compliance with the guide. A copy of this guidance, entitled “Safer Recruitment, A Guide for NHS Employers”, has been placed in the Library.
In February 2005 Ministers decided that Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks should be mandatory for all staff with access to patients in the normal course of their duties. However, CRB checks are limited to the United Kingdom and will not reveal anything on staff who have just entered the UK for the first time. NHS Employers guidance states that employers who recruit staff from abroad should carry out the necessary police checks in line with that country’s justice system and UK requirements.
Family Planning
Sandra Gidley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many appointments there have been (a) at family planning clinics and (b) for family
planning domiciliary visits in each health trust in each of the last five years; [150972]
(2) how many attendances at family planning clinics there were in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age and (b) trust. [150983]
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children and young people (a) under 16-years-old and (b) between 16 and 18 years visited a sexual health clinic in each of the last five years. [150643]
Dawn Primarolo: Data for community contraceptive services are reported by attendances rather than by appointment.
Data on attendances at community contraceptive clinics by age and trust can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, data for England for first contacts by age are published in “NHS Contraceptive Services, England, 2005-06”, copies of which have been placed in the Library; data for attendance by trust have been placed in the Library.
Data are not available for attendances at genito-urinary clinics but are available for the five major sexually transmitted infection diagnoses, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital warts, genital herpes and syphilis. The data are published by the Health Protection Agency in “Diagnoses of selected STIs by Strategic Health Authority, country, sex and age group, United Kingdom: 1997-2006”, copies of which are available in the Library.
Genito-Urinary Medicine: Waiting Lists
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made and what the timetable is for future steps to be taken towards the commitment in the White Paper “Choosing Health” that everyone referred to a genito-urinary medicine clinic should be able to have an appointment within 48 hours; and if he will make a statement. [152236]
Dawn Primarolo: We are making excellent progress on our target. Data from the genito-urinary medicine monthly monitoring return showed that in May 2007, 85 per cent. of first attendances were offered an appointment to be seen within 48 hours of contacting a service.
A National Support Team is supporting those primary care trusts that are most challenged in meeting the target.
Health Services
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2007, Official Report, column 1148W, on health services, by what means research required by the working groups on the White Paper will be financed. [152057]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has put aside funding for the working groups in 2007-08, which will include funding for any research they commission. Resources for future years will be subject to the availability of funds approved by Parliament.
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2007, Official Report, column 1148W, on health services, whether documents made available to the working groups on the White Paper will also be made available to (a) stakeholder organisations (i) represented and (ii) not represented on the working groups and (b) the public. [152058]
Mr. Bradshaw: Wherever possible, and subject to any legal constraints, any information made available to the working groups and any subsequent documents produced as a result of consultation from working group meetings will be publicly available. However, there may be exceptional circumstances in which, after consultation with the chairs of the working groups, we may need to share information with Members on an in confidence basis.
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2007, Official Report, column 1148W, on health services, by what means the patient and public stakeholders on the working groups on the White Paper are being (a) nominated and (b) selected; and what expenses will be met for them in their work. [152059]
Mr. Bradshaw: On 5 June 2007, the Department held a conference for interested groups, where views were sought on taking forward the implementation of the White Paper. A number of patient and public involvement groups attended the conference and we also intend that future meetings of the National Advisory Group will include a wide regional representation. Proposals for the membership and terms of reference of the national working groups were presented and views and expressions of interest sought. The detailed membership of the groups is now being finalised by the Department, working with the chairs and taking into account views expressed by stakeholders. Each working group will include patient/public representatives. Reasonable expenses will be met for such members of the working groups.
Health Services: West Sussex Primary Care Trust
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is of West Sussex Primary Care Trust's Fit for the Future consultation exercise. [152764]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held centrally but can be obtained from West Sussex Primary Care Trust.
Health Services: Asylum
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of NHS care for failed asylum seekers who are temporarily unable to leave the UK. [151492]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: No one in need of immediately necessary treatment to save life or prevent a condition from becoming life-threatening will ever have that treatment refused or denied, irrespective of their immigration status. However, the principle still remains that the national health service is intended primarily for those who are legally resident in this country. Under the “NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989”, as amended, anyone not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom will be liable for charges for any NHS hospital treatment they receive unless they are exempt from charge under one of several exemption categories.
Asylum seekers whose applications are under consideration are exempt from charges but failed asylum seekers are not exempt from charges except for the continuation of a course of treatment begun before their application was ultimately rejected, or where the treatment needed is itself exempt from charge.
The Home Office document “Enforcing the rules: a strategy to ensure and enforce compliance with our immigration laws”, published in March, announced that a review of access to the NHS by foreign nationals would be carried out jointly by the Home Office and the Department. The review, to be completed by October, will specifically consider the position of failed asylum seekers, including those who are temporarily unable to leave the United Kingdom for whatever reason.
Health Services: East Sussex
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) out-patient appointments and (b) operations there were in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) East Sussex in each of the last 10 years. [151408]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is not collected in the format requested.
The number of out-patient appointments for all specialities for national health service trusts in the East Sussex area is shown in the table.
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