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26 July 2007 : Column 1281W—continued

Chiropody: Training

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has taken steps to protect the numbers of pre-registration training commissions for podiatrists. [149269]

Ann Keen: Within the overall resources allocated, it is a matter for each strategic health authority (SHA) to determine its own priorities including how much is spent on pre-registration training commissions for podiatrists. Under the current service level agreement with SHAs each SHA is expected to provide for investment in training commissions based on long-term work force need and local financial plans.

Chronically Sick People

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the role of specialist nurses in the delivery of health and social care to those with long-term conditions. [152007]

Ann Keen: Specialist nurses provide a valuable additional resource in the treatment and management of many long-term conditions. They can help people to manage their condition to maintain stability, improve quality of life and prevent frequent admission to hospital and reduce length of stay

The Government remain committed to the continued development of such roles, and to ensuring that there are enough specialist nurses and other health care professionals to provide high quality services for all client groups.

The responsibility for specific staffing numbers and skill mix rests with the local national health service. We have given local NHS organisations the freedom to decide how best to use their resources, in consultation with local stakeholders, as they know the health needs of their local communities best.

CJD: Blood

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to make the use of prion removal blood filters mandatory in the UK should the tests on prion removal blood filters in blood transfusions in Ireland prove successful. [153532]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone), 14 June 2007, Official Report, column 1298W.


26 July 2007 : Column 1282W

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely number of vCJD blood transfusion transfer cases over the next two years. [153534]

Dawn Primarolo: No estimates have been made of the likely number of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) cases arising from blood transfusion over the next two years. However the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) did issue a position statement on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy infectivity in blood in 2006. A copy of the statement can be found on the SEAC website at

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies have been carried out on prion removal of blood filters in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [153535]

Dawn Primarolo: The United Kingdom blood services are independently evaluating the efficacy of the prion reduction filters that are currently available and which meet the qualifying criteria laid down by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs for Transplantation.

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of vCJD have been recorded in the UK as a result of blood transfusions. [153536]

Dawn Primarolo: There have been three cases of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in the United Kingdom arising from blood transfusions from donors who subsequently died of vCJD. All three patients have died. A fourth patient who received a transfusion from a donor who subsequently died was also found to have abnormal prion protein in the spleen and a lymph node after dying of an unrelated illness.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Mr. Anthony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many inquiries to the (a) NHS Direct telephone service and (b) NHS Direct online service on the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme have been made since April 2006. [151967]

Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the NHS Direct Trust.

Community First Responder Groups: North West Region

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Community First Responder groups there are in each of the five counties in the north west region. [152868]

Mr. Bradshaw: This information is not collected centrally by the Department. This would be a matter for the chair of the North West Ambulance Service.


26 July 2007 : Column 1283W

Community Nurses: Abuse

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community nurses experienced (a) physical abuse and (b) verbal abuse in each year since 1997; how many representations his Department has received about abuse towards community nurses; and if he will make a statement. [151469]

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected in the format requested.

In April 2003 the NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) was created and assumed responsibility for the issue of tackling violence against NHS staff. Since its creation, the NHS SMS has collected data on the number of reported physical assaults against national health service staff in England for the reporting periods 2004-05 and 2005-06, broken down by NHS trust. This data has been placed in the Library.

Both the Department and the NHS SMS take the security of community nurses very seriously. The NHS
26 July 2007 : Column 1284W
SMS is in continual contact with a wide range of stakeholders representing and involved in the work of community nursing.

“Not Alone: A guide for the better protection of lone workers in the NHS” was issued by the NHS SMS in March 2005.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) type of section and (b) age of patient. [151021]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information about the number of patients detained in England under the Mental Health Act 1983 by type of section in national health service hospitals and independent hospitals registered to detain people under the Mental Health Act 1983 between 1997 and 2006 has been obtained from the Information Centre for health and social care. This information is shown in the following table.

Information about the age of patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 is not held centrally.


26 July 2007 : Column 1285W

26 July 2007 : Column 1286W
All formal admissions to independent hospitals registered to detain patients under the Mental Health Act 1983 and other legislation, by legal status, 1996-97 to 2005-06. Includes changes in legal status from informal to formal of patients while in the hospital—England
Number of admissions
1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04( R) 2004-05 2005-06

Total formal admissions(l)

1,297

1,451

1,842

1,968

1,816

2,193

1,806

1,829

2,029

1,934

From informal to formal— total

399

486

583

555

410

524

503

426

400

321

informal to 5(2) and 5(4)

232

291

346

308

251

283

273

292

274

194

informal to 2

83

90

109

139

96

140

116

65

48

45

informal to 3

84

105

128

108

63

101

114

69

78

82

Formal admissions into hospital (excl. place of safety detentions)

898

965

1,259

1,413

1,406

1,669

1,303

1,403

1,629

1,613

Part II patients—total

773

866

1,045

1,233

1,208

1,439

1,056

1,119

1,220

1,301

2

322

389

454

545

491

573

423

460

483

582

3

412

457

561

669

705

846

621

652

732

712

4

38

20

30

19

12

20

12

7

5

7

Court and prison disposals—total

122

93

205

173

185

217

244

279

405

302

35

7

7

8

7

14

11

10

11

15

16

36

2

1

2

3

4

2

3

3

1

37(4)(2)

22

25

52

39

37 (with S41 restrictions)

30

17

73

51

48

74

65

46

88

92

37 (without S41 restrictions)

56

61

66

62

99

93

45A

5

7

17

21

47 (with S49 restrictions)

3

8

12

38

48

71

31

47 (without S49 restrictions)

9

26

31

33

10

5

7

15

21

9

48 (with S49 restrictions)

1

5

6

4

34

36

31

73

64

33

48 (without S49 restrictions)

1

6

12

Other sections—38, 44, 46

46

5

16

15

11

14

25

15

31

27

Previous legislation (Fifth Schedule) and other Acts

3

6

9

7

13

13

3

5

4

10

(1) From 1995-96 transfers between providers without a change in legal status are not included. Changes from informal to formal status while in hospital area also included.
(2 )From 1995-96, these admissions are counted under the appropriate section at the point was formally admitted to hospital.
(R) Revised from bulletin published in December 2004.
Source:
KH15, K037 and KP90

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