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8 Oct 2007 : Column 291W—continued
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority: Information Officers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers are employed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. [154167]
Dawn Primarolo: I am informed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority that, as of 28 August 2007, two people are employed to work full-time with the media, of which one has the job title of press officer.
Hyperactivity
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether clinical guidelines being developed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will take account of the possibility that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is caused by (a) dietary and (b) environmental factors. [156510]
Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is producing a clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, young people and adults. The guideline will provide recommendations for good practice based on the latest available evidence and will be developed through extensive consultation with stakeholders. The published scope of the guideline includes consideration of dietary elimination and supplementation, and makes reference to environmental risk factors. The full scope for this guideline is available on the NICE website at:
guidance.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=351276
NICE expects to publish final guidance in July 2008.
Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts: Information Officers
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers are employed by the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts. [154737]
Mr. Bradshaw: We are informed by the Chairman of Monitor, whose statutory name is the independent regulator of national health service foundation trusts, that Monitor employs two external relations officers, part of whose responsibilities include media handling.
Influenza: Vaccination
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 July 2007, Official Report, columns 982-3W, on Influenza: Vaccination, what form the ongoing programme of public engagement will take; whether criteria determining the priority in which different groups of people are offered (a) vaccines, (b) antivirals and (c) other clinical interventions will be subjected to formal consultation; how often he expects these criteria to be reviewed; and if he will make a statement. [154216]
Dawn Primarolo: Work continues on the design of a public engagement programme in accordance with the timetable set out in the previous written answer.
Between March and May 2007 the Government consulted on the draft ‘Ethical framework for the response to pandemic influenza’, which provides an ethical framework for policy and planning decisions relating to pandemic influenza, including the prioritisation of clinical countermeasures. The final version of this document will be published with the final ‘National Framework for responding to an influenza pandemic’ in the autumn. While the ethical principles underlying issues such as prioritisation can be considered in advance, their implications would have to be reviewed in light of emerging scientific developments and/or other information available at the time of a pandemic.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure an adequate supply of seasonal flu vaccines for the winter 2007-08 flu immunisation programme; what discussions he has had with flu vaccine manufacturers on their capacity to supply adequate stocks of vaccine; which manufacturers are supplying vaccine to the UK; what information he has received about flu vaccine manufacturers encountering difficulties in (a) manufacturing and (b) delivering vaccines; and if he will make a statement. [156414]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department meets with representatives from UK Vaccine Industry Group (UVIG) each year to discuss flu vaccine requirements for the United Kingdom. On 24 July 2007, Professor David Salisbury, Director of Immunisation, wrote to the profession saying that over 15 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine would be available for distribution in the UK.
Suppliers of flu vaccine to the UK for 2007-08 are Sanofi Pasteur MSD, Novartis Vaccines, GlaxoSmithKline, MASTA, Solvay and Wyeth vaccines.
The profession were alerted to the minor delays in distribution of vaccine from GSK and Novartis in the August and September edition of “Vaccine Update” respectively. Supply of flu vaccine to surgeries has already commenced.
Information Officers
Mr. Mackay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many press officers are employed by the National Clinical Assessment Service; [154463]
(2) how many press officers are employed by the National Patient Safety Agency. [154464]
Ann Keen: The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) is a special health authority that was established in July 2001 to undertake various patient safety functions.
Since 1 April 2005, following the Department's Review of Arms Length Bodies, the Agency has also taken on additional responsibilities including those for the National Clinical Assessment Service (formerly the National Clinical Assessment Authority).
As at April 2007, two full-time press officers are employed by the NPSA to provide support across all the areas of its responsibility.
Intensive Care
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care beds there were in each of the last 10 years, broken down by trust. [154272]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information on the number of critical care beds was not collected before March 1999. The biannual adult critical care provision census started in March 1999 with the latest census in July 2007. The data from each census have been placed in the Library. National health service trust mergers have taken place between 1999 and 2007 but each census covers organisations current at the time.
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency: Information Officers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers are employed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. [154166]
Dawn Primarolo: The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency employs two press officers.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reply to the letter to the Minister of State (Delivery and Quality) dated 21 May from the hon. Member for Hyndburn on Mrs. J. Hogan. [153790]
Dawn Primarolo: The reply was sent on 16 August 2007.
Meningitis: Vaccination
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the take-up rate of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Prevenar has been since 4 September 2006; [155841]
(2) what studies have been commissioned into the effectiveness of Prevenar since 4 September 2006. [155842]
Dawn Primarolo: Data on the pneumococcal vaccine uptake for children are currently being collected on behalf of the Department by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), and no robust analysis is available yet. Preliminary data from just over half of primary care trusts in England suggested that over 60 per cent. of children targeted in the catch-up campaign had received the vaccine. We do not yet know the level of uptake of the vaccine given as part of the routine childhood immunisation programme.
The impact of the vaccine has been very significant, with the number of cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in children, caused by any one of the seven serotypes contained in the vaccine, falling since the introduction of the new vaccine a year ago. The latest data are available on the HPA website at:
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to increase awareness of the Prevenar vaccine. [155843]
Dawn Primarolo: A public awareness campaign ran in September 2006 in support of the introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine. The new vaccine was publicised through television, radio and press advertising and an information pack was available for parents and health professionals.
There is a section on the immunisation.nhs.uk website about pneumococcal vaccines, and a leaflet on the pneumococcal catch-up programme has been placed in the Library and is available at:
The pneumococcal vaccine is now part of the routine immunisation programme and is described in the Guide to childhood immunisations leaflet, available from general practitioner surgeries. Information and advice is also offered on this and other vaccines by health professionals before immunisations are given.
Midwives: Manpower
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the estimated required number of midwives is in each of the next five years; [154475]
(2) what percentage of midwives are due to retire in each of the next five years; and how many new midwives are planned to be recruited in each year. [154477]
Mr. Bradshaw: We do not collect information on the estimated numbers of retirements for midwives, this is a matter for strategic health authorities to build into their local workforce plans as they are best placed to assess the midwifery needs of their local population.
As part of NHS Operating Framework for 2007-08, local organisations are reviewing their workforce capacity and may identify the need to invest in their maternity services and increase staffing levels.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence: Information Officers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers are employed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. [154159]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of press officers employed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is not held by the Department. NICE is an independent body and should be contacted direct for this information.
National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse: Information Officers
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers are employed by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse. [154557]
Dawn Primarolo: There is one press officer employed at the National Treatment Agency.
Neurology: Manpower
Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for the numbers of (a) adult neurologists, (b) paediatric neurologists, (c) learning disability specialists and (d) neuro-radiologists in the next 10 years; and whether there are targets for the number of consultants in each case. [153972]
Mr. Bradshaw: As part of the work force contribution to delivering the NHS improvement plan, we are moving away from an emphasis on centrally prescribed national targets to a reliance on credible local plans to maximise work force capacity to support delivery.
It is the responsibility of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to analyse their local situation and develop plans, in liaison with their local national health service trusts and primary care providers, to deliver high quality NHS services and take action to recruit the appropriate staff required to deliver these services.
The following table shows the number of medical staff in neurology has increased by 372 or 59 per cent. since 1997.
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