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9 Oct 2007 : Column 517W—continued

Incontinence

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish guidance on continence services as part of the planned high-level report on developing services for older people with complex needs. [156217]


9 Oct 2007 : Column 518W

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The key messages for developing services for older people with complex needs were outlined in the National Clinical Director for Older People’s reconfiguration report “A Recipe for Care” published in January of this year. There are no plans to issue further guidance on continence services but the National Clinical Director continues to advise Ministers on developing services for older people with complex needs and will continue to publish evidence-based information to support service development.

The management of continence is a key issue for the care of older people, as highlighted in Standard 2 of the National Service Framework for Older People and is one of the conditions for which early intervention is recommended, as outlined in “A Recipe for Care”.

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the results of the second survey of continence care for older people undertaken by the Royal College of Physicians. [156219]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have made no assessment of the results of the second survey of continence care undertaken by the Royal College of Physicians.

Incontinence: Children

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific measures are in place to deliver an incontinence service for younger people and disabled children. [156215]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The assessment of paediatric continence services is for local primary care trusts (PCTs), with a view to compliance with standard six of the national service framework for children. This standard includes a specific section on paediatric incontinence. The provision of continence services for younger people and disabled children is the responsibility of local PCTs, with a view to compliance with standard six of the national service framework for children. This standard includes a specific section on paediatric incontinence.

Incontinence: Home Care Services

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to carry out a review of the impact on elderly people of changes to the home delivery service of incontinence products; [156216]

(2) how many health authorities provide an integrated incontinence service; [156218]

(3) what powers are available to the Government to oblige health bodies to comply with the guidelines contained in Good Practice in Continence Services; and whether sanctions are available for non-compliance; [156220]

(4) whether the Government plans to carry out research to ascertain how many people suffer from incontinence, broken down by (a) the age and sex of those affected and (b) the form of incontinence. [156222]


9 Oct 2007 : Column 519W

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have no plans to carry out research into the number of people living with incontinence.

Information on the number of strategic health authorities (SHAs) proving an integrated continence service is not collected centrally.

We currently have no plans to review the impact on older people of the changes to the home delivery service of continence products.

Health bodies are expected to have regard for the guidance contained in the document “Good Practice in Continence Services”. SHAs have a duty to ensure that primary care trusts provide acceptable continence services. The Healthcare Commission may intervene where health bodies fail to provide an adequate level of service.

Maternity Services

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2007, Official Report, column 176W, on maternity services, on what evidential basis the figure for live births in England in 2006 was estimated; and what percentage change this figure represented from live births in England in 2005. [154274]

Ann Keen: In 2005 there were 613,028 live births in England. In 2006 there were 635,748 live births. This was a 3.7 per cent. increase on live births in England in 2005. The figure for live births in the original reply was for England and Wales whereas these figures are England only. This information is given in the table. Table 6 of the “Office for National Statistics Births (Provisional), Selected Background Data, England and Wales” and is published on the ONS website at:

The figure for the number of live births in England 2006 comes from the details collected when births are registered. Registering a birth is a legal requirement and must be done within 42 days of the birth. Births to residents of England which are registered elsewhere are excluded, while births registered in England whose usual residence is elsewhere, are included.


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9 Oct 2007 : Column 521W
Table 6: live births by health area of usual residence of mother, numbers, general fertility rates and total fertility rates, 2006—England and Wales, Government Office Regions (within England), and health authorities/boards( 1)
Area of usual residence Live births GFR( 2) TFR( 3)

England and Wales

669,601

60.2

1.86

England

635,748

60.3

1.86

North East

29,184

56.5

1.80

North East

29,184

56.5

1.80

North West

84,155

60.0

1.90

North West

84,155

60.0

1.90

Yorkshire and the Humber

62,955

59.4

1.86

Yorkshire and the Humber

62,955

59.4

1.86

East Midlands

50,717

57.4

1.83

East Midlands

50,717

57.4

1.83

West Midlands

67,688

62.5

1.97

West Midlands

67,688

62.5

1.97

East

66,870

59.9

1.88

East of England

66,870

59.9

1.88

London

120,898

65.8

1.85

London

120,898

65.8

1.85

South East

98,566

59.2

1.85

South East Coast

49,163

59.0

1.86

South Central

49,403

59.4

1.83

South West

54,715

56.1

1.80

South West

54,715

56.1

1.80

Wales

33,628

58.1

1.86

Anglesey

697

58.2

1.92

Gwynedd

1,331

60.3

1.91

Conwy

1,149

62.2

2.13

Denbighshire

989

58.2

1.94

Flintshire

1,719

58.9

1.93

Wrexham

1,597

61.7

1.96

Powys Teaching

1,222

57.3

2.02

Ceredigion

590

39.3

1.48

Pembrokeshire

1,278

63.1

2.18

Carmarthenshire

1,887

58.9

1.95

Swansea

2,543

56.2

1.79

Neath Port Talbot

1,515

58.4

1.92

Bridgend

1,526

59.1

1.96

Vale of Glamorgan

1,360

57.3

1.90

Cardiff

4,216

55.2

1.69

Rhondda Cynon Taff Teaching

2,778

58.1

1.81

Merthyr Tydfil

692

62.2

2.06

Caerphilly Teaching

2,167

63.1

2.01

Blaenau Gwent

770

55.8

1.86

Torfaen

1,069

60.8

1.99

Monmouthshire

854

56.4

2.00

Newport

1,679

58.9

1.93

Normal residence outside England and Wales

225

—

—

(1) Strategic health authorities in England and local health boards in Wales.
(2) The general fertility rate (GFR) is the number of live births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44.
(3) The total fertility rate (TFR) is the average number of children that would be born per woman if women experienced the age-specific fertility rates of the year in question throughout their childbearing lifespan.
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