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14 Nov 2007 : Column 286W—continued
Health Services: Elderly
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has issued guidance to primary care trusts on commissioning health services for the elderly since March 2006; and if he will make a statement. [162806]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Commissioning Framework for Health and Well-Being was published for consultation on 7 March 2007. This framework builds on the White Paper “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say”.
Healthcare Commission
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints have been referred to the Healthcare Commission for independent review in each of the last five financial years. [162828]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Healthcare Commission assumed responsibility for the second (independent review) stage of national health service complaints at the end of July 2004. The number of cases received since then is shown as follows:
| Number | |
Hearing Aids: Eastern Region
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most recent waiting times are for digital hearing aid assessment for each primary care trust in the east of England. [162871]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Data on waiting times for diagnostic audiological assessments for each primary care trust in the east of England in August 2007 are available in the following tables:
| Primary care trust | Audiological assessments total waiting over six weeks |
| Strategic health authority | Audiological assessments total waiting over six weeks |
| Source: Department of Health Monthly Diagnostics | |
NHS Direct
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls NHS Direct has received in each year since the service was established. [162746]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information is available in the following table:
| Calls received (000) | Visits to NHS Direct Online (000) | |
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the citizen and patient representatives on the board of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. [162197]
Dawn Primarolo: The citizen and patient representative on the board of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement is Professor Tony Butterworth (non-executive Director).
A number of approaches have been adopted to enable stakeholders to influence the work of the NHS Institute including an involvement framework that sets out its commitment to working with patients and the public.
As part of this framework the NHS Institute has invited key stakeholders, patient representatives, voluntary sector representatives and NHS Institute staff to meet as an "Involvement Think Tank' to help it take the involvement agenda forward.
NHS: Drugs
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce the commissioning of new research into the scale, costs and causes of waste medicines to inform policy development for influencing both health professionals and members of the public to reduce the amount of unwanted medicines as referred to in the answer of 12 September 2007, Official Report, column 2084W, on primary care trusts: drugs. [164145]
Dawn Primarolo: Organisations have been invited to submit outline proposals on how to investigate the scale, costs and causes of waste medicines, to inform the development of Government policy for influencing both health professionals and members of the public to reduce the amount of unwanted medicines and provide value for money for the national health service. Invitations to tender were placed in The Guardian on 16 October 2007 and in the Health Service Journal on 25 October 2007.
NHS: Reform
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he expects the cost of the clinical summit meeting being organised by Lord Darzi in London on 21 and 22 November 2007 to be. [162088]
Ann Keen [holding answer 12 November 2007]: The arrangements for the clinical summit are ongoing and the final costs are not yet available.
Nurses: Foreign Workers
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is issued to the NHS in relation to the hiring of non-EU/EEA nurses. [162228]
Ann Keen: In 2004 the Department issued the code of practice for the international recruitment of healthcare professionals. This provides a framework for the ethical recruitment and employment of all international healthcare professionals including nurses.
NHS Employers, established in late 2004, is responsible for the publication of practical guidance and advice on workforce issues including the hiring of non-European Union/European economic area nurses.
Nurses: Prescriptions
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of nurses in the NHS have been able to prescribe medicines in each year since 1997 for which figures are available. [162242]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not collect figures for nurse prescribers centrally. Latest figures provided by the Nursing and Midwifery Council show that there were over 10,800 qualified nurse independent prescribers and almost 27,000 qualified community practitioner nurse prescribers as at 1 November 2007.
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to grant free prescriptions for people with (a) asthma and (b) other long-term illnesses; and if he will make a statement. [162553]
Dawn Primarolo: People are entitled to free prescriptions in respect of a number of long-term medical conditions, if they hold a valid medical exemption certificate. Asthma is not one of these long-term conditions.
The Government's review of prescription charges will be inviting views later this autumn on options for changes to prescription charges that are cost neutral to the national health service.
South East Coast Strategic Health Authority: Marketing
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the total expenditure of the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority, and its predecessor bodies, was on (a) public relations agencies, (b) public affairs agencies, (c) advertising agencies, (d) direct marketing agencies and (e) other external communications agencies in each of the last five years; [162808]
(2) what the total expenditure of West Sussex Primary Care Trust and its predecessor organisations was on external communications agencies in each of the last five years; [162809]
(3) what contracts the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority has with (a) public relations agencies, (b) public affairs agencies, (c) advertising agencies and (d) direct marketing agencies; [162810]
(4) what contracts West Sussex Primary Care Trust has with (a) public relations agencies, (b) public affairs agencies, (c) advertising agencies and (d) direct marketing agencies. [162811]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held centrally. However, the hon. Member should contact the local national health service organisations who may be able to provide this information direct.
Thalidomide
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what costs were borne by social services associated with the special adaptation of homes and other facilities for those affected by Thalidomide in each of the last 10 years; [162115]
(2) what costs were borne by social services associated with providing carers and personal assistants for those affected by Thalidomide in each of the last 10 years; [162116]
(3) what direct medical costs were associated with the treatment of the parents of those affected by Thalidomide for conditions associated with their child's condition borne by the NHS in each of the last 10 years; [162117]
(4) how much in direct medical costs was borne by the NHS associated with the treatment of those affected by Thalidomide in each of the last 10 years. [162126]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 12 November 2007]: Information on the cost of health and social care provision, broken down by specific conditions, is not collected.
West Sussex Primary Care Trust
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all representations made relating to the West Sussex Primary Care Trust’s Fit for the Future consultation before 26 July 2007 will be considered. [164139]
Dawn Primarolo: We would expect West Sussex Primary Care Trust to consider representations made to the PCT both in the pre-consultation phase and in the formal consultation phase.
Worthing Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on ambulance transfer times in Sussex of the closure of accident and emergency services at Worthing Hospital. [162862]
Dawn Primarolo: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) in conjunction with other local stakeholders and their strategic health authorities (SHAs) to make assessments of current and future health needs and to commission services accordingly. South East Coast SHA has advised our officials that in this case West Sussex PCT has carried out the assessment.
The hon. Member may wish to approach the PCT directly on this matter.
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