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26 Nov 2007 : Column 230W—continued
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what percentage of cases his Department’s target that patients should wait no more than 18 weeks for treatment will apply; and if he will make a statement. [165694]
Mr. Bradshaw: An operational tolerance is needed to account for when it would be clinically inappropriate to treat patients or where patients choose to wait longer than 18 weeks from referral.
The Department is currently considering the tolerance level needed to reflect this. The operational tolerance will be confirmed in the NHS Operating Framework for 2008-09.
Latest figures show that seven out of 10 patients are already being treated in 18 weeks or less. The NHS is making good progress towards effectively ending waiting next year.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations his Department has received expressing concern about meeting the 18 week waiting time target. [166371]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department receives a wide range of written and other representations on issues relating to 18 weeks. Information on the number of representations specifically expressing concern about meeting the target could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Abortion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis was for the statement made by the Minister for Public Health to the Science and Technology Committee on 24 October that the Abortion Act 1967 did not require further amendment at the present time; whom she consulted before making this statement; what recent representations he has received on this statement from (a) hon. Members, (b) Members of the House of Lords and (c) members of the public; and if he will make a statement. [165745]
Dawn Primarolo: Departmental officials working in this area constantly review scientific evidence which might affect the science that underpins the Abortion Act 1967, as amended. As part of this ongoing work officials reviewed all of the evidence submitted to the Science and Technology Committee inquiry into scientific developments relating to the Abortion Act 1967 and agreed with the consensus of opinion which was that there was no new scientific evidence that warranted a change to the Act.
The Royal Colleges and Professional Bodies, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Medical Association, which the Department and the Government look to for advice submitted evidence to the Committee outlining their views, therefore no wider consultation was necessary.
Since 24 October we have received one representation in the form of an oral parliamentary question from hon. Members; no direct representations from the House of Lords and 84 letters on abortion issues in general from members of the public.
Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 6 April 2005, Official Report, column 1538W, on accident and emergency departments, what recent assessment he has made of the trend in attendances at type one accident and emergency departments; and what effect (a) better reporting, (b) increased satisfaction with accident and emergency services and (c) any other factors have on this trend. [166320]
Mr. Bradshaw: Data show that there were 13.6 million attendances in 2006-07 at type 1 accident and emergency departments, a 0.4 per cent. increase since 2005-06.
The assessment referred to in the previous answer has not been repeated.
Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with other European Union member states on alcohol warning labels; and if he will make a statement. [166022]
Dawn Primarolo: The Committee on National Policy and Action is part of the implementation structure for the European Union Alcohol Strategy. It met in Luxembourg on 5 November.
The Committee heard a presentation by the representative of Finland about its recent notification to the Commission stating an intention to legislate for a warning label in both Finnish and Swedish for alcohol products marketed in Finland.
The United Kingdom representative described the voluntary agreement made with the UK alcohol industry in May 2007 for the inclusion of information on labels relating to alcohol unit content and guidelines on sensible daily consumption, along with advice on alcohol and pregnancy; and argued for an approach which provides information to consumers on alcohol unit content and sensible daily consumption, rather than generalised warnings about alcohol.
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many alcohol-attributable hospital admissions there were (a) in each London borough and (b) in the Greater London area (i) in each of the last four financial years and (ii) in 2007-08; [166511]
(2) how many alcohol-attributable (a) routine hospital admissions and (b) accident and emergency admissions there were (i) in each London borough and (ii) in the Greater London area in (A) each of the last four financial years and (B) 2007-08. [166512]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested has been placed in the Library. Data for 2007-08 are not yet available.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on public health of low pricing of bulk purchase alcohol in supermarkets. [168114]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department is commissioning an independent review of the evidence on the relationship between alcohol price, promotion and harm. Among other things, this will consider the evidence on the effects of low pricing of alcohol and the promotion of this by supermarkets.
Atkinson Morley Hospital
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure incurred by NHS Estates was in the disposal of the Atkinson Morley hospital. [166719]
Mr. Bradshaw: This property was owned by St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust, and was sold by the Trust, not NHS Estates. London Strategic Health Authority has advised that the total expenditure incurred through the sale of the Atkinson Morley hospital was £1.5 million.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust: Finance
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on the financial position of Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust of the private finance initiative agreement used to finance the development of Queen’s Hospital, Romford. [167284]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Full Business Case (FBC) for Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust’s private finance initiative (PFI) scheme was approved by the Department and HM Treasury in 2003. To be approved, an FBC must demonstrate that the private finance option is affordable to the local health economy (i.e. national health service trusts and primary care trusts as commissioners) and value for money when compared with the public capital funded alternative.
PFI unitary payments are just one component of an NHS trust’s expenditure.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial position of Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust is. [167285]
Mr. Bradshaw: Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust is forecasting a year end deficit of £14.3 million at quarter 1 2007-08.
As a result of the Department introducing the new loans system in 2006-07, there are 17 national health service trusts, where the financial challenges are such that the Department either could not give a loan because the trusts could not afford to meet the repayments, or where a loan was agreed, but the amount is very large and could only be repaid over a very extended time scale.
Departmental officials have worked in partnership with strategic health authorities (SHAs) on a review process to identify long term solutions for the 17 NHS trusts, Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust being one of them. The results of this recently completed review process are now being discussed with the SHAs and solutions are being prepared in the context of the Operating Framework for 2008-09.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust: Nurses
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many positions exist for nurses in Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust. [167288]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information is not held in the format requested.
There were 28 vacancies which had been advertised for three months or more for qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust region as at 31 March 2007. This equates to a vacancy of 1.5 per cent.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust: Public Appointments
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in appointing a chief executive for Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust. [167437]
Mr. Bradshaw: John Goulston has been acting as Interim Chief Executive of Barking, Havering and Redbridge hospitals NHS trust since 15 October 2007. We are informed that his six month contract contains the option to extend his stay to nine months, and that the Chief Executive post will be advertised within this time period.
Biologics
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each strategic health authority spent on biologics in each of the last three years. [167607]
Dawn Primarolo: To provide the information requested would involve a bespoke data collection and analysis exercise that could be carried out only at disproportionate cost, as there are over 1,400 preparations, which can be considered to be ‘biologics'.
Broomfield Hospital: Cleaning Services
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Patient Environment Action Team scores for cleanliness were in the Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford in each year since 1997. [166243]
Ann Keen: The following table shows the national health service’s Patient Environment Action Team assessments for levels of cleanliness at Broomfield Hospital from 2001.
| Levels of cleanliness | |
| Notes: 1. From 2001-03 the scale was Green, Amber, Red—Green = good, amber = acceptable. 2. From 2004 onwards the scale changed to a 5-point one of Excellent, Good, Acceptable, Poor, Unacceptable. 3. Since 2005, assessments have been undertaken by self-assessment with a percentage independently validated. | |
Care Homes: Nutrition
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the implementation of the Commission for Social Care Inspection’s guidance on clinical triggers: The management of nutritional care; [166629]
(2) what progress the Commission for Social Care Inspection has made in developing suitable training for inspectors of standards of nutritional care. [166630]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We are informed by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that it produced the guidance for inspectors in June 2006. It is also available to service providers on the CSCI professionals website at:
The guidance was developed in collaboration with a dietician. It reflects best practice as advised by nutritional groups and includes the need for services to carry out nutritional screening on admission and on a periodic basis for those people at risk of malnutrition.
CSCI inspects providers against national minimum standards (NMS), published by the Secretary of State under section 23(1) of the Care Standards Act 2000. These include:
Standard 8—Healthcare, of which Standard 8.9 relates to nutritional care—“nutritional screening is undertaken on admission and subsequently on a periodic basis, a record maintained of nutrition, including weight gain or loss, and appropriate action taken.”
Standard 15—Meals and Mealtimes, includes a range of guidance to ensure that services provide people with a wholesome appealing balanced diet, at a time and place to suit the individual and that assistance when eating is offered as required.
The “State of Social Care” report, published by CSCI in December 2006, indicates the level of achievement of the NMS by services for adults and older people since 2002-03 up to 2005-06. Copies of the report are available in the Library. Levels of achievement were given as percentages of services for younger adults and older people meeting or exceeding individual standards. These percentages are shown in the table, together with the most recent figures for the 2006-07 inspection year.
| Percentage | ||
| Healthcare | Meals and mealtimes | |
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