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28 Nov 2007 : Column 554W—continued
General Practitioners: NHS Direct
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of NHS Direct on demand for GP out-of-hours services in those areas where NHS Direct (a) is and (b) is not integrated with GP out-of-hours services; with how many GP out-of-hours providers NHS Direct is integrated; and if he will make a statement. [166448]
Mr. Bradshaw: Out-of-hours services are commissioned by primary care trusts and do not form part of the national services commissioned by the Department from NHS Direct. Further information may be available from the Chairman of NHS Direct NHS Trust.
Health Services: Speech Impaired
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training is provided to general practitioners in identifying and treating children with a speech, language or communication disability. [167613]
Ann Keen [holding answer 26 November 2007]: The Government do not specify the content of the general practitioner (GP) training curriculum. This is the job of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB), which is the competent authority for postgraduate medical training in the United Kingdom. PMETB is an independent professional body.
PMETB has recently approved a new curriculum for postgraduate general practice training developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners to accompany the introduction of new training programmes in August 2007 as part of the Modernising Medical Careers reforms, available at:
This should incorporate all the various requirements for training as a GP—any comments on the curriculum should be addressed to PMETB or the college.
Health Services: Waiting Lists
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has a traffic light assessment, or other risk monitoring, system in place for individual NHS trusts to monitor performance against targets that patients should wait no more than 18 weeks for treatment. [165693]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department publishes performance information on 18 weeks on [www.gnn.gov.uk]. The performance information is regularly reviewed with strategic health authorities as part of routine management discussions.
Heart Diseases: Transplant Surgery
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people are on the waiting list for heart transplant surgery; [168321]
(2) how many heart transplants were carried out in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006. [168322]
Ann Keen: [holding answer 26 November 2007]: On 22 November 2007, 78 people were registered on the heart transplant list.
The number of heart transplants carried out is shown in the following table.
| Number of heart only transplants performed in the UK, by year | |
| Number of heart only transplants performed | |
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of hearts removed from donors (a) were transplanted into recipients, (b) reached their destination hospital within the safe limit of ischaemic time and (c) were not transplanted into recipients, in the latest period for which figures are available; [168323]
(2) what percentage of donor hearts were found to be diseased or otherwise defective prior to transplantation in the latest period for which figures are available. [168324]
Ann Keen [holding answer 26 November 2007]: The three most common reasons for not retrieving the heart were poor function (40 per cent.), donor unsuitable—past history (17 per cent.) and no suitable recipients (12 per cent.). Overall 734 of the 1,044 hearts (70 per cent.) not retrieved were not retrieved due to medical issues with the organ or donor (50 per cent. of all hearts offered). This is shown in the following table.
The reasons given for not transplanting 14 hearts, which were retrieved, were: donor unsuitable—past history (four), poor function (three), transport difficulties (two), unknown (two), organ damaged (one), donor unsuitable—age (one) and donor unsuitable—size (one).
There is no official ‘safe’ length of ischaemia time for donor hearts, but it is generally accepted that ischaemia times should be kept under four hours wherever possible. For adult deceased heartbeating donor hearts offered for transplant, 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2007, 70 per cent. of ischaemia times were four hours or less, 86 per cent. were 4.5 hours or less, 96 per cent, were five hours or less.
Note:
Ischaemia times relates to the time the heart is reperfused in the recipient, not to the time the heart arrives at the destination hospital.
| Final outcome of UK adult deceased heartbeating donor hearts offered for transplant, 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2007 | |||||||
| Financial year | Hearts offered, not retrieved( 1) | Hearts retrieved, not transplanted | Hearts transplanted | Total hearts offered | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | |
| (1) Includes hearts offered for transplant but subsequently retrieved for heart valves only. Note: Includes hearts declined for transplant and subsequently used for research. | |||||||
Hip Replacement: Waiting Lists
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for hip replacement operations in (a) Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust and (b) London NHS trusts. [167314]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested can be found in the following table.
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