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14 Jan 2008 : Column 1018W—continued
General Practitioners
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government have taken to assist general practitioners in detecting signs of serious illnesses at the earliest opportunity since 1997. [173424]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 13 December 2007]: The Quality and Outcome Framework incentives provided by Government for GPs as part of the General Medical Services Contract introduced in April 2004 include case finding for people who have risk factors for the most serious diseases. These incentives include identifying people who smoke, or who are obese, or who have high blood pressure, as these are all key risk factors for serious diseases such as coronary vascular disease, strokes, diabetes and a number of cancers. Identifying people with these risk factors facilitates the earliest possible opportunity of diagnosis.
There are a number of other initiatives to support practices including National Service Frameworks. For example, for groups such as children and older people and for specific disease areas such as cancer or diabetes. In addition there is a new cancer strategy which includes proposals for supporting early diagnosis and treatment.
Genetically Modified Organisms: Imports
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many samples from cargoes entering the United Kingdom from (a) outside the EU and (b) within the EU, were taken by (i) port health authorities and (ii) other public bodies, for the purposes of assessing the presence of approved and unapproved GM traits in each of the last two years; and what the cost was of taking and analysing such samples; [177854]
(2) how much was spent on enforcement of the Genetically Modified Organism Traceability and Labelling (England) Regulations by (a) the Food Standards Agency and (b) other public bodies in each year since the regulations came into force. [177855]
Dawn Primarolo: Records are not held centrally for the total numbers and costs of samples and analyses undertaken by port health authorities and other public bodies for assessing the presence of authorised and unauthorised genetically modified (GM) varieties.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) carried out a survey in 2006 to provide information specifically on the presence of the non-authorised GM variety, LLRICE601, in United States long grain rice held at United Kingdom rice mills. 31 samples were taken from rice mills and the total cost for sampling and testing was £5,150. A full report is available on the FSA website
Enforcement of the law relating to food and feed, including provisions relating to the Genetically Modified Organisms (Traceability and Labelling) (England) Regulations, is the responsibility of local authorities and port health authorities. Records of spending on enforcement of these regulations by local authorities and port health authorities are not held centrally.
Health Services
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) NHS trusts, (b) strategic health authorities and (c) departmental units each of the 14 providers appointed to the Framework for Procuring External Support for Commissioners (i) have previously worked in and (ii) currently work in, broken down by services provided. [174313]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not centrally collect the information requested in relation to national health service trusts and strategic health authorities. Information regarding which areas of the Department in which companies on the Framework for Procuring External Support for Commissioners list have provided services is taken from the Department’s finance system. However, this information is only available from April 2004 and it is not possible to identify either the Departmental teams or the types of services provided currently or in the past, without incurring disproportionate cost:
AXA PPP Healthcare Administration Services Limited
CHKS Ltd. trading as Partners In Commissioning
Dr. Foster Limited, trading as Dr. Foster Intelligence
KPMG LLP
McKesson Information Solutions UK Limited
McKinsey and Company Inc. United Kingdom
Navigant Consulting, Inc.
Tribal Consulting Limited
UnitedHealth Europe Limited
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) powers and (b) role of local government overview and scrutiny committees in the reconfiguration of local health services are. [177192]
Ann Keen: Any national health service body with a proposal to make substantial changes or developments to its services must consult relevant local authority overview and scrutiny committees (OSC).
OSCs may: review any matters relating to the planning, provision and operation of health services in the area of the committee's local authority; make reports and recommendations to local NHS bodies which are required to respond; require the attendance of an officer of a local NHS body to answer questions
and provide explanations relating to the planning, provision and operation of health services in the area; require a local NHS body to provide information relating to the planning, provision and operation of health services in the area; report to the Secretary of State for Health or Monitor where the committee is concerned that consultation on substantial variations or developments of services has been inadequate or where the committee considers that the proposal is not in the interests of the health service.
The role of OSCs in the context of a reconfiguration is to consider whether the proposal is in the interests of the health service for the area covered by that local authority.
Further information about the wider review and scrutiny role of OSCs is available at :
Health Services: Armed Forces
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the 10 primary care trusts with the highest concentration of serving and veteran service personnel within their area. [170211]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information is not available about which primary care trusts (PCTs) have the highest concentration of veterans within their area.
On the basis of the information available at present, our assessment is that the 10 PCTs with the highest concentration of serving personnel are Wiltshire, Hampshire, North Yorkshire, Devon, Portsmouth City, Oxfordshire, Lincolnshire, Surrey, Cornwall and Berkshire East. Together, they cover about 60 per cent., of the armed forces in England.
Health Services: Overseas Visitors
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the £38,100,000 in claims made by the UK against other European Economic Area member states in respect of healthcare provided in the UK was claimed from each member state in respect of 2006-07. [178057]
Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the claims for medical treatment made by the United Kingdom against other European economic area member states by country.
| UK claims against member states | |
| £000 | |
| Note: Totals are rounded to nearest £10,000. | |
Health Services: West Midlands
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 15 November 2007, Official Report, columns 78-81WS, on health service provision, how much was spent on the contract for diagnostic services in the West Midlands that will be terminated; and how many patients were treated under this contract. [167758]
Mr. Bradshaw: Around £7.7 million has been spent on the West Midlands diagnostics scheme contract, with 2,277 diagnostic procedures delivered to national health service patients at the end of October 2007.
An increase in productivity by local NHS providers has substantially reduced the need for the capacity provided by this scheme, with the average waiting time for all diagnostics in the West Midlands being just under three weeks at the end of September 2007.
Hospitals: Admissions
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol-related emergency admissions to hospitals in Southend West constituency there were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age group and (b) sex. [177132]
Dawn Primarolo: Information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the count of finished admission episodes for alcohol-related emergency admissions by age and gender for Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Data are for the years 1997-98 to 2006-07.
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