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16 Jan 2008 : Column 1356W—continued
Finchley Memorial Hospital
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made with the plans to modernise Finchley Memorial Hospital; and if he will make a statement. [178164]
Mr. Bradshaw: The future of services provided at Finchley Memorial Hospital is a matter for the local national health service.
However, we have been informed that NHS London approved the strategic outline case for the redevelopment of Finchley Memorial Hospital, including the re-siting of the Marie Foster Centre, in summer 2007.
Food: Environmental Health
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will require local authorities to publish on the web a list of all restaurants and establishments serving food to the public with (a) the date when last inspected by environmental health officers, (b) their hygiene scores and (c) details of any successful prosecutions for breaches of food safety legislation; and if he will make a statement. [177894]
Dawn Primarolo: It is not currently a legal requirement for local authorities to display a food business's hygiene inspection information on a website, although over a hundred choose to do so voluntarily. The Food Standards Agency is carrying out an evaluation of these schemes and will consider making a recommendation about a national approach to publishing this information. The recommendation will be based on research the Agency has commissioned on the type of information consumers find useful when making choices about where they purchase food. The Agency will also consider how it can support and encourage all local authorities in publishing this data.
Food: Labelling
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking with food manufacturers to improve food labelling. [178228]
Dawn Primarolo: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has actively engaged with food manufacturers on a number of food labelling issues such as voluntary front of pack nutrition labelling and the European Commission Review of Food and Nutrition Labelling legislation. The FSA's recommended traffic light colour-coded approach to nutrition labelling has been adopted by eight retailers, whose combined sales make up more than 40 per cent. of the retail market, as well as 16 manufacturers and four service providers.
The Agency is also working with all stakeholders to improve food labelling information through the revision of existing voluntary guidance on clear labelling, country of origin labelling and marketing terms.
Gastrointestinal System: Health Services
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations his Department has had with gastroenterologists on the new referral pathways under the choose and book system for patients with gastroenterological disease. [178046]
Mr. Bradshaw: There are no new referral pathways under the choose and book system for patients with gastroenterological disease. Referral pathways are not the role or purpose of the choose and book system.
The national choose and book team have however worked closely with senior gastroenterologists and members of specialist gastroenterology organisations to define clinic types and key words that will enable referrers to find these types of services effectively using the choose and book system.
General Practitioners: Barnet
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what GP practices in Barnet offer specialist services; what these services are; and if he will make a statement. [177999]
Mr. Bradshaw: The provision of specialist services by general practitioners (GP) is a matter for the local national health service.
However, we have been informed that since the introduction of the new GP contract, Barnet primary care trust has introduced and completed a training programme which has led to the creation of specialist practitioners covering diabetes, dermatology, coronary heart disease and medicines for older people.
General Practitioners: Income
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average and (b) highest annual income was among GPs in Barnet in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2006-07; and if he will make a statement. [177896]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information for both average and highest annual earning general practitioners in Barnet in 1997 and 2006-07 is not collected centrally.
Health Education: Alcoholic Drinks
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government plan to spend in each of the next three years on improving the public’s knowledge of what constitutes a unit of alcohol. [179412]
Dawn Primarolo: Public knowledge of what constitutes a unit of alcohol forms a part of all Department of Health and Home Office Social Marketing Campaigns dealing with the risks associated with drinking above recommended Government limits.
In the financial year 2007-08 the Home Office will spend £3.5 million and the Department £1.3 million on campaigns to raise public awareness about binge drinking.
For the financial year 2008-09 the Department plans to spend £6 million on a new national campaign to raise public awareness about the risks of binge and harmful drinking. The major component of this campaign will seek to improve public knowledge about units and how to assess how much you drink. The level of Home Office contribution to this campaign has not been confirmed.
The current campaign targeting 18 to 24-year-old binge drinkers will continue. We expect the overall national campaign to run over a number of years, however, for the financial year 2009-10, funding decisions have not yet been made.
Health Services: Armed Forces
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2007, Official Report, column 107W, on health services: armed forces, whether specific financial provision is made for each primary care trust to provide care to injured service personnel once they have left the military. [178540]
Mr. Bradshaw: The national health service is responsible for the health care of service personnel on leaving the armed forces. Funding for ex-service personnel is on the same basis as funding for other members of the population.
Health Services: Foreigners
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances foreign national patients are expected to pay for (a) emergency treatment, (b) routine hospital treatment, (c) GP services and (d) primary care; and if he will make a statement. [179057]
Dawn Primarolo: Free national health service treatment is based on ordinary residence in the United Kingdom. Foreign nationals may have to pay for NHS treatment if they are not ordinarily resident in the UK.
For primary medical services, acceptance onto an NHS list is at the discretion of general practitioner (GP) practices. If a practice refuses an application to provide free primary medical services to a foreign national on the basis that the individual cannot be regarded as ordinarily resident in the UK, they can offer to treat the person as a private patient. The amount charged is a matter for the practice.
For hospital treatment, anyone who is not ordinarily resident in the UK is considered an overseas visitor and is subject to the “NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989”, as amended. They will be charged for any hospital treatment unless an exemption from charge category within these regulations applies to them.
No charge may be made to anyone, regardless of residency, for treatment provided by a GP that he or she considers to be immediately necessary, or for treatment provided solely in an Accident and Emergency (A and E) department of a hospital. Emergency treatment provided in a hospital other than in an A and E department will not be free unless the individual is entitled to free treatment in his or her own right.
Health Services: Hampshire
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of levels of health inequality in each council area in Hampshire over the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [178202]
Dawn Primarolo: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of the communities that they serve. PCTs use information on health inequalities as part of their assessment of the health needs of local populations, which in turn inform their operating frameworks.
The South Central Strategic Health Authority has assured the Department that PCT frameworks for 2008-09 and beyond, are currently being produced alongside and in conjunction with the local area agreements produced by local authorities.
One of the main criteria that is checked when these plans are assessed by the strategic health authority is that they address health inequalities adequately.
Health Services: Hendon
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to improve community health services for Hendon residents; and if he will make a statement. [178065]
Mr. Bradshaw: The provision of community services is a matter for the local national health service.
However, we understand that Barnet primary care trust is looking at ways to improve community services as part of the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey clinical strategy.
Health Services: Publicity
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much is being spent in the End Waiting, Change Lives campaign on (a) button badges, (b) lapel badges, (c) stickers, (d) campaign packs and (e) patient leaflets; and what volume of each item is being produced. [170192]
Mr. Bradshaw: The total cost of the button badge, lapel badge and stickers is £8,165. 20,000 button badges, 30,000 lapel badges and 70,000 stickers have been produced.
The total cost of the campaign packs is £71,292 which includes copywriting, design, and print costs. In total 23,350 campaign packs have been produced.
The total cost of the patient leaflet is £35,493. This includes copywriting, design, print, translation and production of alternate formats. 1 million copies were produced.
Health Services: Standards
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used to determine that it is not in the best interests of an individual patient for the 18-week referral-to-treatment target to apply to them. [178308]
Mr. Bradshaw: There will always be some patients for whom starting treatment within 18-weeks of referral would not be clinically appropriate.
Decisions on whether it is clinically appropriate to start treatment within 18 weeks of referral rests with clinicians in consultation with patients.
Health: Barnet
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Barnet were diagnosed with (a) type 2 diabetes, (b) obesity problems as (i)
adults and (ii) children, (c) alcohol dependency and (d) drug dependency in (1) 2006-07 and (2) 1997; and if he will make a statement. [178177]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested. Data on the number of people in Barnet with type 2 diabetes, alcohol dependency and drug dependency are not available centrally.
The following table provides estimated prevalence of obesity among adults aged 16 and over, along with associated confidence intervals for Barnet local authority (LA). These estimates are taken from model-based estimates of healthy lifestyle behaviours, and are only for the combined years 2003-05. Model-based estimates by LA are not available for children.
Hospitals: Cleaning Services
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations his Department received from (a) strategic health authorities, (b) primary care trusts, (c) hospital trusts and (d) members of the public on lack of (i) clean towels and (ii) clean bedding in hospitals in each year since 1997. [177975]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department receives around 100,000 letters and e-mails a year from hon. Members and members of the public. In the three-year period to 31 December 2007, a total of around 3,000 of these concerned the wider need to ensure that patients in hospital are treated in a clean and safe environment. It is not possible to identify how many of the inquiries were specifically concerned with the availability of clean towels and bedding.
Local health service managers are responsible for the provision of adequate supplies of clean linen, including towels and bedding, and it is recognised that patients’ care is supported by their effective use.
Incontinence: Medical Equipment
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he will publish an impact assessment for the proposals contained in Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances, and related services, to primary care revised proposals; [177314]
(2) when he will publish a summary of responses to the consultation Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances, and related services, to primary care; and if he will make a statement; [177315]
(3) what response he has made to the results of the consultations on the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances, and related services, to primary care; and if he will make a statement. [177875]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department intends to publish an impact assessment following detailed evaluation of the responses to the consultation entitled ‘Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances—and related services—to Primary Care Revised Proposals’ and following further discussion with interested parties. The impact assessment will be published on the Department’s website, giving all parties the opportunity to comment on it.
The consultation is part of an ongoing process that began in October 2005 and two earlier partial regulatory impact assessments were prepared. The first was published in October 2005 with the initial consultation. This included dressings and reagents, as well as stoma and incontinence appliances, as we were also reviewing arrangements for them at that stage. The new arrangements for dressings and chemical reagents were implemented in October 2006. The second was published in November 2006. Copies of both of these have been placed in the Library.
The latest consultation closed on 28 December 2008 and responses are being evaluated. A summary of these responses—and an indication of next steps—will be published no later than 28 March 2008.
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