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compliance with the Department’s national core standards;

Healthcare Commission in-patient survey scores; and

infection rates.

Hospitals: Independent Reconfiguration Panel

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive the recommendations of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel on hospitals in West Suffolk. [182295]

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Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have received the report and its recommendations. These are currently under consideration and I will be responding shortly.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his Department's policy is on the routine screening of NHS staff for (a) MRSA infection and (b) clostridium difficile; [181074]

(2) how many cases of (a) MRSA infection and (b) clostridium difficile infection have been detected in staff working in the NHS in each of the last three years. [181075]

Ann Keen: Departmental guidance does not recommend routine screening of health care staff for either of these infections. Expert advice is that routine screening of staff is not indicated, and therefore not recommended but may be used to help control or investigate an outbreak.

In terms of the number of cases of infections in staff, I refer the hon. Member for North Norfolk to the reply I gave him on 17 January 2008, Official Report, column 1450W.

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust: Alcoholic Drinks

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol-related emergency admissions to hospitals in the Hull and East Yorkshire hospitals NHS trust area there were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age and (b) sex; and if he will make a statement. [180783]

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is shown in the following table.

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Count of finished admission episodes for alcohol related emergency admissions to Hull and East Yorkshire hospitals NHS trust( 1) in each year since 1997-98, broken down by age and sex—national health service hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS
		Ages				Unknown
		Under 18		18 and over		Age		Sex
	Description	Male	Female	Male	Female	Under 18	18 and over	Male	Female
2006-07	Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust	53	72	1,396	539	0	0	0	0
2005-06	Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust	64	69	1,430	574	0	0	0	0
2004-05	Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust	49	61	1,156	420	0	0	*	0
2003-04	Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust	50	77	938	333	0	0	*	0
2002-03	Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust	49	56	885	347	0	0	0	*
2001-02	Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust	46	61	759	257	0	0	0	0
2000-01	Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust	43	35	782	303	0	*	0	0
1999-2000	Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust	61	56	948	282	0	0	0	0
1999-98	Royal Hull Hospital NHS Trust	55	40	871	336	0	0	0	0
	East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	0	0	26	12	0	0	0	0
1997-98	Royal Hull Hospital NHS Trust	0	0	0	0	0	0	746	316
	East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	0	0	12	7	0	0	0	0
* = For reasons of confidentiality numbers between one and five have been suppressed and shown as ‘*’. (1) 0n 1 October 1999 Royal Hull hospital NHS trust and East Yorkshire hospitals NHS trust merged to form the Hull and East Yorkshire hospitals NHS trust. Notes: 1. Data quality: Hospital episode statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts, and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The information centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 2. Finished admission episodes: A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. Admission method codes used: 21 = Emergency: via accident and emergency (A and E) services, including the casualty department of the provider 22 = Emergency: via general practitioner (GP) 23 = Emergency: via bed bureau, including the central bureau 24 = Emergency: via consultant out-patient clinic 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A and E department of another health care provider 3. Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected by the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. 4. Low numbers: Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced with ‘*’ (an asterisk). 5. All diagnoses count of mentions: These figures represent a count of all mentions of a diagnosis in any of the 14 diagnosis fields in the HES data set. Therefore, if a diagnosis is mentioned in more than one diagnosis field during an episode, all diagnoses are counted. Diagnosis codes used: F10—Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol K70—Alcoholic liver disease T51—Toxic effect of Alcohol 6. Ungrossed Data: Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for Health and Social Care

The Government’s renewed alcohol strategy, “Safe. Sensible. Social—the next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy”, sets out a clear path to minimise the health harms, violence and antisocial behaviour associated with alcohol, while ensuring that people are able to enjoy alcohol safely and responsibly.

The comprehensive spending review announced a Home Office Public Service Agreement target to reduce alcohol harm. It includes a new national indicator to measure change in the rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-attributable conditions—the first ever national commitment to monitor how the NHS is tackling alcohol harms, which will operate from April 2008. In addition, the Department and Home Office jointly will launch a much expanded, £10 million public health and education campaign on alcohol in 2008, to raise general awareness of health risks and challenge tolerance of drunkenness.

Junior Doctors

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many newly trained junior doctors have been employed in the Peterborough and Stamford
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Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the last 12 months. [180417]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information is not available in the format requested. There was one doctor in their first year of the foundation programme (also known as the position of house officer, which is currently being phased out) at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust as at 30 September 2006. This compares with 17 doctors that were still in training at the foundation trust.

The numbers of doctors that the NHS requires to be recruited each year is a matter for determination by local NHS organisations, as they are best placed to assess the health needs of their local health community.

Learning Disability

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will define the range of conditions covered by the term learning difficulties as used in the Valuing People Now document; and if he will make a statement; [183575]

(2) what plans he has to consult disabled people with no ability to live independently or to work on the proposals in the Valuing People Now initiative. [183576]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: ‘Valuing People Now, from Progress to Transformation’ uses the definition of learning disability Valuing People (2001) as including the presence of:

a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired intelligence), with;

a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning); and

which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development.

Learning disability does not include all those who have a specific “learning difficulty”, which is more broadly defined in education legislation. ‘Valuing People Now’ includes people with autism who also have a learning disability.

The aspiration of ‘Valuing People Now’ is to include everyone, starting from the position that we can move towards independent living, with the right support, for even those with the most complex needs. There are many examples of this, led by families who want the best for their sons and daughters.

The consultation process is being taken forward in a way that is accessible for people who do not use words and for those who have complex needs. The consultation is also involving the people who work with them, family members and close carers who understand their best interests.

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