| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
31 Jan 2008 : Column 654W—continued
Obesity
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008, Official Report, columns 1192-3W, on obesity, how many children of each age were treated in each of the obesity clinics for children in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available; [180785]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of each of the clinics in treating patients for obesity; and what plans he has to increase the number of obesity clinics in England; [180788]
(3) what the most recent waiting time statistics are for each of the clinics, including the number of weeks patients have waited from referral to treatment; and what the equivalent figures were for the last five financial years for which figures are available; [180789]
(4) according to what criteria patients are referred to the clinics; [180790]
(5) which primary care trusts each of the 12 clinics serve; [180791]
(6) how many patients each clinic saw in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available; and what the funding for each clinic was in each of those years; [180792]
(7) which NHS obesity clinics have closed in the last five years; and what the (a) date and (b) reason was for each closure; [180793]
(8) what the average cost of each finished consultant episode for (a) a primary diagnosis and (b) a primary or secondary diagnosis of obesity was in each year for which figures are available. [180796]
Dawn Primarolo: The White Paper ‘Choosing Health: making Healthy choices easier’ made a commitment that the prevention and treatment of obesity will ensure referral mechanisms to specialist obesity services that will be staffed by teams with specialist knowledge and training in obesity management. Local areas all decide the best types of treatments to provide for their own populations, in line with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children.
NICE has recommended that surgical intervention only be conducted after dietary, exercise and behavioural approaches have been started and evaluated, i.e. as a last resort. NICE have also recently published a commissioning guide on bariatric surgery to help the national health service in England effectively commission evidence-based care for patients.
The Department has made no assessment of the effectiveness of clinics treating obesity and information on the number of patients seen (including children treated), waiting time, PCTs served by the existing NHS run clinics. Additional information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Patient Care
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under the age of 65 were assessed as having significant or urgent personal care needs in each year since 2001; and what the cost to the public purse of providing care to such people was in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [180029]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected by the Department.
Perinatal Mortality
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to reduce the rate of stillbirths; [173927]
(2) when he expects to reply to question 173927, tabled by the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes on 11 December 2007, on stillbirths. [183491]
Ann Keen:
In April 2007, the Department published “Maternity Matters—Choice access and continuity of care in a safe service”. The Department also publishes “The Pregnancy Book” for prospective parents, the most recent edition of which was published in May
2007. These two publications, one providing a framework for maternity services and the other providing information for parents, ensure that women can expect well-managed pregnancies in which the risks of stillbirth are reduced. However, one of the main causes of stillbirth remains very low gestational age. While increasingly large numbers of babies are surviving earlier deliveries, this remains an area of risk.
Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Nurses
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new nursing staff were employed in the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in each year since 1997. [180861]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The following table shows the estimated number of nurse joiners at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust as at 30 September 2004, 2005 and 2006 which are the latest data available.
| As at 30 September each year | Nurse joiners |
| Notes: 1. These figures are estimates based on annual snapshots. It is possible for a nurse to join and leave between 30 September in two consecutive years and not be counted as a joiner. 2. The joiners do not include bank staff and are joiners to the organisation, not newly qualified nurses joining the NHS. 3. The joiners may have been previously employed by the trust. Source: Health and Social Care information centre NHS Staff Censuses | |
Plastic Surgery: Licensing
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on the licensing of the provision of botox treatments. [178638]
Mr. Bradshaw: Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine and cosmetic treatments using this medicine are covered by the Medicines Act 1968, which is administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Local authorities do not have any powers to license the provision of cosmetic treatments involving botulinum toxin, and the Department has therefore issued no guidance to local authorities in respect of these treatments.
Pregnancy: Health Services
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the antenatal (i) services and (ii) procedures provided to pregnant women in different primary care trust areas. [179766]
Ann Keen: The Department commissioned the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to produce a comprehensive suite of evidence-based guidelines on pregnancy and birth, including one on antenatal care issued in 2003. This is currently being revised and is expected to be published in March 2008.
Primary Care Trusts
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for liver transplant operations in each primary care trust in (a) Essex and (b) the Greater London area is in 2007-08; and what the equivalent time was in (i) 1996, (ii) 1998, (iii) 2001, (iv) 2005 and (v) 2006. [177133]
Ann Keen: The average waiting time for a liver transplant for residents in Essex and Greater London primary care trusts (PCTs) is shown in the following table:
| Primary care trusts | 1996 | 1998 | 2001 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Notes: 1. These figures are based on actual transplants that took place. All cases are first graft, elective transplants. 2. Essex PCTs include north east Essex, west Essex, south east Essex, south west Essex and mid Essex. | ||||||
Primary Care Trusts: Interpreters
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by primary care trusts on interpreters in each year since 2001. [182851]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: National health service bodies are not required to report their planned or actual spending on interpretation and translation services to the Department. When planning such services, NHS bodies should take due account of their legal duties, the composition of the communities they serve, and the needs and circumstances of their patients, service users and local populations.
Queens Hospital Romford: Infectious Diseases
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional resources will be allocated to Queen’s hospital, Romford under the Government’s recent announcement of extra staff to tackle hospital infections. [179670]
Ann Keen: The £45 million additional funding is allocated to primary care trusts for 2008-09 and will enable each hospital trust to employ two infection control nurses, two isolation nurses and an antimicrobial pharmacist. It is for Barking, Havering and Redbridge hospitals NHS trust, of which Queen’s hospital, Romford is part of, to decide on actual staff numbers in light of their specific local hygiene and infection needs and existing staff levels.
Regional Development Agencies
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has allocated any resources to be spent via the regional development agencies’ single pot in 2007-08. [179811]
Dawn Primarolo: No resources have been allocated by the Department to the Regional Development Agencies’ single pot.
Smoking
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for the time taken to produce National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on smoking cessation techniques; and if he will make a statement. [183153]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department is informed that there has been no delay to the production of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) public health programme guidance on smoking cessation. NICE expects to publish its guidance in February 2008 as planned. Further information on this guidance can be found on NICE'S website at:
Tattooing
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans his Department has to establish a system of registration for tattooing and piercing facilities; [178633]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of directions given in respect of reusable needles under the Department of Health's model bye laws issued in September 2007; [183074]
(3) what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the regulations of (a) tattooing and piercing under the provisions of the Local Government Act 2003 and (b) the model bye laws published in September 2007. [178733]
Dawn Primarolo: The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, as amended by the Local Government Act 2003, gives local authorities (LAs) powers to require tattooing and cosmetic piercing businesses in their area to register and observe byelaws on hygiene and cleanliness. It is an offence for such a business to trade without being registered with the LA or to breach local byelaws.
LAs in London generally use the London Local Authorities Act 1991 (private legislation) which provides for a licensing scheme for businesses providing special treatments such as tattooing and cosmetic piercing. It is an offence to trade without being licensed or to breach licence conditions.
LAs also have general enforcement powers under health and safety at work legislation. This allows LAs to use improvement and prohibition notices, and ultimately prosecute tattooing and piercing businesses, if appropriate. This would include where there are concerns about a practitioner's competency. Under the
licensing regime that exists in London, LAs may refuse a licence on grounds relating to a person's competency.
Information on the local regulation of tattooing and cosmetic piercing businesses by LAs is not collected centrally. However, we keep the legislation under review, taking account, for example, of any feedback from stakeholders such as LAs and their associations.
Transplant Surgery: Kidneys
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for kidney transplant operations in (a) Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust and (b) London NHS trusts. [167287]
Ann Keen: The average waiting time for a kidney transplant in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge primary care trusts (PCTs) is shown in the following table:
| Area | Number in analysis | Median waiting time (days) |
| Note: These figures are based on actual kidney transplants. They are all first graft, elective transplants. | ||
York Hospitals NHS Trust: Manpower
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent (a) medical consultants, (b) other medical staff, (c) nurses, (d) other professional staff, (e) administrative and clerical staff and (f) auxiliary staff were employed by York NHS trust, excluding those transferred to Selby and York primary care trust, in each year since 1996-97. [183434]
Ann Keen: The information requested has been set out in the following table.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |