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19 Feb 2008 : Column 678W—continued
Incontinence: Medical Equipment
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how the weight range of 751-1000g in Annex A1 of Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances and related services to primary care was determined; [184581]
(2) whether his Department has undertaken a disability impact assessment of the proposed changes to Part IX of the Drug Tariff. [184662]
Dawn Primarolo: The weight range referred to in Annex A of the consultation “Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances—and related services—to Primary Care. Revised Proposals” was determined using a sample of data provided by the Prescriptions Pricing Division of the NHS Business Services Authority which was used to:
estimate the average weight of an item within a prescription; and
estimate the average weight of a prescription, assuming that a prescription has an average of 2.2 items in it.
The review of Part IX of the Drug tariff in relation to stoma and incontinence appliances is ongoing. The Department is preparing an Equality Impact Assessment and this will be published. All parties will have an opportunity to comment on it.
Kidney Patients: Health Services
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many strategic health authorities provided regional dialysis capacity plans to his Department by 5 February 2008; what his estimate is of the demand for dialysis capacity in 2008-09, in each strategic health authority; and what changes in capacity he will propose in 2008-09, for each strategic health authority. [185993]
Ann Keen [holding answer 18 February 2008]: As of 5 February 2008, three strategic health authorities (SHAs) have provided dialysis capacity plans to the Department. Projected growth in demand for renal replacement therapy is set out in the National Service Framework (NSF) for Renal Services. It is predicted that the number of patients requiring renal replacement therapy will rise to around 45,000 over the 10 years ending in 2014. The NSF modelling was undertaken at a national level and the Department does not have dialysis demand projections broken down by SHA area.
It is for primary care trusts as commissioners of renal services, in collaboration with their specialised commissioning groups (SCG), to meet their current population's dialysis needs and have robust expansion plans to meeting rising demand. The Department highlighted the need for SCGs to pay particular attention to areas where significant increases in demand are likely to lead to pressure on services in the NHS Operating Framework for 2008-09 and renal replacement therapies were cited as such an example.
Leukaemia: Drugs
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make it his policy to instruct NHS commissioners in England to adhere to the guidance produced by the Scottish Medicines Consortium on Dasatinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia, pending the publication of its appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; [186263]
(2) when he expects the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to issue guidance on (a) Dasatinib and (b) Nilotinib for imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia; [186267]
(3) if he will instruct the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to appraise (a) Dasatinib and (b) Nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia through the single technology appraisal process. [186270]
Dawn Primarolo: Ministers made a minded referral of dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in October 2007. NICE'S consultation on the remit and scope of this appraisal closed on 28 January 2008. It is currently proposed that these two products be appraised together so that the national health service has a single source of advice, but feedback on the results of this consultation is awaited. Ministers will make a final decision on the referral of these topics following receipts of a report back from NICE'S consultation.
Good practice guidance published by the Department in December 2006 highlights Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) guidance as one source on which local NHS organisations can draw in making decisions on the use of specific drugs where NICE guidance is not available. We have no plans to mandate the adoption of SMC guidance by the NHS in England.
Malnutrition: European Union
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions (a) he and (b) his Ministers have had with members of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Configuration of the Council of the European Union on the subject of undernutrition across the EU. [185573]
Dawn Primarolo: The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council has previously discussed the issue of nutrition, within the context of promoting positive health determinants and physical activity across the member states. On 31 May 2007, the Council adopted conclusions on the strengthening of health promotion and disease prevention by means of balanced nutrition and sufficient physical activity. Subsequently, on 6 December 2007, the Council adopted conclusions in response to the Commission’s White Paper on “A strategy for Europe on Nutrition”.
NHS: Allowances
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2008, Official Report, column 346W, on NHS: allowances, which NHS job descriptions are affected by the decision to increase certain national mileage allowances on an interim basis. [186251]
Ann Keen [holding answer 18 February 2008]: No job descriptions are affected by the decision to increase certain national mileage allowances on an interim basis. Mileage allowances apply to all national health service employed staff who use a car in connection with their official duties of employment.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS employees received mileage allowance in the last 12 months. [186257]
Ann Keen [holding answer 18 February 2008]: The Department does not collect this information centrally.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NHS Staff Council will come to a decision on the proposals scheduled to be presented to it on 11 March 2008 by the sub group reviewing NHS staff mileage allowances. [186636]
Ann Keen [holding answer 18 February 2008]: This is a matter for the NHS Staff Council.
NHS: Drugs
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2008, Official Report, column 2236W, on NHS drugs, how many representations he received; and when the classification will be revisited. [186219]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not received any representations since 24 January 2008.
The classification will be revisited when the responses to the consultation have been analysed.
NHS: Research
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government have taken to improve research conducted by the NHS since 1997. [183106]
Dawn Primarolo: The Government's aim is to make the United Kingdom the best place in the world for health research, development and innovation; to ensure that the national health service is equipped and able to make a key contribution to that end; and to realise the potential of the NHS to support research that improves national health and increases national wealth.
The Government's strategy for health research Best Research for Best Health, published in January 2006 following widespread consultation, is creating a health research system in which the NHS supports outstanding individuals working in world-class facilities, and leading-edge research is conducted, focussing on the needs of patients and the public. Copies of the strategy document are available in the Library.
Details of the progress made with implementation of the strategy are set out in the progress report ‘Transforming Health Research: the first two years’ published on 17 January. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.
These reforms are underpinned by increases in Government funding. Total Government investment in health research will reach £1.7 billion by 2010-11, an increase of over £290 million in the three year period covered by the 2007 comprehensive spending review. Almost £1 billion of this total will be spent by the Department's National Institute of Health Research.
Orthopaedics: Fees and Charges
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on setting a national tariff for specialist orthopaedic treatments; and if he will make a statement. [186003]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department is strengthening commissioning arrangements for specialised services following an independent review led by Sir David Carter. To support this direction of travel, we worked with specialised commissioning groups to refine the targeting of specialist top-ups, which are paid in addition to the tariff, for 2008-09. All providers of specialist orthopaedic services are eligible for specialist top-ups.
Arrangements for the reimbursement of specialist orthopaedic treatments were published as part of the tariff package, and alongside the NHS Operating Framework for 2008-09, in December 2007.
We continue to work with interested parties to monitor and review these arrangements.
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of the drugs dispensed for each of the conditions exempted from prescription charges in each of the last three financial years, broken down by primary care trust; and what the projected costs are for each of the next three financial years. [184540]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the net ingredient cost of medicines dispensed in the community in England to holders of valid medical exemption certificates, broken down by primary care trust, have been placed in the Library. It is not possible to provide information relating to each of the exempt medical conditions. Projections for the next three financial years are not available.
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs were of drugs dispensed by prescription in each of the last three financial years, broken down by primary care trust; and what the projected costs are for each of the next three financial years. [184541]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the net ingredient cost of prescription items dispensed in the community in England, broken down by primary care trust, have been placed in the Library. Projections for the next three financial years are not available.
Mark Simmonds:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs were of drugs dispensed by free prescription in each of the last three financial years,
broken down by primary care trust; and what the projected costs are for each of the next three financial years. [184542]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the net ingredient cost of prescriptions dispensed free of charge in the community in England, broken down by primary care trust, have been placed in the Library. Projections for the next three financial years are not available.
Prostate Cancer
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of cases of early prostate cancer were treated in each of the last five years with (a) surgery, (b) radiotherapy, (c) hormone therapy and (d) other treatments. [184260]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 February 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of cases of early prostate cancer have been treated in each of the last five years with (a) surgery, (b) radiotherapy, (c) hormone therapy and (d) other treatments. (184260)
The statistics relate to all cases of prostate cancer since the recording of “stage” in the cancer register cannot provide nationally comparable data on early prostate cancer.
The latest year for which data are available is 2005. The table below shows, for 2001-2005, the percentage of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer receiving specific treatments. In 45 per cent. of prostate cancer cases in the national cancer registry database, either no treatment information was recorded or patients were recorded as having had no treatment.
| Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of prostate( 1) cancer by treatment( 2) , England and Wales, 2001-05 | |||||
| Percentage receiving treatment( 3) | |||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| (1) Prostate cancer is coded to C61 in the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) (2) More than one type of treatment was recorded for some cases. (3) Percentage of all prostate cancer patients Source: Office for National Statistics | |||||
Respite Care: Children
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on respite care for children with disabilities from (a) the public purse and (b) voluntary contributions in each of the last five years. [162265]
Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
The Department does not currently collect or hold this information. The Department of Health currently collects data on expenditure on foster and residential care, although it cannot currently be disaggregated to give expenditure on respite care alone However, from 2008-09, my Department will take the lead in collecting this data, which will include information on local authority expenditure on short breaks for disabled children. The Government are investing significant additional resources into improving services for disabled children, as part of the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme, and seeking to improve the collection of data locally to enable better planning and monitoring of services.
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