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25 Feb 2008 : Column 1204W—continued
Hospital Beds
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2008, Official Report, column 643W, on hospital beds, if he will investigate the discharges of patients from Hampshire hospitals into the community. [187082]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible within the national health service for commissioning and funding services for their resident population. It is for Hampshire hospitals and the PCTs that commission their services to ensure that patients are appropriately discharged into the community.
More generally, on 1 October 2007 the NHS implemented the National Framework for Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care which contains guidance on assessing the care needs of patients. If a full assessment for continuing healthcare is required, it must be completed before discharge from hospital can proceed.
Hospitals: Infectious Diseases
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effectiveness of one-off deep cleaning of hospitals in preventing the spread of healthcare-associated infections. [187200]
Ann Keen: As set out in the written ministerial statement on 17 January 2008, Official Report, columns 38-39WS, following completion of the deep clean of the national health service on 31 March 2008, the Department will work with strategic health authorities (SHAs) to draw up examples of where a deep clean has had a demonstrable effect in improving patient care and experience, and will share these across the NHS.
SHAs will take the lead on evaluation locally as the impact of each trust’s programme will be different and no single measurement method will pick up all the benefits, particularly as trusts may be implementing a range of measures to improve cleanliness and tackle healthcare-associated infections.
Improvements in patient experience and environment may be measurable through
Patient Environment Action Team scores;
scores on National Specifications for Cleanliness;
compliance with the “Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections”;
compliance with Department of Health national core standards;
health care Commission in-patient survey scores; and
infection rates.
Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the risk of airborne transmission of infectious diseases, such as MRSA and clostridium difficile in hospitals; and if he will make a statement. [188719]
Ann Keen: This reply only covers methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile ( C. difficile).
The available evidence for MRSA and C. difficile is that the main route of transmission is via inadequately cleaned hands, hence the Department's focus on good hand hygiene and cleaning (especially of frequently touched areas). There is little evidence to suggest that airborne exposure is a significant transmission route. The Department continues to monitor any new evidence and is aware of some evaluations of air decontamination systems that are ongoing in national health service settings, the results of which will be reviewed when they are available.
Influenza: Vaccination
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pensioners aged 65 years and over received free influenza inoculations in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since it became available. [186963]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is shown in the following table by the relevant health trust or authority, as this is how the data are collected.
| Vaccination uptake among the 65 years and over for South Tyneside, North East and England by year (2000-06) | ||
| Area | Total persons aged 65 and over vaccinated | Total percentage uptake |
| Note: Uptake figures based on general practitioner practices returning data to the survey and reflect vaccine uptake for individuals vaccinated at these premises Source: Health Protection Informatics (HPI) web based reporting site Influenza Immunisation Uptake Monitoring Programme Health Protection Agency/Department of Health | ||
Kent
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds in the form of (a) revenue payments, (b) capital grants and (c) supported borrowing for which his Department is responsible have been made available to (i) Kent county council, (ii) Thanet district council and (iii) Dover district council in 2007-08. [183059]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: No grants have been made from the Department to district councils (Thanet district council and Dover district council). The following table lists the funds, separated into revenue payments, capital grants and supported borrowing, provided by the Department to Kent county council in 2007-08. Local authorities (LAs) were notified of these grants through relevant LA social services letters and circulars.
| Kent 2007-08 | |
| £ million | |
| Notes: 1. The National Healthy Schools Programme is delivered through the Standards Fund, for which the Department of Health provides the majority of funding but the Department for Children, Schools and Families also contributes. 2. The funding is to local healthy schools partnerships, so is to be shared by LAs with partner primary care trusts. | |
Leukaemia: Drugs
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions his Department has held with Surrey Primary Care Trust on making available the treatments (a) dasatinib and (b) nilotinib to patients with imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia; [186264]
(2) what representations he has received in the last 12 months on the issue of the availability of access to (a) dasatinib and (b) nilotinib for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia; how many representations were
received from (i) clinicians, (ii) patients and (iii) others; what the content was of the representations; and if he will make a statement. [186266]
Ann Keen: The Department has held no discussions with Surrey primary care trust on making available the treatments dasatinib and nilotinib to patients with imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia. It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) locally to decide whether to make these treatments available to patients.
The Department has received various correspondence from clinicians, patients and others about dasatinib and nilotinib. This correspondence mainly raises issues of access to dasatinib and nilotinib and the possibility of their appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
My right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, South (Dawn Primarolo), is minded to refer dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia as part of the 17th wave of referrals to NICE. NICE has consulted with stakeholders on the remits and scopes for this appraisal. The Minister of State will make a final decision on whether to refer the topic to NICE following the outcome of NICE’s consultation.
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the variations between primary care trust areas in patients' ability to access the treatments (a) dasatinib and (b) nilotinib for imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia. [186268]
Ann Keen: No assessment has been made of the variations between primary care trust areas in patients' ability to access the treatments dasatinib and nilotinib for imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia.
However, Ministers are minded to refer dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as part of the 17th work programme. NICE has consulted stakeholders on the remits and scopes for this appraisal. Ministers will make a final decision on whether to refer the topic to NICE following the outcome of NICE's consultation.
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