| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
2 Apr 2008 : Column 1084W—continued
Baby Care Units
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new-born babies required specialist cots and incubators in each of the last 10 years. [197327]
Ann Keen: The Department does not collect the information requested. The following table details the number of births recorded in the last 10 years that required specialist care, level 2 intensive care and level 1 intensive care. It is likely that each of these births would have required a specialist cot or incubator but it should be taken as an approximate number of those pieces of equipment actually used.
| Count of births by neonatal level of care for the period 1997-98 to 2006-07 in national health service hospitals in England | ||||||||||
| Finished consultant birth episodes | ||||||||||
| Neonatal level of care description | 2006-07 | 2005-06 | 2004-05 | 2003-04 | 2002-03 | 2001-02 | 2000-01 | 1999-2000 | 1998-99 | 1997-98 |
Bone Diseases
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received on behalf of people with ankylosing spondylitis in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement; [197768]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people in England who had been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis broken down by (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary care trust area in the most recent year for which figures are available. [197769]
Ann Keen: The Department published the Musculoskeletal Framework in July 2006 in which we estimated that about 200,000 people in the United Kingdom were living with ankylosing spondylitis. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence have estimated a prevalence of 0.15 per cent. and an annual incidence of 6.9 per 100,000 population. A more detailed breakdown of these figures has not been produced.
The Department has received recent representations on the cost of providing treatment for those with
ankylosing spondylitis and the availability of drugs, especially the anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs (anti-TNF).
Brain Cancer
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in increasing survival rates for (a) children and (b) adults with brain cancer in the last five years. [197727]
Ann Keen: Of the adult patients (over 15 years) diagnosed with brain cancer between 1998 and 2003, 12.3 per cent. of men and 16.2 per cent. of women survived for at least five years. This compares with five-year survival rates of 12.5 per cent. for men and 15.3 per cent. for women diagnosed between 1996 and 1999.
Analysis of survival rates among children with brain cancer undertaken in 1999 showed that significant progress has been made on survival rates since the 1960s. This analysis showed that 68 per cent. of children diagnosed with cancer of the brain and central nervous system in the mid-1990s survived for at least five years compared with 37 per cent. in the 1960s.
Caesarean Sections
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the reasons for elective births by Caesarean-section in the last 12 months. [195624]
Ann Keen: In 2004, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a guideline on caesarean section (CS) in which it addressed planned (elective) caesarean sections. It found a number of reasons why a planned CS may take place. Some of them include breech presentations, multiple pregnancies and conditions such as placenta praevia. In addition, a CS may have also been undertaken at the request of the women.
The NICE guidelines recommend that the doctor or midwife should discuss the benefits and risks of a CS compared with a normal birth. If a CS has been requested by the women a note will be taken, although a CS will not be automatically agreed. If it has been requested because of a fear of giving birth, an opportunity to discuss the fears with a counsellor should be offered.
Ultimately, it is clinical decision that a CS would be of benefit to the mother and/or baby.
Cancer: Queen's Hospital Romford
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for cancer at the Queen's Hospital, Romford in 2007. [196553]
Ann Keen: The information is not held in the format requested, as data are not collected at individual hospital level. The information is collected as finished consultant episodes (FCEs) at trust level, which are defined as a period of admitted care under one consultant within one health care provider.
The number of FCEs with a primary diagnosis of cancer and neoplasms for Barking, Havering and Redbridge National Health Service Trust, of which Queen's Hospital is a part, was 11,072 for the year 2006-07. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. In addition, cancer treatments could take place in other settings, for example a patient could be classed as a ‘regular attender’ or these treatments may occur in outpatients.
Cancer: Research
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research and development schemes into new cancer treatments his Department sponsors; and if he will make a statement. [196674]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department funds national health service research and development through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR research programmes support high quality research of relevance and in areas of high priority to patients and the NHS and are open to researchers investigating new cancer treatments.
The NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme focuses specifically on the effectiveness, costs and broader impact of health care treatments and tests for those who plan, provide or receive care in the NHS and is funding a range of research on cancer treatments. In addition, the NIHR National Cancer Research Network provides NHS support for trials and other well designed cancer studies.
In partnership with Cancer Research UK, the NIHR is funding 15 experimental cancer medicine centres across England. A further two centres are in development. This initiative brings together laboratory and clinical patient-based research to speed up the development of new therapies by evaluating novel drugs and biomarkers, thus individualising patient treatment.
The Department works in close partnership with United Kingdom cancer research funders through the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI). NCRI initiatives such as the NCRI Prostate Cancer Collaboratives—to which the Department contributes over half of the total £11.6 million funding—are discovering and developing new cancer treatments.
The Department does not normally take on the role of sponsor under the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004.
Cancer: Screening
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women in the London borough of Havering received (a) breast, (b) cervical and (c) bowel screenings in each of the last five years. [196555]
Ann Keen: The requested information is collected by national health service organisation and not by local borough. Information on breast and cervical screening for Havering Primary Care Trust (PCT) can be found in the following table. There are currently no bowel cancer screening data being collected.
Roll-out of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme began in April 2006. The first invitations were sent out in July 2006, and full national roll-out is expected by December 2009.
| Breast screening programme: coverage of women aged 53 to 64 (target age group) for England and specified organisations, at 31 March 2003 to 2007 | |||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| (1) This is the number of women in the registered population less those recorded as ineligible. Notes: 1. The coverage of the breast screening programme is the proportion of women resident and eligible that have had a test with a recorded result at least once in the previous three years. Coverage of the screening programme is currently best assessed using the 53 to 64 age group as women may be first called at any time between their 50th and 53rd birthdays. 2. The breast screening programme covers women aged 50 to 64 but it was extended to invite women aged 65 to 70 in April 2001. The last unit began inviting women aged 65 to 70 in April 2006 and full coverage should be achieved by 2008-09. Source: KC63 The Information Centre for health and social care | |||||
Cancer: West Midlands
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on treating (a) men and (b) women with cancer in hospitals in the west midlands in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [195414]
Ann Keen: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
The Department centrally collects disease level expenditure estimates from primary care trusts (PCTs) as part of programme budgeting returns. The following
table shows estimated aggregate expenditure on cancer for PCTs in the west midlands region from 2003-04 to 2006-07.
| £ | |
| Financial year | Aggregated expenditure |
| Notes: 1. 2003-04 data are net expenditure. 2. 2004-05 to 2006-07 data are net expenditure but also take account of lead/host commissioner arrangements. 3. 2006-07 data may not be comparable with previous years due to changes in data definitions. | |
Care Homes: Elderly
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to repeal the liable relatives rules in respect of care home financing for elderly patients; and if he will make a statement. [197366]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Provisions for the repeal of the liable relatives rule are contained in clause 139 and schedule 13 of the Health and Social Care Bill which is currently making its way through Parliament. Subject to the Bill receiving parliamentary approval, we intend to repeal the rule later this year.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |