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20 May 2008 : Column 199W—continued
| Prescription items for methadone( 3) (all formulations) dispensed in the community in England | |||||
| Thousand | |||||
| SHA | February to December 2003( 2) | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Source: PCA. | |||||
| Prescription items for suboxone( 4) dispensed in the community in England | ||
| Thousand | ||
| SHA | 2006 | 2007 |
| (1) Subutex is a brand name for buprenorphine and is a substitution treatment for opioid drug dependence. (2) The prescription pricing division of the NHS business services authority keeps data for only 60 months. The figures provided cover the period from February 2003 up to the end of 2007. The SHA is the one in which the prescription was dispensed. (3 )Methadone is prescribed for use in the treatment of opioid drug addiction, however it is also used in the treatment of cough in terminal disease and analgesia. The figures reflect prescriptions dispensed for all indications and formulations. (4) The only other substantive treatment for opioid drug dependence is suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. This was not dispensed earlier than 1 December 2006. Source: PCA. | ||
Exercise
Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to subsidising participation in physical activity and sport to effect improvements in quality adjusted life years. [205885]
Dawn Primarolo:
As stated in the “Healthy Weight Healthy Lives: A Cross Government Strategy for England”, the Department is considering a range of different kinds of interventions to tackle the burden of lifestyle diseases. We are in discussions with the fitness
industry and other stakeholders about ways in which we can encourage more people to become more physically active. Copies of the strategy are available in the Library.
The Department is building its knowledge of which interventions are most effective in encouraging individuals and families to change their behaviour and will provide resources to seek to pilot and evaluate a range of different approaches to encourage healthy living.
Food: Salt
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue guidance to sub-groups of the population that may experience adverse consequences from restricted sodium consumption, with particular reference to pregnant women, the elderly and those who take regular strenuous exercise. [206583]
Dawn Primarolo: In 2003, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published its report, ‘Salt and Health’, and recommended that the average daily intake of salt by all adults should be reduced to six grams per day. SACN found no evidence to suggest that such a reduction in salt intake would have adverse effects on any particular group in the population including pregnant women, the elderly and those who are exposed to conditions that cause extreme sweating. We are not aware of any substantive evidence published since the SACN report to suggest any adverse effects on reducing salt intake to these sub-groups. Copies of the SACN report are available in the Library.
Hospital Beds
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of hospital beds in England were in single rooms at the latest date for which figures are available. [203402]
Mr. Bradshaw: For the existing health care estate in England, the latest figures show that the proportion of available beds that are in single rooms has risen from 22.6 per cent. in 2002-03 to 27.9 per cent. in 2006-07.
For new hospital developments, the Department's guidance is that the proportion of single rooms should aim to be 50 per cent., but should not fall below 20 per cent. and must be higher than the facilities they are replacing. Each trust makes an informed choice regarding the appropriate percentage of single bed provision based on practical considerations such as site restrictions, affordability as well as clinical and operational limitations. The policy and design guidance for the provision of single rooms in mental health accommodation is 100 per cent.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department last met (i) stem cell and embryo scientists and (ii) medical researchers to discuss matters included in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. [203449]
Dawn Primarolo: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, last met scientists and medical researchers formally to discuss the Bill on 12 March 2008. I last met scientists and medical researchers formally on 29 April 2008.
NHS: Private Sector
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that contracts which primary care trusts, NHS trusts and foundation trusts have with private sector providers of health and social care allow members of local involvement networks to enter the premises of providers to monitor the quality of the work they provide under such contracts. [206242]
Ann Keen: On 1 April 2008 we issued Directions to organisations commissioning health and social care services. Under these Directions those organisations must ensure that new contracts with independent providers allow for authorised representatives of local involvement networks (LINks) to enter and view, and observe the carrying on of activities in, premises which are owned or controlled by the independent provider. The Directions entitled: “Local Involvement Networks—Briefing for independent providers”, have been placed in the Library and are available on the Department’s website at:
The Directions do not apply to national health service foundation trusts (FTs). The standard NHS contract for acute services contains provisions to ensure that new NHS FTs or those whose existing contracts have expired comply, in their role as providers, with all reasonable requests from LINks either to enter and view services or to provide information.
NHS: Public Participation
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements there are for local involvement network (LINk) members to be provided with legal indemnity by his Department when they undertake activities on behalf of a LINk. [206243]
Ann Keen: There are no central arrangements to provide indemnity for those involved in local involvement networks. This is a matter to be determined locally.
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make provision for a financial loss allowance for members of local involvement networks; [206244]
(2) if he will take steps to ensure local involvement network (LINk) members are paid expenses by the host organisation when they undertake activities on behalf of a LINk. [206458]
Ann Keen:
It is for each local involvement network (LINk) to determine its own policy regarding payment and reimbursement, including the payment of allowances and expenses. We have reminded LINks, and host organisations, that the Department’s “Reward and Recognition: The principles and practice of service user payment and reimbursement in health and social care”
document provides a useful guide on these matters. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether budgets for local involvement networks will be increased to reflect the additional responsibilities they have compared with patients’ forums. [206245]
Ann Keen: Local involvement networks operate in different ways and are funded differently from the way patients’ forums operated and were funded and the methods are not comparable. The amounts provided to local authorities (LAs) have been worked out according to the needs of each LA area. We have no plans to review the funding allocations.
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider the merits of funding local involvement networks to help establish networks to monitor (a) cancer, (b) mental health, (c) ambulance and (d) other services commissioned regionally and nationally. [206247]
Ann Keen: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 10 March 2008, Official Report, column 96W.
NHS: Questionnaires
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2008, Official Report, columns 771-3W, on the NHS: questionnaires, what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take as a result of the findings of each survey. [206029]
Mr. Bradshaw: Pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2008, Official Report, columns 771-3W, the Department does not collect, centrally, information on surveys it commissions. To identify individual surveys, in order to provide information in the format requested would attract disproportionate cost.
NHS: Working Hours
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2008, Official Report, column 1258W, on working hours, when the Sheffield research will be published. [205860]
Ann Keen: The independent research on the impact of the European Working Time Directive on medical training by Sheffield university will be published in the summer.
Obesity: Surgery
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients had gastric bypass surgery in each hospital trust in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [206079]
Dawn Primarolo: The information has been placed in the Library. The table gives the number of finished consultant episodes for 2004-05 to 2006-07.
Palliative Care
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of all paid-for prescriptions which were for a long-term condition in the latest period for which figures are available, broken down by condition. [206072]
Dawn Primarolo: Information is not held in the format requested.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people with long-term conditions aged between 16 and 60 years. [206073]
Ann Keen: We have made no estimate of the number of people with long-term conditions aged between 16 and 60.
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