| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
2 Jun 2008 : Column 595W—continued
Health Services: Overseas Visitors
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his latest estimate is of the cost to the NHS of unrecovered fees chargeable to those not entitled to free NHS health care receiving treatment (a) in Accident and Emergency departments and (b) as in-patients in the last three years. [207206]
Dawn Primarolo: Under the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, treatment provided in accident and emergency departments is free of charge to all people.
Successive Governments have not required the national health service to submit statistics on the number of overseas visitors treated or charged under these regulations, nor any costs involved. It is therefore not possible to provide an estimate of the cost to the NHS of unrecovered fees from those people provided with in-patient treatment who are not entitled to free NHS health care.
Hepatitis
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a registered medical practitioner is required to notify the Health Protection Agency about patients with the hepatitis B virus; and if he will make a statement. [207178]
Dawn Primarolo: Viral hepatitis is a statutorily notifiable infectious disease i.e. the clinician suspecting the diagnosis is required to notify the proper officer of the local authority, usually the consultant in communicable disease control.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information the Health Protection Agency collects on the source of the hepatitis B virus in cases of sexual exposure; and if he will make a statement. [207179]
Dawn Primarolo: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) receives laboratory reports of cases of hepatitis B as well as receiving notifications.
At local level, each health protection unit collects and collates data on demographic, clinical, laboratory and risk factor data for cases of acute hepatitis B.
The risk factors for hepatitis B include:
injecting drug use;
sexual contact (sex between men and sex between men and women);
receipt of blood transfusion/blood product;
acupuncture/tattooing/body piercing;
dialysis, surgical or dental procedure; and
other.
Collection of this information largely depends upon the reporting doctors and the laboratories reporting the cases.
The HPA has drawn up ‘Standards for Local Surveillance and Follow-Up Of Cases of Hepatitis B And Hepatitis C’, which includes a minimum dataset, copies have been placed in the Library and are also available at:
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to immunise babies against hepatitis B; and if he will make a statement; [207182]
(2) what the criteria are for the immunisation of (a) adults and (b) children against the hepatitis B virus; whether he plans to change these criteria; and if he will make a statement. [207183]
Ann Keen: Hepatitis B vaccine is not currently recommended for universal childhood immunisation in the United Kingdom. This is because the UK has a low incidence of hepatitis B.
The current recommendation for hepatitis B immunisation is to offer the vaccine selectively to individuals at high risk of exposure to the hepatitis B virus because of their lifestyle, occupation or other factors (such as close contact with cases/carriers), and to children born to hepatitis B positive mothers.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is currently reviewing the evidence regarding the use of hepatitis B vaccines.
Hospitals: Inspections
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the statement made by the Baroness in Waiting, Baroness Thornton, of 6 May 2008, Official Report, column GC151, on the Health and Social Care Bill, which 25 acute hospitals the Healthcare Commission has decided to inspect to ascertain compliance with dignity and nutritional standards; on what date it was decided that these 25 acute hospitals were in need of inspection; how the 25 acute hospitals were selected; what hospitals the Healthcare Commission has previously inspected to ascertain adherence to nutritional standards; and if he will make a statement. [206644]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have been informed by the Healthcare Commission that it carried out a review, entitled “Caring for Dignity”, the report of which was published in September 2007. This was a national report on dignity in care for older people while in hospital.
The review covered various aspects of care affecting the dignity and respect of older people, including aspects of nutrition in hospital. A total of 23 national health service acute trusts were inspected as part of the review.
The “Caring for Dignity” report sets out which trusts were investigated and why. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library.
Medical Equipment: Safety
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what safeguards are planned under the transforming equipment programme to ensure that old and used equipment will remain subject to safety controls if re-sold; [207443]
(2) what estimate he has made of the effect on costs of ending the community equipment recycling scheme and regional equipment loan stores. [207493]
Dawn Primarolo: Within the retail model, equipment is segmented into two groups, simple aids to daily living and complex aids to daily living. Simple equipment would be provided through retailers, owned by users, and would be subject to the same consumer protection laws that support all consumers in the purchase of goods. More complex equipment would be delivered through a purchased (contracted) commissioned service, as it is today, and therefore future safeguards and controls will be consistent with current standards.
Currently, there are no regional equipment loan stores but equipment is provided through over 138 individual stores operating across England. The model continues to support the refurbishment and reuse of equipment where it is economically advantageous.
Medical Records: Databases
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2008, Official Report, columns 205-06W, on medical records: data protection, which (a) current and (b) potential suppliers are to have access to records in the secondary uses service as part of the contract tendering process; and what the terms and conditions of access to the service are. [207626]
Mr. Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 May 2008, Official Report, column 1548W.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2008, Official Report, column 206W, on medical records: databases, for what reason Connecting for Health is unable to comment on the monitoring process that each Caldicott Guardian will employ. [207636]
Mr. Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 May 2008, Official Report, columns 1547-48W.
NHS: Bedfordshire
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many and which (a) local authorities and (b) primary care trusts have patients placed at the Milton Park Independent Hospital at Wyboston, Bedfordshire; [207320]
(2) how many and which (a) local authorities and (b) primary care trusts have withdrawn patients from Milton Park Independent Hospital at Wyboston within the past (i) three, (ii) six and (iii) 12 months, broken down by reasons for withdrawal. [207321]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally. The placements in this independent sector hospital are likely to be commissioned by local authorities and primary care trusts across the country.
NHS: Drugs
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) over-prescription of drugs and (b) unused drugs to the NHS in 2007-08. [207646]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not have a robust estimate of the value of unused, wasted and returned prescription medicines. We have recently awarded a contract jointly to the Universities of York and London to carry out research to determine the scale and cost of unused medicines and the varied and complex reasons why people do not take their medicines as intended. The findings of this research will inform policy development to reduce the amount of unwanted medicines and provide value for money for the national health service.
NHS: Nutrition
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Statement made by the Baroness in Waiting, Baroness Thornton, of 6 May 2008, Official Report, column GC151, on the Health and Social Care Bill, in what ways the NHS Operating Framework is being used to tackle poor nutritional care. [206646]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My noble Friend was referring to a number of tools, including the Nutrition Action Plan Programme and the NHS Operating Framework, which the Department is using to improve dignity and nutritional standards.
The ‘NHS in England: The operating framework for 2007-08’ (copies of which are available in the Library) sets out 10 principles for the NHS. The second of these is:
“We will help keep people healthy and work to reduce health inequalities”.
“We will continually seek opportunities to promote health, as well as to treat illness. Recognising that good health also depends upon social, environmental and economic factors such as deprivation, housing, education and nutrition, we will work with other services as appropriate to prevent ill health and reduce health inequalities.”
“We will treat every patient with dignity and respect”.
“We will treat every patient, service user and carer as a valued individual, with respect for their dignity and privacy. Our aim is to give each patient the care and service we would want for ourselves and our families.”
The Operating Framework for 2008-09 includes a number of enabling strategies. One of these, “Empowering patients—choice, information and personalisation”, requires primary care trusts to “create a more personalised service that provides” (inter alia) “a good user experience, where service users feel that their dignity is respected”.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to develop a national occupational health standard for nutritional care. [206664]
Dawn Primarolo: There are already national minimum standards on the provision of food and drink in care homes and hospitals, for example standard 15 of the Care Homes for Older People's standard, which covers meals and mealtimes.
We have no plans to develop a national occupational health standard for nutritional care.
NHS: Questionnaires
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 April 2008, Official Report, column 1307W, on NHS questionnaires, if she will breakdown by year the total paid to Ipsos MORI for surveys by his Department from April 2001 to March 2008. [201398]
Mr. Bradshaw: The following table shows the amount paid by the Department to Ipsos MORI (Market and Opinion Research International) from April 2001 to March 2008, broken down by year.
| Amount paid to Ipsos MORI (£) | |
This answer corrects the answer of 3 April 2008, Official Report, column 1307W, PQ196232, which stated that the Department paid Ipsos MORI £26,071,628.76 for the period in question.
NHS: Standards
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets for waiting times for hospital services will apply to NHS hospital trusts in December 2008; and if he will make a statement. [207349]
Mr. Bradshaw: ‘The NHS in England: The Operating Framework for 2008-09’ sets out the standard for waiting times for hospital services, which will apply to national health service trusts. By December 2008, no one should have to wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred to the start of their treatment, unless it is clinically appropriate or they choose to wait longer. Copies of the 2008-09 Operating Framework are available in the Library.
Nutrition: Health Education
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the five-a-day campaign; and what (a) mechanisms, (b) baselines and (c) targets have been established to measure the effectiveness of the campaign. [207030]
Dawn Primarolo: Between 2002 and 2008, £5.1 million has been spent on the ‘5 A DAY’ campaign. We measure progress on awareness of the ‘5 A DAY’ message and consumption of fruit and vegetables annually. Awareness is measured in the Food Standards Agency's Consumer Awareness Survey and consumption by the Health Survey for England. Since 2002 when the campaign began awareness of the ‘5 A DAY’ message has increased from 43 per cent. to 79 per cent. in 2007. Between 2002 and 2006 ‘5 A DAY’ achievement among adults increased from 24 per cent. to 30 per cent. and from 12 per cent. to 20 per cent. among children.
Nutrition: Salt
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance the Food Standards Agency provides to subgroups of the population including (a) pregnant women, (b) the elderly and (c) those who are exposed to conditions that cause extreme sweating on dietary salt intake. [207285]
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. SACN has not published any further advice on salt intake for these sub-groups.
No specific advice has been issued by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to pregnant women, whose blood pressure is routinely monitored throughout pregnancy and will be advised by their doctor on appropriate treatment, or to those who are exposed to conditions that cause extreme sweating.
The guidance on salt intakes that the FSA issues to older people highlights that on average intakes should be less than six grams per day, that it is important to be aware of the salt content of ready-prepared foods, and to avoid adding salt when cooking and at the table. This is the same advice that is issued to the general adult population.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |