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9 Jun 2008 : Column 48W—continued
Royal Ulster Constabulary: Part-Time Employment
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has paid in compensation to part-time members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in each year since 2001. [208329]
Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable has provided the following answer:
The amount of compensation paid to part-time reserve members in each financial year since 2001 can be found in the following table:
| Amount paid (£) | |
Health
Allergies
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were hospitalised with allergic reactions, broken down by (a) type of allergy, (b) primary care trust and (c) sex, in each of the last five years. [208069]
Ann Keen: Information on the number of people hospitalised with allergic reactions is not collected.
Arthritis
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is (a) taking and (b) plans to take to provide to nurses in primary care settings training to (i) identify, (ii) diagnose and (iii) assess patients with rheumatoid arthritis; what recent representations he has received about the issue; and if he will make a statement. [209111]
Ann Keen: Education and training for all nurses is the responsibility of their employers in light of local priorities and local assessment of training needs. There have been no recent representations about the training of nurses in rheumatoid arthritis.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in his Department have responsibility for inflammatory arthritis policy and implementation, broken down by grade; and if he will make a statement. [209115]
Ann Keen: We currently do not have a dedicated policy team specifically for inflammatory arthritis.
Asthma: Children
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under the age of 18 years were hospitalised for asthma in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age, (b) sex, (c) socio-economic background and (d) primary care trust. [208070]
Ann Keen: Information is not available on admissions to hospital by socio-economic background. Tables have been placed in the Library which show the number of admissions for children under 18 by age, sex and primary care trust.
Cancer: East of England
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions his Department has had with the East of England Strategic Health Authority on the accuracy of information used in the consultation on head and neck cancer services in Ipswich Hospital; [207901]
(2) if he will ask the East of England strategic health authority to investigate the accuracy of the information provided by Suffolk primary care trust in the consultation on head and neck cancer services in Ipswich hospital; [207902]
(3) what discussions he has had with the Minister for the East of England on the impact of proposals for the reorganisation of oncology services in that region, with particular reference to the effects on patients in Ipswich and the surrounding areas. [207907]
Ann Keen: The Department has not had any discussions with the East of England strategic health authority (SHA) regarding the accuracy of information used in the consultation over the head and neck cancer services in Ipswich hospital and has not had any discussions with the Minister for the East of England (Barbara Follett) in relation to the impact of proposals for the reorganisation of oncology services in that region.
The issues that the hon. Member raises are for the local national health service and the Anglia Cancer Network. Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible within the NHS for commissioning and funding appropriate health services for their resident populations. The hon. Member may therefore wish to discuss his concerns with the chief executives of Suffolk PCT and East of England SHA.
Cancer: Health Services
Mr. Gummer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether primary care trusts are able to commission head and neck cancer services from units that are not
considered compliant with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s Improving Outcomes Guidance. [207874]
Ann Keen: We would not expect commissioners to commission cancer services from trusts that are not compliant with Improving Outcomes Guidance.
Improving Outcomes Guidance was produced by clinical experts. The guidance sets out recommendations on how services for cancer patients should be organised to ensure the best outcomes for patients.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated by the NHS for lymphoedema in the last five years. [207875]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to provide funding to deal with the side effects of cancer treatments, with particular reference to lymphoedema; [207876]
(2) gives to strategic health authorities and primary care trusts to assist in planning for dealing with the side effects of cancer treatment, with particular reference to lymphoedema; [207877]
(3) what mechanisms are in place to ensure that hospitals follow-up treatment of cancer patients to detect late effects of cancer treatments, with particular reference to lymphoedema. [207878]
Ann Keen: The Department does not provide specific funding or support for strategic health authorities or primary care trusts for dealing with the side effects of cancer treatment, including lymphoedema. It is for local trusts to determine the services required by their local population and commission these.
However, the “Cancer Reform Strategy” published in December 2007, recognised that the services and support available to those living with and beyond cancer needs to be improved and announced the establishment of a new National Cancer Survivorship Initiative to deliver this. Copies of the “Cancer Reform Strategy” are available in the Library.
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who has responsibility for deciding whether a head and neck cancer unit is compliant with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Improving Outcomes Guidance. [207903]
Ann Keen: The cancer action team confirms whether or not a head and neck cancer unit is compliant with the Improving Outcomes Guidance.
In addition, through the National Cancer Peer Review Programme, cancer networks’ services are assessed against a series of measures related to each set of Improving Outcomes Guidance. This process provides a means to assess the quality of cancer services provided by each cancer network and ensure all areas are brought up to the level of the best.
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account is taken of advice given by the British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists when formulating policies relating to head and neck cancer. [209883]
Ann Keen: The British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists was stakeholders in the development of guidance by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on “Improving Outcome in Head and Neck Cancers”. The Guidance was published in 2004.
Stakeholders are consulted throughout the guidance development process. They are involved at the beginning of the process when the scope of the guidance is being established and in commenting on the draft versions of the guidance.
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the commissioning by primary care trusts of head and neck cancer services from (a) head and neck cancer units considered to be compliant with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s Improving Outcomes Guidance and (b) other units. [209884]
Ann Keen: It is for individual primary care trusts and their strategic health authorities to determine the configuration of services which best meets the needs of their community. Commissioners and providers when commissioning cancer services will be expected to have due regard to any guidance and recommendations provided by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence to ensure the best outcomes for their patients.
Cardiovascular System: Diseases
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that primary care practitioners receive appropriate resources to diagnose and treat peripheral arterial disease; [208669]
(2) what mechanisms his Department is considering to improve the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial disease in primary care. [208670]
Ann Keen: On 1 April 2008, the Department published ‘Putting Prevention First’, copies of this publication are available in the Library. This confirmed that a programme to reach everybody between the ages of 40 and 74, to check their vascular risk and provide them with an individual assessment, would be both clinically and cost-effective.
The next step is to develop an implementation and delivery programme with key stakeholders. Stakeholders will play a crucial role in helping to formulate proposals for the vascular check programme. We expect that general practice will have an important role in delivery but other organisations, such as pharmacies, are also likely to be involved.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a vascular condition, although not identified in the proposed programme, and the risk factors for PAD are the same
as for other vascular diseases. Vascular checks will make a significant contribution to tackling PAD through prevention and early detection.
We are committed to making extra resources available to primary care trusts from 2009-10 to fund this programme, both to cover the costs of the risk assessments themselves and to fund the costs of the consequent interventions. Once fully implemented, this is likely to be in the order of £250 million per annum.
Cervical Cancer: Screening
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of women in Bexley received cervical smear tests within the recommended period of time in the last 12 months. [208644]
Ann Keen: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) on 31 January 2008, Official Report, columns 617-36W.
Childbirth
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned into the causes and treatment of premature birth; and if he will make a statement. [209164]
Dawn Primarolo: Both the Department and the Medical Research Council (MRC) have a long record of investment in research concerned with premature birth. This has included for example the support the Department’s Policy Research Programme gives to the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU). Much of the NPEU’s work on the compromised foetus and baby focuses on or is linked to pre-term birth, as is a series of reviews the NPEU is undertaking on infant mortality. The MRC is funding a number of relevant projects, including a £3 million population-based study of survival and later health status of infants of 25 weeks gestation or less; and a £2.4 million randomised controlled trial investigating which oxygen saturation level should be used for very premature infants.
Implementation of the Government’s health research strategy “Best Research for Best Health” and the establishment of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) means there are now more research programmes and significant new funding opportunities for researchers. The NIHR has so far funded four new research projects to do with premature birth and the national health service Biomedical Research Centres formed last year plan to spend £3 million on relevant research over the next five years.
Community Nurses
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2008, Official Report, column 2163W, on community nurses, when the interim evaluation report for the Family Nurse Partnership Pilot Project’s first year will be published. [207079]
Ann Keen [holding answer 22 May 2008]: We expect the interim evaluation report for the Family Nurse Partnership programme to be published on the research website for the Department of Children, Schools and Families shortly.
Diabetes
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to assist people with diabetes who are unable to insure against critical illness. [207379]
Ann Keen: The decision whether to take out private medical insurance and/or critical illness cover is a personal one.
We continue to support the NHS in implementing the standards set out in the “National Service Framework for Diabetes” to improve services for people with diabetes. Copies of the framework are available in the Library.
The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) has identified an extra 200,000 people with diabetes in the last two years, who are now able to accept the support and treatment to manage their condition. QOF data also shows that the number of people meeting targets for blood pressure, HbA1c (blood glucose) and cholesterol is rising year on year.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many primary care trusts had a scheme to identify those at risk of diabetes in (a) 2007 and (b) 2006; [208299]
(2) what NHS schemes exist in Leicestershire to help diagnose those at risk of diabetes; [208300]
(3) what assessment he has made of the merits of the use of technology to detect patients that are at risk of developing diabetes, in the light of research led by Dr. Tim Holt. [208308]
Ann Keen: We do not collect data on the number of primary care trusts operating a scheme to identify those at risk of diabetes.
The Prime Minister announced in January the Government's intention to develop a programme to assess people's risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. ‘Putting Prevention First’, published on 1 April 2008, showed that a vascular checks programme for those aged between 40 and 74, would be both clinically and cost-effective. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.
There is already a considerable amount of prevention and risk management activity taking place in general practice in relation to individual vascular conditions such as chronic heart conditions and diabetes. The vascular checks programme will ensure that all those between the age of 40 and 74 have the opportunity of a vascular check which will include the identification of those at risk of Type 2 diabetes and also a glucose test where appropriate. We are now working with stakeholders to design the programme for delivery from 2009-10.
The NHS is already making use of technology to detect patients at risk of developing diabetes. Early identification of diabetes is a priority and is a key part
of the National Service Framework for Diabetes. The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) has identified an extra 200,000 people with diabetes in the last two years, who are now able to accept the support and treatment to manage their condition. QOF data also show that the number of people meeting targets for blood pressure, HbAlc (blood glucose) and cholesterol is rising year on year.
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