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3 July 2008 : Column 1104W—continued
Alcoholic Drinks: Children
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under 16 years of age were admitted to the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with either a primary or secondary diagnosis related to alcohol in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [214819]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of children under 16 years, admitted to the Peterborough and Stanford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with either a primary or secondary diagnosis related to alcohol, in each year since 2001 is not centrally held.
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients admitted to hospital needed treatment for excess alcohol consumption in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire in each of the last three years. [214934]
Dawn Primarolo: The information on the percentage of patients admitted to hospital needed treatment for excess drinking in Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire in each of the last three years is not held centrally.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many under 25-year-olds were admitted to hospital in Milton Keynes for alcohol-related illness in the most recent period for which figures are available. [214939]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of under 25s admitted to hospital in Milton Keynes for alcohol related illness is not held centrally.
Ambulance Services: Working Hours
Bob Spink:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) representations he has received and (b)
research he has commissioned on the effect of the EU Working Time Directive on the ability of ambulance staff to attend emergencies promptly; and if he will make a statement. [214238]
Mr. Bradshaw: During the introduction of the Agenda for Change NHS pay system, the Department received occasional representations on issues relating to meal breaks, although not all of these explicitly referenced the European Working Time Directive. We have not received any such representations recently, nor have we commissioned research on the effect of the European Working Time Directive on the ability of ambulance staff to attend emergencies.
Ambulance staff have been covered by the European Working Time Directive since 1998 and local NHS employers are responsible for its implementation.
Blood Transfusions
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of providing treatment for (a) HIV/AIDS and (b) hepatitis C to haemophiliacs infected as a result of receiving contaminated blood products under NHS treatment (i) per person and (ii) in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement; [213602]
(2) what estimate the Department has made of the cost of supporting (a) haemophiliacs and (b) dependants of haemophiliacs infected with (i) HIV and (ii) hepatitis C as a result of contaminated blood products administered to them under NHS treatment (A) in total and (B) in each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [213608]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the costs of providing HIV/AIDS or hepatitis C treatment to haemophiliacs infected as a result of receiving contaminated blood.
An estimated £50 million has been paid through the Skipton Fund to support patients with haemophilia infected with hepatitis C. Of these payments, in up to 50 cases, payments were made to dependants.
Patients and dependants of patients who were infected with HIV do receive support from the Macfarlane Trust. Information is not available on the cost of supporting these dependants.
Carer’s Allowance: Chester
Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the City of Chester constituency receive carer’s allowance. [215336]
Mrs. McGuire: I have been asked to reply
As at November 2007, the most recent available information, 710 people in the City of Chester parliamentary constituency were in receipt of carer’s allowance.
Children: Palliative Care
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps the Government has taken to improve the quality of care given to children with terminal illnesses; [214822]
(2) what support the Government gives to parents of children with terminal illnesses. [214823]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 2 July 2008]: On 19 February 2008, we launched the first national strategy for children’s palliative care “Better Care: Better Lives”, copies of the Strategy are available in the Library. The Strategy will assist local commissioners, providers and regulators in devising local strategies to enable every child and young person with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition access to high-quality, family centred, sustainable care and support with services provided in a setting of choice according to the child’s and family’s wishes. It sets out clear expectations for improving choice, access and continuity of care, and seeks to place palliative care at the centre of local children’s service provision.
We also announced an additional £20 million in funding to enable the Children’s Hospices and Hospice at Home grant to continue in 2009-10 and 2010-11 with £10 million available in each year.
We wrote to primary care trusts and local authorities on 19 December 2007, setting out the investment and growth funding put in place to support our commitments and priorities for disabled children set out in the “Children’s Plan” and “the operating framework. For the National Health Service in England 2008-09”. This includes substantial investment to increase the range and number of short breaks. Copies of both publications are available in the Library.
Dementia: Drugs
Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider extending the recently announced review into the prescription of anti-psychotic drugs to people with dementia to include people with a learning disability. [214305]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The review into the prescription of anti-psychotic drugs for people with dementia will cover all those who have the condition, including people with a learning disability who have dementia.
Depression: Medical Treatments
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many treatments for depression using the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence-approved computerised cognitive behavioural therapy have been commissioned by primary care trusts since March 2007; and if he will make a statement; [214977]
(2) what funding his Department provides for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence-approved computerised cognitive behavioural therapy packages in primary care trusts; how much of this funding has been spent in the 2008-09 financial year; and if he will make a statement; [214978]
(3) pursuant to the answer of June 2008, Official Report, column 604W, on psychiatry: standards, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of primary care trusts that provide National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)-approved computerised cognitive behavioural therapy at a level sufficient to meet the requirements set out in NICE guidelines. [214988]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its guidance computerised cognitive behaviour therapy for depression and anxiety in February 2004. NICE will be consulting on review plans for this guidance in September 2008.
Whether a patient has received computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT) treatment would be recorded in individual patients' notes and by the various NHS, private and voluntary sector organisations providing such services.
The Department's role is to set out a strategic framework and secure adequate funding for the NHS and adult care services. PCTs are responsible for providing local health services, including the provision of cCBT and together with their strategic health authorities are responsible for deciding which services to plan, commission and develop to meet the health needs of their local communities.
Doctors: Working Hours
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2008, Official Report, column 506W, on doctors: working hours, what guidance he has issued to healthcare trusts on application of the European Working Time Directive with particular reference to (a) compensatory rest requirements and (b) accrual of compensatory rest as annual leave entitlement; [216222]
(2) what guidance he has issued to (a) healthcare trusts and (b) other care setting providers on the inclusion of sleeping duty in calculations of inactive on-call time. [216216]
Ann Keen: An information note on resident on-call working and compensatory rest for NHS and social care employers was updated on 18 March 2004. The note was entitled; “Jaeger judgment: information for NHS and social care employer”, copies have been placed in the Library and are available on the Department’s website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Humanre sources andtraining/Modernisingworkforceplanninghome/European workingtimedirective/DH_4068970
A further information note was published in August 2006 entitled; “European Working Time Directive: Information note on compensatory rest and exceptional circumstances”. Copies of this note have been placed in the Library and are also available on the Department’s website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Humanre sourcesandtraining/Modernisingworkforceplanninghome/Europeanworkingtimedirective/DH_4066882
We have not issued guidance about accrual of compensatory rest as annual leave entitlement. General guidance on the Working Time Regulations can be found on the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s website at:
Elderly: Abuse
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has (a) taken and (b) plans to take to prevent elder abuse; what recent discussions he has had with the Commission for Social Care Inspection on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [214040]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government regard abuse of vulnerable and older people as unacceptable in all its forms and are determined to root it out.
We are addressing the issue in a variety of ways. We set out standards for care and treatment for the national health service and social care services via the national service frameworks for older people and mental health and the White Paper, “Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability”.
We introduced regulations and national minimum standards for care homes, domiciliary care agencies and adult placements. These are intended to ensure vulnerable and older people can live in a safe environment, where their rights and dignity are respected, staff are properly trained and care is of the requisite quality.
We have created independent regulators, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and the Healthcare Commission, and given them the powers they need to take action against poorly performing providers or where abuse occurs. Ultimately, they have the power to close services down.
We introduced the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) Scheme in July 2004, which requires staff who provide personal care to older people in their own homes or in care homes to be subject to statutory checks, including checks of their criminal record. The scheme, which operates as a workforce ban, prevents dangerous or unscrupulous people from gaining access to older and vulnerable people in care homes or being cared for in their own homes.
We expect local authorities to play their part. “No Secrets” (copies of which are available in the Library), statutory guidance published by the Department of Health and the Home Office in 2000, provides a complete definition of abuse and a framework for councils to work with the police, the NHS and regulators to tackle abuse and prevent it from occurring. On 14 June 2007, I announced a review of the “No Secrets” guidance. The case for legislation to protect vulnerable adults will be considered as part of the review and there will be a public consultation later this year.
On 14 June, I also announced plans to introduce a new monitoring system to report the extent of abuse across England. This will help address the current information gap on levels of reported abuse. As part of this, the Department will introduce a standardised method for the collection of data on protection of vulnerable adult referrals in England. The Information Centre for health and social care (IC) is leading the work to develop and collect data from councils. The IC anticipates that councils should be in a position to collect the data during 2008-09 and expect to have collected the data, analysed them and be in a position to disseminate the findings by the end of 2009.
Local authorities (LAs) have been given specific responsibilities. Statutory guidance issued in May 2006 required them to ensure that Directors of Adult Social Services maintain a clear organisational and operational focus on safeguarding vulnerable adults and that relevant statutory requirements and other national standards are met, including POVA requirements. LAs must make sure the Director of Adult Social Services has the powers and resources necessary to encourage a culture of vigilance against the possibility of adult abuse.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005, which came into force on 1 October 2007, introduces a new criminal offence of ill treatment or wilful neglect of a person who lacks capacity.
The Department supports the work of the charity, Action on Elder Abuse (AEA). AEA has been awarded a three-year section 64 grant, totalling £360,000. This grant covers the three-year period from 2007 to 2009 and is to help fund central administrative costs.
We are introducing a new centralised vetting and barring scheme for people working with children and vulnerable people. This scheme, as set out in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, will extend the coverage of the existing barring schemes and draw on wider sources of information to provide a more comprehensive and consistent measure of protection for vulnerable groups across a wide range of settings, including the whole of social care and the NHS. It will be proactive, with vetting taking place on an individual’s first application to work with children or vulnerable adults.
The scheme, which will be administered by the new Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), will make it far more difficult for abusers to gain access to some of the most vulnerable groups in society. It will start to receive applications from 12 October 2009. When used in conjunction with an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check, the ISA scheme will provide employers with the most comprehensive vetting service on offer anywhere in the world.
CSCI has ongoing discussions with the Department on the prevention of elder abuse. Recent meetings to discuss the issue have included:
The Advisory Group for the review of “No Secrets”;
The ISA Regulator’s Sub Group, to advise on key issues for regulators in relation to establishing the new ISA and vetting and barring scheme; and
The reference group to advise on establishing the national data collection by local councils.
CSCI is represented on all of these groups.
EU Employment Social Policy Health and Consumer Affairs Council
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 16 June 2008, Official Report, columns 39-40WS, on the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, for what reason no Minister attended the Council held on 9 and 10 June 2008. [214866]
Dawn Primarolo:
Due to parliamentary commitments, no Minister was able to attend the health council meeting. In accordance with protocol, a senior official from the
United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union (the Deputy Permanent Representative, Andy Lebrecht) represented the UK.
National Health Service Blood and Transplant Agency
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the proposed relocation of the National Health Service Blood and Transplant Agency to Bristol; and if he will make a statement. [215591]
Dawn Primarolo: There are no plans to move NHS Blood and Transplant to Bristol. However, a new blood centre will open at Filton, near Bristol this year, which will be the largest blood processing centre in the world. It will include cutting edge technology and be a state-of-the-art centre.
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