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1 Sep 2008 : Column 1677W—continued
Departmental Official Visits
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many official visits each Minister in his Department has made to (a) dental practices, (b) opticians, (c) pharmacies, (d) general practitioner surgeries, (e) care homes, (f) community hospitals, (g) genito-urinary medicine clinics, (h) ambulance trusts, (i) mental health trusts, (j) rehabilitation services and (k) stroke units since May 2007; and what the purpose of each visit was. [214969]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested has been placed in the Library. This also corrects the information given to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O’Brien) on 25 February 2008, Official Report, column 1209W.
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on (a) new furnishings, (b) art and (c) new vehicles by his Department in each of the last three years. [213527]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department’s central accounts for the last three years show the following expenditure on new furnishings and fittings:
| £000 | |
The Department has specified verifiable, legal and sustainable sources for the provision of timber and timber products purchased by this Department over the
last five years, and will specify Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade licensed timber products for future purchases when it becomes available.
The following was the net cost to the Department of leasing new vehicles in the relevant period:
| £000 | |
Expenditure on art is not separately identified in the Department’s accounts.
Departmental Records
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to establish mystaffspace, as referred to on page 71 of High Quality Care for All, Cm 7432; what the cost of establishing mystaffspace will be; what assessment he has made of the effect on the confidentiality of staff records of establishing mystaffspace; and if he will make a statement. [221057]
Mr. Bradshaw: Precise implementation timing and cost details associated with mystaffspace will be established in line with the experience of and lessons from developing the prototype. A programme is now being initiated and planning will include the business case, and the development and implementation plans that expect a staged roll-out over the next two years.
The security controls and safeguards to prevent unrestricted or uncontrolled access, via mystaffspace, to personal staff records will be at least as secure as those systems to which it might provide access.
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which projects his Department has commissioned from (a) think tanks and (b) charities in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what the aim of each project was; which think tank or charity was commissioned; and how much was paid. [221616]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information could not be procured without incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental Retirement
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has a standard retirement age; and how many employees have been asked to retire on reaching 65 years of age in each year since 2000. [218303]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has a standard retirement age of 65, which was introduced on 1 October 2006. It works on the assumption that staff will not wish to work beyond the age of 65, but welcomes requests from those who wish to carry on working. Since 1 October 2006, no requests have been refused. The fairly recent introduction of a standard retirement age of 65 means that before 1 October 2006 staff were not asked or expected to retire on reaching 65.
Diabetes: Children
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the average ratio of children to paediatric diabetes specialist nurses in (a) Leeds and (b) England. [220708]
Ann Keen: The information is not collected centrally. It is for local national health service organisations to deploy specialist nurses according to their local needs.
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts in Leeds have carried out a local needs assessment on the development of services for children and young people with diabetes; and if he will make a statement. [220783]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally. Responsibility for developing services for children and young people with diabetes rests with the national health service, and it is for primary care trusts to commission services that meet the needs of their local population.
In April 2007, the Department of Health published ‘Making Every Young Person with Diabetes Matter’, the report of the Children and Young People with Diabetes working group, which looked at ways to improve diabetes services for children and young people. This report includes guidance to commissioners on the planning, design and provision of diabetes services for children and young people. A copy of this document has already been placed in the Library.
The Diabetes Commissioning Toolkit, published in November 2006, describes the importance of carrying out a health needs assessment for local diabetes populations.
Diabetes: Health Services
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether World-Class Commissioning will ensure that commissioners consider the rights and needs of children when developing appropriate diabetes services. [219501]
Mr. Bradshaw: The intent of the world class commissioning programme is to strengthen commissioners to improve health outcomes across all health needs and conditions in accordance with the needs of local populations. The vision is to achieve better health, better care and better value for all.
clear evidence-based decisions for the commissioning of children’s services;
better targeting of services for children; and
the promotion of partnership working within commissioning.
Commissioners are required to engage with local patients and the public in order to ensure that services are being commissioned and delivered that best meet their needs. World class commissioning will therefore create services that are increasingly patient-led and customised to the needs of different groups and communities, including children.
Commissioners will be held to account on their commissioning performance through an assurance system that is intended to lead them towards world class commissioning of services.
In addition, the Department will be publishing a child health strategy and a joint commissioning framework in the autumn which will specifically support world class commissioning for children and young people.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to tackle geographical differences in access to insulin pumps for children and young people with diabetes. [219503]
Ann Keen: In February 2003, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidelines on the provision of insulin pump therapy to all people with type 1 diabetes, including children and young people. This is currently being reviewed, and the revised guidance is expected to be published shortly.
The Department is aware that access to pump therapy in England is variable. In March 2007, it published a joint report with Diabetes UK of the findings of the Insulin Pumps Working Group, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The Working Group made recommendations about how local services can implement the NICE guidelines and address variation across the country.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to develop guidance for the (a) quality and (b) appropriate timing of hospital meals for people with diabetes; and if he will make a statement. [219611]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There is published guidance on the quality and delivery of hospital food. An appropriate diet, based on acceptable standards, requires good food with the right nutritional content, properly prepared and available when patients need it (and this includes diets for patients with diabetes). The Food Standards Agency has published nutrient and food based guidance for major institutions, including hospitals. Guidance on nutritional information is available for all recipes in the National Dish Selector. To ensure that wholesome, high quality and value-for-money ingredients are used, the Purchasing and Supply Agency have developed specifications for ingredients.
Local national health service trusts are responsible for providing hospital meals at appropriate times. To help trusts devise their policies, including those around meal times, we have produced “Essence of Care” which sets benchmarks for screening and assessment to identify patients’ nutritional needs in health and social care settings, and helps healthcare professionals form appropriate care plans.
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to ensure that people with diabetes receive a comprehensive medical review every 12 months. [219646]
Ann Keen: The Quality and Outcomes Framework rewards practices for the number of patients with diabetes who receive key care processes, including measuring blood pressure, HbA1c (blood glucose) and cholesterol.
Guidance on the management of type 2 diabetes from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence recommends that key clinical and lifestyle interventions are carried out on a regular basis.
The Diabetes National Service Framework highlights the importance of people with diabetes having regular checks. This provides the opportunity for the results of key test and measurements to be discussed, and for any complications to be identified as early as possible.
Drugs: Rehabilitation
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prisons provide the integrated drug treatment system; how many prisoners are undergoing treatment within the system; whether his Department met its March 2008 target for the implementation of the system; and if he will make a statement. [220526]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There was no departmental target for the implementation of the system. In 2008-09, the Department allocated funds to implement enhanced clinical treatment as part of an integrated drug treatment system (IDTS) in 91 prisons.
In 2007-08, good progress was made against implementation plans in the 53 prisons funded by the Department, in 2007-08 to implement enhanced clinical treatment as part of an IDTS. During this period, 25,519 prison drug clinical treatments were initiated in these 53 prisons.
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the integrated drug treatment scheme in each year since its announcement. [221410]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Departmental funding for the integrated drug treatment scheme in prison commenced in July, 2006. Funding for the remaining nine months of 2006-07 was £12 million, followed by £12.7 million in 2007-08 and £25.39 million in 2008-09.
Epilepsy
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department provides for (a) the Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy and (b) the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy. [220857]
Ann Keen: We are not aware of any direct funding provided by the Department to either the Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy, or the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy.
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of core training in epilepsy awareness on (a) neurologists, (b) nurses and (c) nurses working in accident and emergency departments; [220858]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the programme for provision of specialist nurses for epilepsy; [220859]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effect of core training in epilepsy awareness on levels of misdiagnosis for epilepsy. [220860]
Ann Keen: We have made no assessment of the effect on neurologists, nurses, and nurses working in accident and emergency departments of core training in epilepsy awareness.
We have made no assessment of the provision of specialist nurses for epilepsy.
We have made no assessment of the effect of core training in epilepsy awareness on levels of mis-diagnosis for epilepsy.
EU Employment Social Policy Health and Consumer Affairs Council
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2008, Official Report, columns 1109-10W, on the EU Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, on which dates in each of the last five years senior officials have represented Ministers at the Council; and on which of these occasions Ministers were unable to attend owing to parliamentary commitments. [221391]
Dawn Primarolo: Under each presidency for the European Union, Ministers for Health from the 27 member states are invited to attend the Employment, Social Policy, Consumer Affairs and Health Council (EPSCO). From the period of 2003-08, there were two occasions where senior officials have represented Ministers at the EPSCO Council:
30 to 31 May 2007—Anne Lambert, Deputy Permanent Representative for UKRep; and
9 to 10 June 2008—Andy Lebrecht Deputy Permanent Representative for UKRep
General Practitioners
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis is for the Minister of State’s statement on his interview published with the BBC News website on 3 July 2008 that one GP practice in the south of England has only two patients. [218305]
Mr. Bradshaw: The evidence to support the existence of this practice—Burrswood Nursing Home is taken from the Exeter—Connecting for Health GP payment system, using latest available data on practice list size, Global sum payments and minimum practice guarantee correction factor payments.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which GP surgery has two patients. [219382]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Burrswood Nursing Home practice is recorded as having two registered patients.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 10 GP surgeries have the lowest number of patients; and how many patients each of those surgeries has. [219383]
Mr. Bradshaw: The following table shows the 10 general practitioner (GP) practices with the lowest number of patients and the number of registered patients at each practice.
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