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1 Sep 2008 : Column 1792W—continued
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in developing a long-term workforce strategy for radiotherapy services, as referred to in paragraph 4.31 of his Department’s Cancer Reform Strategy; and when he expects the strategy to be published. [220955]
Ann Keen: As set out in the Cancer Reform Strategy, it is for strategic health authorities (SHAs) to work with cancer networks, NHS trusts and postgraduate deaneries to develop a local long term radiotherapy work force strategy including an urgent review of work force supply, demand and skills mix to identify the investment needed in both staff numbers and types of training commissions. To help SHAs the national Cancer Action Team will shortly be providing guidance on developing a local response to the National Radiotherapy Advisory Group report.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support he is giving to strategic health authorities to enable them to (a) commission radiotherapy services and (b) build radiotherapy capacity. [220992]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In line with the recommendations of the National Radiotherapy Advisory Group's (NRAG) Report entitled ‘Radiotherapy: Developing a World Class Service for England’, the Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS) has recommended that local primary care trusts with their cancer networks may want to review their local radiotherapy service to ensure that recommended levels of fractionisation and linear accelerator productivity are achieved and that they have sufficient capacity to meet the extended 31-day waiting standard for all radiotherapy in 2010.
The NRAG Implementation Group has been set up to provide support to local clinical teams and commissioners as they review and develop their radiotherapy services. In addition, the National Cancer Action Team is also producing guidance by the end of the summer 2008 to support commissioners.
Rodents
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned on the effect on public health of rodent infestations in residential areas. [220641]
Scanners
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many new CT scanners have been brought into operation by NHS trusts in the last 12 months; [220574]
(2) how many new magnetic resonance imaging scanners have been brought into operation by NHS trusts in England in the last 12 months. [220575]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not routinely collect this data. However information supplied by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) relating to the English NHS as at 1 July 2008 indicated that in 2007, 28 new and replacement computerised tomography (CT) scanners and computerised tomography simulators (CT-Sims) were installed. In 2008 two CT scanners and CT-Sims have been installed to date. The HPA does not collect data on operational use.
Information supplied by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) relating to the English NHS as at 1 July 2008 indicated that in 2007 one new replacement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner was installed. In 2008 there have been no installed MRI scanners to date. The HPA does not collect data on operational use.
Screening
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for moving to an activity-based system for funding screening services. [220944]
Ann Keen: In order to develop a tariff for funding cancer screening services, discussions are taking place between National Health Service Cancer Screening Programmes, the National Cancer Action Team and departmental officials. Further details will be available in due course.
Skin Cancer: Health Education
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has provided in (a) cash and (b) real terms in current prices to support campaigns to raise awareness of skin cancer in each year since 1997-98; what funding his Department plans to provide in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement. [220931]
Ann Keen: In 1997, the Health Education Authority (HEA) ran the Sun Know How campaign on behalf of the Department. Information on funding to the HEA for the specific campaign is not readily available at short notice. SunSmart is the national skin cancer prevention campaign, run by Cancer Research UK on behalf of the United Kingdom Health Departments. The Department of Health in England contributed funding of around £100,000 towards the launch of the SunSmart campaign in March 2003. The campaign has received further funding in the last four financial years.
The second column in the following table presents the amount of money provided for the SunSmart campaign in that year. The third column expresses that figure in constant 2004-05 prices, i.e. in real terms(1).
(1 )Notes on the real-terms calculation:
Beyond 2004-05, the real terms value is less than the cash terms value. This is because inflation has eroded part of the cash value; prices have increased, so a given cash amount buys less than it did in 2004-05.
2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 funding amounts have been more than the 2004-05 funding amount in both cash terms and real terms.
The GDP Deflator, available at
has been used to calculate the real terms values.
| £ | ||
| Funding amount | ||
| In cash terms | In 2004-05 prices | |
The amounts are given in cash and in real terms in current prices.
The funding for 2008-09 is £110,000, which is being paid on a quarterly basis. We keep funding for skin cancer awareness campaigns under review in the light of their merits and the overarching funding position of the Department.
Social Services: Cumbria
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to encourage closer working between social services and primary care providers in Cumbria. [219887]
Ann Keen: Our Vision for Primary and Community Care, published on 3 July 2008 and already placed in the Library, sets out plans to promote services that are more joined-up and responsive to patient needs.
An integrated approach to health and wellbeing will require a step change in the relationship between local national health service organisations, local government, other relevant statutory services, employers, third sector and independent sector providers. The Department will provide support to those organisations that wish to go further in integrating health and social care services and will establish a Minister-chaired group to work with stakeholders and identify how government can best provide this support, including reviewing policy, financial and cultural barriers to integration.
The North West Strategic Health Authority reports that the Cumbria Primary Care Trust already engages with a wide range of partners to improve services and achieve better health outcomes for its local population, including its key partner the Cumbria county council.
Social Services: Training
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2008, Official Report, column 1236W, on social services: training, if he will place in the Library a copy of the expression of interest in becoming a national skills academy for social care submitted to the Learning and Skills Council. [221310]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: A copy of the expression of interest in becoming a National Skills Academy for Social Care has been placed in the Library. The expression of interest has been prepared by social care employers, facilitated and supported by the Department.
Social Services: Vetting
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of individuals working in the care sector who have not been subject to a full Criminal Records Bureau check in each of the last 10 years. [221666]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: No such estimate has been made.
The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) started work in March 2002. CRB checks are generally discretionary, but in some instances are mandatory. CRB checks for staff working in regulated social care were phased in, starting in April 2002, and have been required for all
staff since 31 October 2004. Since 26 July 2004, all staff working in regulated social care are required to be checked against the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) list. Anyone who is on the list is automatically barred from working in regulated adult social care.
People can start work in regulated social care before receiving their CRB check where this is necessary to ensure that the care provider has sufficient staff to meet the needs of service users. However, these staff must have applied for a CRB check, they must not be on the POVA list and they must have successfully fulfilled all the other pre-employment requirements. All new staff must undergo training and be adequately supervised.
In February 2005, Ministers decided that CRB checks should be mandatory throughout the NHS for all eligible new staff with access to patients in the normal course of duties. Full guidance on pre-appointment checks for national health service staff was issued by NHS Employers in May 2005. The NHS Employers guidance is mandatory by virtue of the Standards for Better Health which includes a standard for staff recruitment checks.
The Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Healthcare Commission are responsible for monitoring compliance. They will take appropriate enforcement action if they find a person who has not been appropriately checked.
Surgery
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were carried out in NHS hospitals in (a) 2005 and (b) the last year for which figures are available. [220565]
Mr. Bradshaw: The number of operations carried out in national health service hospitals is recorded as part of hospital episode statistics (HES) data, these data are collection annually.
| Number of operations carried out in NHS hospitals | |
| Source: HES | |
Figures supplied by the Information Centre for health and social care.
Take-away Food: Safety
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Food Standards Agency has to improve standards of hygiene in fast food outlets. [220883]
Dawn Primarolo: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has a range of initiatives aimed at improving hygiene standards in retail and catering outlets. This includes the 'Safer Food, Better Business' programme to promote uptake of food safety management systems. Part of this programme has been a special grant scheme which, to date, has distributed over £9 million to over three-quarters of local authorities in England to provide direct support to over 50,000 small businesses.
The FSA is also currently consulting on proposals for a United Kingdom-wide 'scores on the doors' scheme to provide information to consumers about hygiene standards of individual food businesses so that they make informed choices about where they purchase food.
Details of these and other FSA initiatives are available on the FSA's website at
Tomography: Waiting Lists
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many CT scans were carried out by NHS trusts in (a) 2005 and (b) the last 12 months. [220570]
Dawn Primarolo: Numbers of computerised tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans undertaken by NHS trusts in England are set out in the following table.
Figures for 2007-08 are due to be published in September 2008.
| Number | ||
| CT | MRI | |
| Source: Department of Health Central Return KH12. | ||
Transplant Surgery
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the introduction of techniques for organ preservation which increase the time that can elapse between organ retrieval and transplant. [220402]
Ann Keen: Following representation about the organ care system, a new technology for preserving donor hearts for transplantation, the company TransMedics have been made aware that they could apply for funding to the Health Technology Assessment Clinical Trials programme to conduct an evaluation of the technology. Any application would be considered on its merits in competition with other applications.
Trauma: Health Services
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of pre-hospital care for people who (a) are severely injured and (b) have suffered trauma; [221316]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the level of provision of pre-hospital care for trauma patients, with particular reference to those patients aged under 16 years; [221317]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of secondary transfer for patients who have suffered severe trauma during the last five years; [221318]
(4) what assessment he has made of the number of patients requiring trauma care who were aged under 16 years in the each of the last five years. [221319]
(5) what assessment he has made of the number of trauma patients in accident and emergency departments not seen by a consultant in the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [221322]
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