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10 Sep 2008 : Column 1916W—continued
Pedestrians: Accidents
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people in each region were admitted to hospital as a result of road accidents in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age, (b) type of accident, (c) type of vehicle involved in the accident and (d) type of injury; [221013]
(2) how many pedestrians in each region were admitted to hospital as a result of traffic accidents in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age and (b) type of vehicle involved in the accident. [221014]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information is not available in the format requested. Tables showing the number of people injured in all transport accidents and the number of pedestrians injured in transport accidents respectively have been placed in the Library.
Personal Injury
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the highest 10 payments made by his Department in settlement of personal injury claims brought against it were over the last 12 months for which figures are available; which of those cases were (a) contested and (b) uncontested by the Department; and what the nature of the incident was in each case. [216683]
Mr. Bradshaw: There have been no personal injury cases made in 2006-07. This information has been extracted from the Department's Losses and Special Payments Register for which information was last available, 2006-07.
Press
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) staffing, (b) accommodation and (c) other overhead costs of his Department's press office were in each of the last five years. [216546]
Mr. Bradshaw: The cost of the Department's Media Centre staff, 2003-04 to 2007-08 is shown in the following table.
| Cost (£ million) | |
Figures exclude social security and pension costs.
It is not possible to calculate the accommodation and overhead cost for the press office. The only figure available would be that for the whole of Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, where the press office is located.
Primary Health Care: Standards
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the Qualities and Outcomes Framework (QOF) on (a) reducing health inequalities and (b) supporting mental health provision in primary care; whether he plans to amend the QOF to increase funding for these priorities; and if he will make a statement. [223462]
Dawn Primarolo: The most recent research published by the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (NPCRDC) suggests that the health gap between affluent and deprived areas is closing.
The Department has not commissioned any specific research on impact of the QOF on mental health provision. However, the most recent data indicates that achievement levels are high. Specific examples are shown as follows:
The content of the Quality and Outcomes Framework for 2009-10 is currently being discussed between NHS Employers and the British Medical Association, advised by the independent expert panel. Those discussions are informed by “Our Vision for Primary and Community Care” published on 3 July that informed part of Lord Darzi’s NHS review.
Queen Mary’s Hospital Sidcup
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the future of services at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup. [223123]
Mr. Bradshaw: Due to the way in which data is collected, the Department is unable to provide the exact number of letters received in relation to the future of services at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup. However, a search of the Department's correspondence and parliamentary questions database shows that there were approximately 24 completed correspondence cases on Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup between November 2007 to date, of which 14 were regarding the future of services at the hospital. No parliamentary questions specifically relating to the future of services at Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup were found.
There have been no ministerial meetings with hon. Members or debates specifically on the future of services at Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup between November 2007 to date.
The London borough council of Bexley's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, independently from the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee, formally referred proposals for hospital reconfiguration regarding A Picture of Health for South East London (which includes Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup) to the Secretary of State for Health on 28 August 2008.
Skin Cancer
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of recurrences of basal cell carcinoma occurred in patients whose cancer had been removed by (a) GPs and (b) hospital consultants in the latest period for which figures are available. [223221]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information on recurrences of basal cell carcinoma in patients whose cancers have been removed is not collected centrally.
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion recurrences of skin cancer occurred in patients whose cancer had been removed by (a) GPs and (b) hospital consultants in the latest period for which figures are available. [223222]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information on recurrences of skin cancer in patients whose cancers have been removed is not collected centrally.
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on GPs undertaking procedures to remove skin cancer. [223223]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department fully supports the guidance provided by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in its “Improving Outcomes for People with Skin Tumours including Melanoma”, published in February 2006. This guidance states that different degrees of specialisation are required to treat the various types and stages of skin cancer.
Some treatments, for those groups of patients specified in the guidance, may be carried out in the community by a variety of clinicians, including general practitioners with a special interest in skin cancer. All health professionals who knowingly treat patients with any type of skin cancer should be members of a local hospital skin cancer multidisciplinary team or a specialist skin cancer multidisciplinary team.
Sunbeds
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of sunburn arising from sunbed use have been reported to NHS Logistics in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how many such cases involved under-16 year olds. [220654]
Ann Keen: NHS Logistics has been disbanded and while operational did not collect information on cases of sunburn arising from the use of sunbeds.
Telemedicine
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to establish an English Centre for Telehealth. [223183]
Mr. Bradshaw: There are no current plans to establish an English Centre for Telehealth.
Trauma: Death
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the fatality rates of trauma patients were in each year from 1995 to 2007. [221327]
Mr. Bradshaw: The requested data are not collected centrally because there is no link between mortality data from the Office for National Statistics and the case data on trauma patients from Hospital Episodes Statistics.
Trauma: Health Services
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) accident and emergency departments and (b) trauma centres have co-located cardio-thoracic facilities. [221321]
Mr. Bradshaw: No such assessment has been made centrally. These are matters for the national health service to determine. Over the last year, as part of the Next Stage Review, each strategic health authority has set out its vision for improving health and healthcare based on the recommendations of clinically-led pathway groups including acute care. These visions identify the need for high quality trauma services and a common theme was the need for specialised centres for major trauma.
Vioxx
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in England with increased cardio-vascular risk as a result of using Vioxx. [223303]
Mr. Bradshaw: Vioxx (rofecoxib) was one of a group of anti-inflammatory medicines known as COX-2 selective inhibitors. It was licensed in the United Kingdom and many other countries for the treatment of arthritic conditions—osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis—and also for the short-term treatment of some painful conditions. COX-2 selective inhibitors are effective anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving medicines that are thought to have less risk of gastrointestinal side effects, for example stomach ulcers, than conventional anti-inflammatory medicines.
Since 2000, evidence from clinical trials had raised concerns about a possible increased risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular conditions associated with Vioxx, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency/Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) kept the cardiovascular safety of this drug under continual review since it was first licensed. The product information for healthcare professionals and patients, which lists all the known side effects of the medicine, was updated on a number of occasions to better reflect its cardiovascular safety, in accordance with CSM's advice.
Data are not available on which to base a valid estimate of the number of people with increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and other adverse cardiovascular effects that may have been associated with Vioxx and other COX-2 inhibitors. The underlying medical condition of many patients treated with COX-2 inhibitors means that they are already at higher risk of heart attack and stroke than the rest of the population, and it is not possible to calculate the impact of the COX-2 inhibitor on this risk. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence to determine the rate at which cardiovascular risk reduces after cessation of treatment with Vioxx, but there is evidence from one study suggesting that the risk wanes after cessation of therapy, although the exact time course for the reduction in risk is uncertain, and it is not possible to exclude persistence of risk for several months after treatment has stopped.
Since Vioxx was voluntarily withdrawn by the manufacturer in 2004, the safety of other COX-2 inhibitors and traditional anti-inflammatory drugs—non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)—has
been carefully and intensively assessed in the UK and Europe. The latest evidence suggests that both NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors are effective painkilling anti-inflammatory treatments but might pose a small increased risk of heart attacks or strokes, although the exact level of risk may vary between medicines. The MHRA has widely communicated the latest information and advice for healthcare professionals in letters and bulletins, and other publications through liaison with the British National Formulary and National Prescribing Centre. In addition, product information for healthcare professionals and patient information leaflets have been updated in order to support informed decision-making in relation to the choice of anti-inflammatory medicine.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with Merck in the United States on the effects of Vioxx on people in England; and if he will make a statement. [223304]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, South (Mr. Lewis), met with representatives of Merck Sharpe and Dohme UK Ltd on 10 July 2008 where he highlighted the concerns raised by hon. Members on behalf of their constituents. A representative from Merck and Co., Inc. was also present at that meeting.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Adult Education: Apprentices
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the number of people undertaking adult apprenticeships. [223117]
Mr. Lammy: ‘World-class Apprenticeships’ confirmed our commitment to making apprenticeships a top-quality option for both young people and adults and set out several steps to increase the numbers of people undertaking adult apprenticeships. Last year we abolished the upper age limit for apprenticeships and we are increasing apprenticeships funding to over £1 billion between 2007-08 and 2010-11, including funding to expand apprenticeships for older learners. Skills Accounts are soon to be trialled to empower individuals to take up and progress in adult learning, including apprenticeships. Expanding apprenticeships for adults will play a key role in helping us to deliver over 250,000 apprenticeship starts and 190,000 successful completions by 2020 in order to deliver the Leitch ambition of 400,000 apprenticeships in England.
Apprentices
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many apprentices have (a) started and (b) completed (i) programme-led and (ii) work-based apprenticeships in construction in the last three years. [208795]
Mr. Lammy:
In 2006-07 21,000 young people and adults started an apprenticeship in the construction sector, including 1,820 who started on a programme-led apprenticeship (PLA) in the workplace pending a move
to an employed apprenticeship with an employer. A further 1,630 people started a PLA based at a further education college. In the same year 12,560 people completed an apprenticeship framework in construction. Some of those completing an apprenticeship have been on a PLA in the workplace but there are no data currently available to track PLA learners through to completion of an apprenticeship.
The following table provides the available data for the last three years.
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