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17 Nov 2008 : Column 210W—continued
Drugs: Rehabilitation
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people in Cornwall entered into a drug addiction treatment programme in each year since 1979; and what percentage of those people successfully completed the treatment; [235191]
(2) how many people in Cornwall were in contact with drug treatment services in each year since 1979. [235192]
Dawn Primarolo: Since 2003-04, the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) has collected data from local drug services about clients in structured drug treatment and the treatment they receive, with information on new people entering treatment being collected from 2004-05 onwards.
The following table shows the number of new people entering drug treatment programmes covered by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Drug Action Team for each of the years for which we have available data.
| Number of individuals with new presentation to treatment in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Drug Action Team area, 2004-05 to 2007-08 | |
| Number of individuals | |
| Source: NDTMS | |
NDTMS does not track individuals through their treatment, so information is not available on how many of these people have successfully completed their treatment. The following table shows the number of people who successfully completed treatment within Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Drug Action Team area for each year since 2004-05. The year of completion is likely in most cases to be later than the year in which treatment was commenced.
| Number of individuals successfully completing treatment in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Drug Action Team area, 2004-05 to 2007-08 | |
| Number of individuals | |
| Source: NDTMS | |
The following table shows the number of people who were in contact with drug treatment services within Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Drug Action Team area for each of the years for which we have available data. Please note that ‘people in contact’ is defined as those who entered treatment or who were already in treatment during that year.
| Number of individuals in contact with structured drug treatment services in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Drug Action Team area, 2003-04 to 2007-08 | |
| Number of individuals | |
| Source: NDTMS | |
Gastrointestinal System: Cancer
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 93W, on upper gastrointestinal cancer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of this policy in respect of the contrast between outcomes in those areas where the improving outcomes in upper gastrointestinal cancer had been implemented and those where it had not been implemented. [235600]
Ann Keen: An assessment of the extent to which outcomes have improved for patients with uppergastrointestinal cancer since the implementation of “Improving Outcomes for Upper Gastrointestinal Cancers” will be undertaken in due course, when national data are available.
Gene Therapy Advisory Committee
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many full-time equivalent staff are employed by the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee; [235183]
(2) what (a) capital, (b) revenue and (c) other funding his Department has given to the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee since its inception. [235208]
Dawn Primarolo: The Gene Therapy Advisory Committee is an advisory committee to the Department and does not employ any staff. There has been no capital funding. The committee's secretariat, approximately two full-time equivalent posts, are civil servants employed by the Department. These, and other running costs, are accounted for as part of general administration budget expenditure, where it is not customary to separate the running costs of individual advisory committees.
General Practitioners: Finance
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of savings under the practice-based commission scheme a GP practice is allowed to spend in (a) the next financial year following the making of the savings and (b) subsequent years; [235697]
(2) what the recommended list of service initiatives is on which a GP practice could spend savings made under the practice-based commission scheme. [235698]
Mr. Bradshaw: Practice Based Commissioning guidance (“Practice-based commissioning: practical implementation,” November 2006) establishes that practice based commissioners should be allowed to use a minimum of 70 per cent. of any savings achieved through the innovative redesign of services. The remaining 30 per cent. is for the primary care trust (PCT) to use at their discretion. The proportion of savings which can be used by practice based commissioners relate to both the financial year following the making of the savings and to subsequent years where savings are achieved. A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library.
The guidance also establishes that practice based commissioners should use the savings achieved as a result of practice based commissioning activities for the benefit of patients and to be reinvested in patient care. The use of the savings is at local discretion and should be agreed with the PCT. There is no national recommended list of service initiatives on which the savings should be used.
Health Centres
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 83W, on health centres, what assessment he has made of any possible negative consequences that could arise from the provision of a minimum income guarantee to a new GP-led health centre. [235606]
Mr. Bradshaw: It is for each primary care trust to determine locally the funding for their health centre depending on the range of services and staff required. For some, this will also include what percentage of income should be guaranteed to the provider, and for how long. If the income guarantee is set too high it could reduce the risk on the provider who may not be incentivised to provide a high quality service and reduces value for money. If set too low the general practitioner-led health centre provider may not obtain sufficient income in the early period of the contract to deliver a high quality and usable service 8am to 8pm, 365 days a year.
Health Services: Discrimination
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government has taken to reduce ageism in the provision of healthcare. [233811]
Phil Hope:
The Department is taking a number of steps to tackle age discrimination, such as work on older people’s mental health services by the Care Services Improvement Partnership. Other initiatives such as Dignity in Care are also having an impact on services used by older people. The Government will shortly make a
statement setting out a detailed programme of work to tackle age discrimination in the health and social care sectors and to help service providers prepare for legislation.
Health Services: Overseas Visitors
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase the quota of Montserratian people allowed to travel to the UK for health care in each year. [236111]
Dawn Primarolo: There is no limit on the number of Montserratian people allowed to travel to the UK for health care, provided they pay for it in line with any other overseas visitors. There are no plans to review the quota of patients that the overseas territories can refer to the UK under a bilateral agreement.
Hearing-Impaired: Screening
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data from the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme is collected by (a) primary care trusts, (b) strategic health authorities and (c) his Department; and if he will make a statement. [236125]
Ann Keen: The NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) collects data on behalf of the Department through a single national screening information system which has the functionality to provide screening management and performance data at provider, primary care trust, strategic health authorities and national level.
The main data collected, which are published quarterly, include coverage and outcomes of screening and diagnostic pathways including the numbers of children identified with permanent hearing impairment.
The NHSP Annual Report and Quality Assurance (QA) Peer Review Report are due to be published later this month.
Heart Diseases
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the quality outcomes framework exception reporting rates for coronary heart disease were for (a) primary care trusts (PCTs) and (b) spearhead PCTs in the latest period for which figures are available; what research he has (i) commissioned and (ii) evaluated on the reasons for differences in the rates; and if he will make a statement; [234221]
(2) what assessment he has made of the impact of the variation in high exception rate reporting on the (a) health and (b) working capacity of patients at risk of coronary heart disease in spearhead areas. [233549]
Ann Keen: A copy of the information requested on exception rates for coronary heart disease by primary care trust (PCT) with spearhead PCTs identified has been placed in the Library.
The latest research by the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (NPCRDC) shows that although practices in deprived areas are slightly more likely to exception report patients than practices in affluent areas, deprivation-related variation in reported quality of care for measured activities reduced during the first three years of the Quality and Outcomes
Framework, resulting in more equitable delivery of health care for these activities.
The NPCRDC conclude that general practitioners in deprived areas achieved high scores without high rates of exception reporting, and the differences in scores between affluent and deprived areas are small and of relatively little clinical significance. This is a considerable achievement for practices in deprived areas.
There is evidence that some practices, whether in deprived or affluent areas, may be using exception reporting inappropriately. Manipulating QOF data in order to increase rewards without delivering the required level of quality for patients is clearly unacceptable—and also unfair on the majority of practices who comply with QOF requirements. PCTs are responsible in England for verifying evidence for QOF achievement. They should analyse exception rates and recorded prevalence, investigating any outliers, correcting QOF payments where necessary and taking action if they uncover any actual fraud.
The Government are committed to ensuring, in consultation with the profession, that QOF continually develops and supports leading edge quality of care for patients based on best available evidence. We want to look with the profession at how we can reduce exception reporting in order to ensure that all patients who would benefit receive good quality of care, including those who are hard to reach.
Heart Diseases: Health Services
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to develop a successor to the current National Service Framework for coronary heart disease. [235635]
Ann Keen: Although the Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework (CHD NSF), launched in March 2000, was a 10-year plan of action, heart services must continue to develop after March 2010. The Department is currently considering how it might best support the national health service to build on the considerable success of the CHD NSF.
Hepatitis: Vaccinations
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost is for a hepatitis B vaccination; what the average cost was in each year since 1997; what plans he has to reduce the cost; and if he will make a statement. [235522]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not centrally supply the hepatitis B vaccine. The price of the hepatitis B vaccines are available in the “British National Formulary”, which is published biannually. Pages 168-172 of the “Immunisation against infectious disease (Green Book)” states which patients are recommended to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine. The “Green Book” has already been placed in the Library.
Influenza: Vaccinations
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the level of take-up of influenza vaccinations in (a) Southend West constituency, (b) Essex and (c) England in each of the last five years
for which figures are available, broken down by age group. [235523]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department collects data on influenza uptake for age groups within the national influenza vaccination programme. These are people aged 65 and over and those aged under 65 in a clinical risk group. The Department does not collect data on uptake for those outside these groups. Influenza uptake data are collected by primary care trust (PCT) rather than by constituency.
Uptake figures by PCT are contained in the following documents which have already been placed in the Library.
Vaccination uptake among the 65 years and over and under 65 years at risk in England 2007-08.
Vaccination uptake among the 65 years and over and under 65 years at risk in England 2006-07.
Influenza vaccine uptake in patients aged 65 years and over and under 65s at risk, England 2005-06
Influenza vaccine uptake in patients aged 65 years and over and under 65s at risk, England 2004-05
Data for the 2008-09 season will be available in the new year.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that influenza vaccines are made available free of charge to essential workers in nursing homes; what criteria are used by his Department in determining who receives influenza vaccines free of charge; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [235524]
Dawn Primarolo: The national policy is that influenza vaccine should be offered to the following groups:
all those aged 65 years and over;
all those aged six months or over in a clinical risk group;
those living in long-stay residential care homes or other long-stay care facilities where rapid spread is likely to follow introduction of infection and cause high morbidity and mortality (this does not include prisons, young offender institutions, university halls of residence etc.); and
those who are in receipt of a carer's allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill. This should be given on an individual basis at the GP's discretion in the context of other clinical risk groups in their practice.
As stated in the Chief Medical Officer letter of 31 March 2008, responsibility for immunisation for occupational staff rests with employers and should be provided by occupational health services. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.
The Department has recently published a new leaflet, fact sheet and poster encouraging health care professionals to get vaccinated against the flu.
The Department's policy on flu vaccination is regularly reviewed by an expert panel of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in the light of all relevant evidence.
The Department has received letters relating to the influenza policy. In all responses the policy was clearly stated as per the Chief Medical Officer letter of 31 March 2008.
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