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16 Dec 2008 : Column 680W—continued
Heroin: Prescriptions
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many drug addicts are participating in the Maudsley heroin prescribing pilot; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the pilot per addict per year; [243512]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust's pilot on prescribing and injecting heroin. [243518]
Dawn Primarolo: An evaluation of the effectiveness of these pilots will be conducted in 2009, when they are completed. The Government will use evidence from these pilots to inform further consideration of the role that prescribed injectable opiates (heroin and methadone) has in the wider portfolio of treatment options available for drug misusers.
Information and analysis of costs and the numbers involved in the pilots will be available in 2009, after the pilots have been completed and information such as that requested by the hon. Member will be available then.
Hospitals: Finance
Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the individual market forces factors for each hospital trust in England are. [243264]
Mr. Bradshaw: For activity within the scope of Payment by Results, trusts receive the national tariff adjusted by the market forces factor (MFF) payment index.
A copy of the revised MFF index to be applied for the payment of the Payment by Results national tariff in 2009-10 has been placed in the Library. This table lists the MFF payment index values for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts in England.
The MFF payment index to be applied in 2009-10 is available on the Department's website, as part of the 2009-10 PbR ‘road test' package (the table is at Annex F of the draft Guidance) and has also been placed in the Library;
The MFF index applied for 2008-09 Payment by Results activity has been placed in the Library, and is available on the Department's website at:
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) statutory instruments, (b) departmental circulars and (c) other documents he plans to issue in the next 12 months consequential on the provisions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008; and if he will make a statement. [242698]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department will be producing three sets of regulations to implement the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (“the 2008 Act”) in the next 12 months. These are:
regulations relating to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (HFEA) appeals committee;
regulations setting out the procedure for release of information to researchers from the HFEA register of patient information; and
regulations setting out the circumstances in which the storage period of embryos and gametes can be extended.
The HFEA will also be making regulations setting out the procedures to be followed when the HFEA is minded to refuse, revoke or vary a licence.
In addition, there will be several sets of transitional and commencement orders issued to implement the provisions in the 2008 Act.
There are no plans to issue any departmental circulars.
The Department will be consulting on the regulations to implement the 2008 Act, including the HFEA regulations, in the next 12 months. It is planned that the consultation document will be published in January 2009.
Separately to that, the Department will also be consulting on regulations to update the parental order regulations later in the year. It is planned that a consultation paper will be published to support this in the summer.
Incontinence: Medical Equipment
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the Government's response to the latest consultation on Part IX of the Drug Tariff. [244326]
Phil Hope: The outcome of the last consultation on the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliances—and related services—in primary care will be published early in the new year.
Influenza: Vaccination
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to promote availability of the influenza vaccination. [243079]
Dawn Primarolo: In October and November 2008 the Department ran its annual autumn communications campaign targeting those aged 65 and over and those people under 65 who are in a clinical risk group. The campaign consisted of television, radio, online and pharmacy bag advertising, and public relations activity. Leaflets and posters have been made freely available to the national health service to use in their own local promotional activities. The objectives of the campaign were to raise awareness of the need for the vaccination among the target audiences, and to encourage them to contact their general practitioner.
Lung Diseases
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps is his Department is taking to increase (a) awareness and (b) the rate of diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among people who are unaware they have the disease. [242703]
Ann Keen: The Department is currently developing a national strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). One of the specific aims of the strategy will be to increase awareness of good lung health among the general population, and COPD for those at risk. The strategy will also aim to increase the accurate diagnosis of COPD, especially for those at the milder stage of the disease. We aim to publish the strategy in 2008.
Lung Diseases: Health Services
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of (a) the adequacy of palliative care and (b) access to pulmonary rehabilitation for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [242762]
Ann Keen: According to a recent Royal College of Physicians(1) report, based on UK audit data, approximately 50 per cent. of acute units have a formal referral pathway to palliative medicine for end of life care for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 66 per cent. are planning to develop (or further develop) palliative care services in the future.
For pulmonary rehabilitation approximately 70 per cent. of primary care organisations state that they provide community based pulmonary rehabilitation. In secondary care approximately 90 per cent. of acute units provide formal pulmonary rehabilitation programmes.
An End of Life Care Strategy was published in July and its aim is to improve care for people approaching end of life whatever their diagnosis or condition. A copy has already been placed in the Library. The National Strategy for COPD, which will be published early next year, will also aim to improve access to palliative and end of life care for people with COPD. It will also set clear standards for the provision of pulmonary rehabilitation, whatever the setting.
(1) Report of The National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Audit 2008, UK Primary Care Organisations: Resources and Organisation of Care: Royal College of Physicians of London, British Thoracic Society and British Lung Foundation November 2008
Mental Health Services: Children
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent progress has been made on review of child and adolescent mental health services; and if he will make a statement; [240731]
(2) what recent steps he has taken to improve the emotional health and well-being of children. [241345]
Phil Hope: The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) review final report, ‘Children and Young People in Mind’, was published on 18 November 2008. The report makes 20 recommendations that will enable a number of important changes to take place over the next three to five years, to improve children and young people's mental health and psychological well-being.
The Government have demonstrated their commitment to implementing change by the immediate implementation of a number of these recommendations. In particular:
the establishment of a National Advisory Council, which, in line with the review's recommendations, will act as a champion for children's psychological well-being and mental health issues, advise Government on implementing the recommendations that have been set out in the report and hold Government to account on delivery; and
the development of a National Support Programme, building on the work already being delivered by the National CAMHS Support Service and others to facilitate and support sustainable cultural change at national, regional and local levels. The National Support Programme will co-ordinate these organisations to deliver the same messages on mental health to all of the services supporting children and young people and give everyone working in this area the support they need to achieve the aims of the CAMHS review.
A copy of the review's final report has already been placed in the Library and is also available at
Mental Health Services: Pharmacy
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to assist pharmacies to provide advice to patients in respect of mental health matters. [240365]
Phil Hope: As indicated in the White Paper ‘Pharmacy in England: Building on strengths—delivering the future’ educational resources are being developed to support community pharmacies in helping people on mental health matters. These resources are likely to be available by the end of 2009.
Mental Health Services: Prisons
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Prison Service staff have received mental health awareness training. [240366]
Phil Hope: Between 2006 and 2008, approximately 12,000 front line prison staff received mental health awareness training. The Department no longer collects these figures centrally.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken by his Department to improve the health of offenders since the publication of Improving Health, Supporting Justice: A Strategy for Improving Health and Social Care Services for People Subject to the Criminal Justice System. [240710]
Phil Hope: The consultation on the strategy was published on 27 November 2007, and the consultation period finished on 4 March. Responses have been analysed and a written analysis of the consultation responses was published in August 2008. The final strategy will be published in spring 2009 following Lord Bradley's report to Parliament.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of prisoners suffering from serious mental illness; how many of those prisoners are women; and if he will make a statement. [240743]
Phil Hope: No recent assessment has been made. Although there are no officially recognised data on prisoners with severe mental illness, we are aware that there are a number of people in custody suffering from serious mental illness. In 1997, the Office for National Statistics survey indicated that as many as 58 per cent. of male and 75 per cent. of female remand prisoners, and 39 per cent. of male and 62 per cent. of female sentenced prisoners met criteria for a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression. Rates of psychotic illness were also higher than in the general population.
Accurate identification of people needing mental health treatment and care is important at all stages in the care and offender pathway. This is why all prisoners are screened at reception for risks of mental ill health and previous psychiatric treatment. The Offender Assessment System (OASys) helps to ensure that any person judged to be at risk and/or of needing mental health treatment and care can be identified and referred, where appropriate, to the Mental Health In-Reach Teams.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prisoners suffering from severe psychiatric disorders have been diverted from prison to secure psychiatric settings in each year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [240746]
Phil Hope: People who are too mentally ill to remain in prison are transferred to NHS Secure Services. In 2007, 28 per cent. more prisoners, with mental illness too severe for prison, were transferred to hospital than in 2002—up to 926 from 723.
There has been a significant decrease in the number of people waiting over 12 weeks for a transfer. In the quarter ending June 2007, 43 prisoners were waiting, down from 62 in the same quarter in 2005. At the end of December 2007 there were 40 people waiting for a bed for more than 12 weeks. At the end of March 2008 there were only 24 people waiting.
People eligible to be transferred should be moved out of prison as quickly as possible. We have been working to reduce waiting times for beds and we have introduced tighter monitoring to identify prisoners waiting an unacceptably long period.
The Mentally Ill
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made in the implementation of the recommendations made in the Social Exclusion Unit's report, Mental Health and Social Exclusion, at (a) regional and (b) local level. [240715]
Phil Hope: The National Social Inclusion programme (NSIP) was initially established to coordinate the delivery of the Social Exclusion Unit's (SEU) report, “Mental Health and Social Exclusion” and its 27-action points through a cross government national team with far-reaching national and regional partnerships to support its work.
NSIP has configured its work plan in line with national and regional priorities and previous progress made by them is detailed in their first, second and third annual reports, of 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively, which are available from NSIP's website:
However, more recently, my right hon. Friend Alan Johnson launched the training package “Open to All” at the Wallace Collection which has been developed to help museums and galleries to be more inclusive for people with mental health problems through arts participation, access to galleries and museums, and employment and volunteering opportunities in the sector.
Further progress on the implementation of the recommendations in 2008 includes, the publication of “Connect and Include—an exploratory study of community development and mental health”, which includes a brief review of literature relating to relevant policy and practice, a survey and interviews including community development practitioners, people with experience of mental health problems, and staff from mental health services.
NSIP has also published the review “From segregation to inclusion: Where are we now?” which identifies the modernisation progress to date and highlights common issues, approaches to address them and examples of
good practice, and revised the “Really Useful Book of Learning and Earning”, 80,000 copies of which have been distributed to care services, Jobcentre Plus, employment programme learning and training providers.
The implementation of the SEU report actions continues through the Community Participation work stream—which concentrates on developing the local level impact of the social inclusion agenda. This work stream contains the areas housing, arts, criminal justice, families and young people, day services and direct payments.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of programmes designed to increase the uptake of direct payments by people with mental health problems; and if he will make a statement. [240717]
Phil Hope: Access to direct payments should be available to all people eligible to receive them. There is evidence that the take up of direct payments is also sometimes hindered by a lack of adequate support or information, or unnecessarily complicated processes. Therefore the Department has developed the direct payments uptake project to support local councils and their partners.
According to Commission for Social Care Inspection figures, in March 2006, there were 1,477 people with mental health issues (aged 18-64) receiving direct payments. This rose to 2,085 people in March 2007.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which local authority areas individual budgets for mental health service users have been piloted. [240718]
Phil Hope: The independent individual budget evaluation was designed to examine outcomes for specific groups of service users which include people with mental health problems. 13 local authorities took part in these pilots and of these, five local authorities included mental health service users in their pilots: Barnsley, Coventry, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Oldham, which was exclusively with mental health service users.
The evaluation of the individual budgets pilots found that mental health service users receiving individual budgets reported significantly higher quality of life than those receiving traditional services. A number of these service users had not found the services available under conventional arrangements to their liking, and saw an individual budget as an opportunity to access more appropriate support. Although not significant statistically, the data also suggest some tendency for psychological well-being to be better for those mental health service users receiving an individual budget.
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