| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
9 Feb 2009 : Column 1764W—continued
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered mental health nurses were employed in the NHS in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [255632]
Phil Hope: The number of registered mental health nurses that were employed in the national health service in each of the last 10 years is shown in the following table.
| NHS Hospital and Community Health Service: Qualified nursing staff in England by each specified area of work as at 30 September each specified year. | |
| All areas of work | |
| Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. | |
The number of mental health nurses has increased by 14.8 per cent. from 48,877 in 1998 to 46,117 in 2007.
MRSA
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s Clean Safe Care strategy for reducing MRSA infections and deaths. [254964]
Ann Keen: The “Clean, safe care” strategy was published in January 2008, and gave an overview of our strategy and initiatives, many of which were already well established, to tackle health care associated infections (HCAIs) and improve cleanliness. A copy of the strategy has already been placed in the Library.
We have significantly reduced meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. The latest Health Protection Agency data for July to September 2008 show a reduction in MRSA bloodstream infections of 33 per cent. compared to the same quarter in 2007. In 2008, the national health service met the nationwide target to halve the number of MRSA bloodstream infections compared to 2003-04 levels. Latest figures also show a 62 per cent. reduction compared to the quarterly average in 2003-04, making further progress.
The number of death certificates that mentioned MRSA decreased by 4 per cent. from 1,652 in 2006 to 1,593 in 2007. This is the first time the number of death certificates mentioning MRSA has fallen since ONS records began in 1993.
The following table details the number of death certificates with MRSA mentioned and MRSA as the underlying cause, England and Wales, 2003-07.
| Number of death certificates in England and Wales | |||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Source: ONS Health Statistics Quarterly. | |||||
Many patients who become infected with a HCAI have other serious and potentially fatal underlying medical conditions. Doctors are not supposed to record all diseases or conditions present at death, only those that contribute directly to it. It is a matter of individual professional judgment whether the doctor lists an HCAI as a contributory cause. There have been a number of initiatives to raise the profile of HCAIs and improve their acknowledgment as diagnoses in their own right. In October 2007 and July 2005 the chief medical officer reminded doctors of the importance of giving full and accurate information on the death certificate, particularly in relation to HCAIs.
We have commissioned an evaluation of the effectiveness the HCAI and Cleanliness Improvement Programme (one strand of the “Clean, safe care” strategy) with a specific focus on the work streams focused on reductions in the incidence of MRSA. We are also commissioning work to understand the ways in which hospital cleanliness relates to other aspects of a good environment, and how this might have an impact on HCAIs. These studies are in their initial stages and will provide results later in 2009.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of NHS clinical staff who are carriers of MRSA. [254965]
Ann Keen: It is estimated that 3-5 per cent. of staff are colonised with MRSA.
NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner referrals to independent sector treatment centres there were in each year since such centres were established. [255590]
Mr. Bradshaw: Through the Independent Sector Treatment Centre (ISTC) programme, more than 1.49 million operations, diagnostic assessments and primary care consultations have been provided to national health service patients (as at 31 December 2008).
The Department does not hold information about the number of general practitioner referrals to ISTCs.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to general practitioners on the referral of patients to independent sector treatment centres. [255591]
Mr. Bradshaw: Independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) providers and primary care trusts (PCTs) ensure patients and referring general practitioners (GPs) are provided with appropriate information regarding ISTCs.
The Department does not directly issue guidance to GPs on the referral of patients to ISTCs. When patients
are referred by their GP for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment they are entitled to choose the organisation that provides their NHS care and to the information to support that choice. As set out in the NHS constitution this will become a legal right from 1 April 2009.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many independent sector treatment centres there are. [255613]
Mr. Bradshaw: The centrally procured Independent Sector Treatment Centre (ISTC) procurement process was conducted in two stages: Wave 1 and Phase 2. There are currently 25 fixed-site Wave 1 ISTCs, eight Phase 2 ISTC schemes, a mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) service, a mobile cataract service and six commuter walk-in centres. There are also two Phase 2 ISTC schemes in mobilisation.
A full list of the centrally procured ISTC schemes is provided as follows.
| Wave 1 ISTCs | |||
| Contract | Location | Hospital name | Provider |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |