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23 Feb 2009 : Column 249W—continued
Pharmacy
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many community pharmacies there were (a) in total and (b) per 100,000 population in (i) England (ii) each primary care trust; [255430]
(2) how many community pharmacies were under contract with their local primary care trust on (a) 31 March 2006, (b) 31 March 2007 and (c) 31 March 2008 to provide local enhanced services (i) in England and (ii) in each primary care trust area; and how many in each category provided (A) all local enhanced services, (B) anti-coagulant monitoring, (C) diseases specific medicines management, (D) gluten-free food, (E) home delivery, (F) language access, (G) medication reviews, (H) medications assessment and compliance support, (I) minor ailment schemes, (J) needle and syringe exchanges, (K) on-demand availability of specialist drugs, (L) out-of-hours services, (M) patient group direction, (N) prescriber support, (O) screening, (P) stop smoking services, (Q) supervised administration and (R) supplementary prescribing. [255690]
Phil Hope:
Details of the number of pharmacies in contract with primary care trusts (PCTs) at 31 March 2008 are contained in table 2 of the annual bulletins
‘General Pharmaceutical Services in England and Wales’ published by the Information Centre for health and social care. Breakdowns by PCT are in the online appendices.
The number of community pharmacies in contract with PCTs to provide local enhanced services is not collected centrally. Table 6 of the bulletins (table 9 in 1996-97 to 2005-06) lists the total number of local enhanced services provided by pharmacy contractors in contract with PCTs. An individual pharmacy contractor may offer more than one locally enhanced service. Again, breakdowns by PCT are in the online appendices.
Copies of the ‘General Pharmaceutical Services in England and Wales’ bulletins and associated online appendices for 1996-97 to 2005-06, 1997-98 to 2006-07 and 1998-99 to 2007-08 have been placed in the Library.
Copies are also available on the NHS Information Centre website:
www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/pharmserv9808/General%20Pharmaceutical%20Services%20in%20England%20and %20Wales%202007_08%20PCT%20LHB%20level%20Appendix.xls
www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/pharmserv9808/General%20Pharmaceutical%20Services%20England%20and%20 Wales%202007-08.pdf
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons he has identified for the decline in the net ingredient cost of items dispensed by pharmacies over the last three years, referred to in the General Pharmaceutical Services in England and Wales 1998-99 to 2007-08 bulletin. [255526]
Phil Hope: A number of factors have contributed to the decrease in the average net ingredient cost (NIC) per prescription item since April 2005. These include:
the introduction in April 2005 of the category M scheme for calculating the reimbursement prices of selected generic medicines, which has lowered overall generic medicine prices in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08;
the introduction of the 2005 pharmaceutical price regulation scheme (PPRS) which required all companies that sold more than £1 million worth of branded medicines to the national health service to reduce prices by 7 per cent. This lowered overall branded medicine prices in 2005-06; and
more effective prescribing with high generic prescribing rates (83 per cent. of all prescription items were written generically in 2006). For example, the quarterly better care, better value indicator on statins has encouraged more systematic prescribing by general practitioners of therapeutically equivalent low cost generic statins in place of higher cost branded statins.
Pharmacy: Manpower
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultant pharmacists worked in the NHS in each year since 2003. [255569]
Phil Hope: Since “A Vision for Pharmacy in the New NHS” first identified this important role in 2003, there has been a steady increase in the number of approved consultant pharmacist posts in England. The number of consultant pharmacists in national health service hospital and community health services, as at 30 September is shown in the following table.
| Number of consultant pharmacists | |
| Source: NHS Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census. | |
Informal sources relating to 2008 indicate that there may now be as many as 30 strategic health authority approved consultant pharmacist posts.
Pregnancy: Smoking
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the guidance on smoking and pregnancy provided to pregnant women by his Department, if he will make it his Department’s policy to use the phrase ‘there’s two of you now’ in all advice it provides to pregnant women; and if he will make a statement. [256533]
Dawn Primarolo: In February 2009, the Department launched a new campaign to motivate and support pregnant smokers to stop smoking. The campaign includes information and materials for midwives, and new resources for pregnant smokers.
The phrase ‘there’s two of you now’ is not an integral element of the overall messaging of the smoking and pregnancy campaign. It has been used in communication aimed directly at pregnant mothers who smoke and who are seeking information on ways to improve their health and the health of their baby.
Prescriptions: Over-60s
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of providing free prescriptions to those aged over 60. [257655]
Dawn Primarolo: The cost of dispensing free prescriptions to those aged 60 and over in England in the community is estimated at between £300 and £350 million for the year 2008-09, where cost is assumed to be prescription charge revenue.
This estimate is based on Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimates and on an assumption that approximately 70 per cent. of those aged 60 or over would be exempt via another route due to, for example, being a recipient of a qualifying mean-tested benefit or having a medical exemption certificate. The cost is calculated by estimating that 50 per cent. of those having to pay would purchase a prepayment certificate and the balance would pay a charge per item.
R. Channing Wheeler
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the value for money of the employment of Mr R Channing Wheeler as Commercial Director in his Department. [256239]
Mr. Bradshaw: As the Department’s Commercial Director-General, Mr. Channing Wheeler secured the independent sector’s further contribution to the national health service bringing to financial close eight Independent Sector Treatment Centre (ISTC) schemes providing extra capacity and greater choice for NHS patients. Mr. Wheeler oversaw the revalidation of ISTC schemes that resulted in nine schemes not going forward where value for money for the taxpayer could not be demonstrated.
Mr. Wheeler also led the Department’s team in renegotiation of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme and continued to take forward the embedding of commercial expertise within the Department and the NHS.
Rapid Review Panel
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many products the Rapid Review Panel has reviewed in the last 12 months. [257308]
Mr. Bradshaw: The panel has undertaken 51 reviews in the last 12 months.
Slaughterhouses
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the costs incurred by abattoir owners of employment of an on-site veterinarian in each year since the creation of the Meat Hygiene Service. [257424]
Dawn Primarolo: The costs attributable to operators of approved fresh meat establishments (including abattoirs) for the employment of Official Veterinarians (OV) and Meat Hygiene Inspectors (MHI) and the actual charge levied on operators are shown in the following table. Under the present charging system, in place since April 2001, it is not possible to separate out the charge to operators for Official Veterinarians.
| £ million | ||
| Estimation of industry cost | Total charge paid by food business operators for OVs and MHIs | |
Social Care: Research
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what academic studies he has commissioned as part of the drafting of the Green Paper on Social Care; [256703]
(2) when he plans to publish the Green Paper on Social Care. [256704]
Phil Hope: The Department has commissioned two academic studies to inform the Green Paper process. The purpose of one piece of work, being undertaken by the personal social services research unit, is to make projections of likely future demand for long-term care and associated expenditure under a range of different funding scenarios. The other piece of work, undertaken by Les Mayhew of Cass Business School, concerns the financial products that could potentially support private contributions in a new care and support system.
The Government intend to publish the Green Paper on care and support reform in spring 2009.
Teenage Pregnancy: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the teenage pregnancy rate was in each of the principal seaside towns of England at (a) town, (b) ward and (c) lower level super output area level, for the most recent year for which figures are available. [257373]
Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated February 2009:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the teenage pregnancy rate was in each of the principal seaside towns of England at (a) town, (b) ward and (c) lower level super output area level, for the most recent year for which figures are available. (257373)
Figures on teenage conceptions are not routinely published by principal seaside towns of England at (a) town, (b) ward and (c) lower layer super output areas due to concerns in maintaining confidentiality of individuals.
However, ONS routinely publishes number of conceptions to girls aged under 18 by local authorities in England and the latest figures for 2006 are provided in the table, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
Available figures are estimates of the number of conceptions that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or legal termination.
Transplant Surgery: Foreigners
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009, Official Report, columns 826-7W, on transplant surgery: foreigners, (1) how many of those receiving organs survived beyond the point of their three month check-up; [257492]
(2) whether the transplantations listed were fully funded by the NHS. [257494]
Ann Keen: The following tables show overseas residents transplanted in UK NHS hospitals who (a) died within three months; (b) survived beyond three months; and (c) no three month follow-up information available:
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