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25 Mar 2009 : Column 515W—continued


Hospitals: Food

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his policy is on assisting hospital patients to eat at mealtimes; and what his policy is on families being present at patients’ mealtimes to encourage patients to eat; [265599]


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(2) what system is in place in the NHS to monitor and observe a hospital patient’s intake of food at mealtimes. [265600]

Ann Keen: A significant contribution to assisting patients to eat at mealtimes is the Protected Mealtimes Initiative (PMI), which was introduced by NHS Estates in partnership with the Royal College of Nursing in 2004, as part of the Better Hospital Food programme. The initiative is now led by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) which has been working with key stakeholders in the development of a toolkit to assist national health service organisations in the implementation of the ‘10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care’. A factsheet relating to Protected Mealtimes was developed and launched in April 2008 and the NPSA will be launching the complete toolkit later this year.

Policy regarding families being present at patients’ mealtimes is determined by local NHS organisations. Such organisations often establish action plans aimed at improving access to their meal services. A frequently used element of such plans is the ‘red tray scheme’, which identifies to ward staff, those patients at risk of poor nutrition.

Infant Mortality

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the main causes of infant mortality. [263661]

Dawn Primarolo: The most recent assessment of the main causes of infant mortality was set out in the “Review of the Health Inequalities Infant Mortality PSA Target” published in by the Department in 2007. These causes are immaturity related conditions (babies born of less than 37 weeks gestation), congenital anomalies and conditions, and sudden and unexpected deaths in infancy.

A copy of the review has already been placed in the Library.

Miscarriage: Alcoholic Drinks

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol-related miscarriages were recorded in each strategic health authority area in each of the last five years. [265770]

Dawn Primarolo: The following table provides estimates of the number of alcohol-related admissions to hospital for miscarriage. These estimates have been calculated by multiplying the total number of admissions to hospital miscarriages within each age group by the fraction of cases that, according to epidemiological research, can be attributed to alcohol. Additionally, it is important to note that not all miscarriages result in admission to hospital.


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Finished alcohol-related admissions of patients for miscarriage 2003-04 to 2007-08
Strategic health authority 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

North East

443

454

448

457

460

North West

1,290

1,422

1,627

1,506

1,448

Yorkshire and the Humber

1,065

1,161

1,184

1,068

1,158

West Midlands

1,075

1,069

1,108

974

952

East Midlands

809

740

720

647

866

East of England

786

782

820

687

709

South Central

868

1,031

1,032

451

481

South East Coast

474

499

London

1,469

1,573

1,717

1,804

1,606

South West

715

736

797

780

739

Unknown / No fixed abode

242

144

187

272

169

England

8,763

9,112

9,639

9,120

9,086

Notes:
General
Strategic health authorities were reconfigured between 2005-06 and 2006-07. Separate figures for South Central and South East Coast SHAs are only available for the period from 2006-07. A total for the South East is provided for the period up to 2005-06.
Includes activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.
Alcohol-related admissions
The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO). Following international best practice, the NWPHO methodology estimates the proportion of cases that are attributable to the consumption of alcohol.
Details of the proportions can be found in the report Jones et al. (2008) Alcohol-attributable fractions for England: Alcohol-attributable mortality and hospital admissions.
Figures for under 16s are excluded because the research on which the attributable fractions are based does not cover under 16s.
Number of episodes in which the patient had an alcohol-related primary or secondary diagnosis
These figures represent the number of episodes where an alcohol-related diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a hospital episode statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once in each count, even if an alcohol-related diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record.
Ungrossed data
Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
Finished admission episodes
A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
Primary diagnosis
The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.
Secondary diagnosis
As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 19 (13 from 2002-03 to 2007-08 and six prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in hospital episode statistics (HES) that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care.
Data quality
HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.
Assessing growth through time
HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series.
Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity.
Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.
Assignment of episodes to years
Years are assigned by the end of the first period of care in a patient’s hospital stay.
Source:
Hospital episode statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

NHS Foundation Trusts

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria Monitor uses to assess applications for foundation status by NHS hospital trusts. [266281]

Mr. Bradshaw: We are informed by the chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts) that a detailed description of the assessment process for NHS foundation trust (NHS FT) applicants is set out in the document ‘Applying for NHS Foundation Trust Status—Guide for Applicants’ (Monitor and the Department of Health, November 2008). A copy of this document has been placed in the Library and is also available from Monitor's website:

Monitor has three main criteria which it applies to all applicants for NHS FT status. The applicant trust must be:

Monitor's intensive assessment process takes approximately three months. Trusts must submit a wide range of information as evidence to support each category. Monitor reviews all the evidence submitted and conducts interviews with key stakeholders including primary care trusts, strategic health authorities, and the Healthcare Commission. Monitor probes the boards of each applicant trust to examine their capability to operate autonomously by questioning different aspects of their application, examples of which include:

NHS: Counselling

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what professional counselling his Department provides for NHS employees suffering from psychological illness; [266353]


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(2) how many members of staff from the NHS were absent from work for at least (a) 30, (b) 50 and (c) 99 days as a result of psychological illness in each of the last five years; [266357]

(3) how many staff have left the NHS as a result of psychological illness in each of the last five years. [266358]

Ann Keen: National health service employees are employed by individual NHS bodies such as NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. These autonomous employers have a legal responsibility for ensuring the health and well-being of their staff. This includes providing any appropriate professional counselling or other occupational health support to employees with psychological or mental health problems.

Specific guidance on this was issued to the service by NHS Employers (part of the NHS Confederation), in line with the Department's policy, in “The healthy workplaces handbook in 2007”.

The broad responsibility is underscored within the recently published NHS Constitution which includes a pledge to staff that “The NHS commits to provide support and opportunities for staff to maintain their health, well-being and safety”.

On the numbers of staff absent on the grounds of psychological illness and leaving the NHS as a result of psychological illness, the information requested is not available centrally. However, the number of people granted ill-health retirement from the NHS in the last five years is shown in the following table together with the numbers of acceptances for ill-health retirement on psychiatric grounds.

Year ending 31 March Total number of ill health retirements Number of acceptances for ill health retirement on psychiatric grounds

2003

3,462

657

2004

3,374

558

2005

2,954

408

2006

2,590

379

2007

2,422

391

2008

2,201

249

Source:
NHS Pensions

NHS: Manpower

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent (a) physiotherapists and (b) speech therapists have been working in (i) the NHS in each year since 1997 and (ii) each NHS organisation in the last three years. [265542]

Ann Keen: The number of physiotherapists and speech therapists employed in the national health service in the years requested has been placed in the Library.

NHS: Working Hours

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much has been allocated by his Department to ensure compliance with the European Working Time Directive in the NHS; [265761]

(2) what guidelines his Department has provided to primary care trusts on the use of funding for compliance with the European Working Time Directive; [265762]


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(3) how much money has been allocated by his Department to each primary care trust to aid compliance with the European Working Time Directive. [265763]

Ann Keen: The Department is making a total of £310 million available by 2009-10 to support the European Working Time Directive implementation in recurrent primary care trust (PCT) allocations.

In 2008-09 £110 million was included in the quantum allocation funding that resulted in all PCTs receiving revenue growth of 5.5 per cent. This is recurrent in PCT baselines going into 2009-10.

In 2009-10, a further £2 million has been included in PCT revenue allocations that continue to grow by an average of 5.5 per cent. This is recurrent funding. Of this we expect £150 million to flow through tariff income to trusts as we have incorporated this sum into 2009-10 uplift applied to all tariff prices.

The remaining £50 million in PCT allocations will be targeted to trusts according to strategic health authority (SHA) direction and is intended to support trained doctor solutions particularly in paediatrics and obstetrics services.

SHAs are making clear to the boards of their PCTs and relevant trusts that £310 million has been made available recurrently and how it should be moved around the system in 2009-10.

The funding should be targeted to services only where they meet one or more of the following conditions:


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