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26 Mar 2009 : Column 684W—continued
Radiotherapy
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients the NHS has funded to travel overseas to receive proton therapy treatment for cancer in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost of such treatment to the NHS was in each of those years. [260564]
Ann Keen: There are two routes in European Union law for national health service patients who wish to receive planned health care abroad. Via the E112 route under long-standing social security arrangements, departmental data suggest that 24 British patients were authorised to go abroad for proton therapy treatment over the last three financial years (2008-09, 2007-08 and 2006-07). The Department is unable to calculate the full cost of this treatment due to the nature of the EU claims process—there is often a lengthy delay between the provision of treatment and a claim being raised.
The Department does not collect data on people who choose to travel abroad for planned treatment under Article 49 of the EC Treaty—these data are currently held by primary care trusts.
From 1 April 2008, the proton therapy service has been nationally commissioned and designated by the National Commissioning Group (NCG). 18 cases have been recommended by the NCG’s proton therapy clinical reference panel and agreed by the NCG for referral abroad. Not all cases have been accepted by proton centres abroad and not all patients have subsequently chosen to be treated by proton therapy. As at the beginning of March 2009, 14 of these 18 patients had been accepted for treatment in overseas centres. The total cost of this treatment will be available after the end of the financial year. We are aware that a small number of additional proton therapy patients have been funded using the E112 route in 2008-09.
Royal Blackburn Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with (a) the North West Strategic Health Authority and (b) the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust on the Trust’s recent performance figures for the accident and emergency department at the Royal Blackburn hospital; and if he will make a statement. [261399]
Mr. Bradshaw: Following the hon. Member’s recent question at oral Health questions, and his tabling of this parliamentary question, I have sought assurances from the North West Strategic Health Authority (SHA) from the East Lancashire Hospitals National Health Service Trust on its recent accident and emergency performance at the Royal Blackburn hospital. I will be writing to the hon. Member shortly to outline the action the SHA and the Trust have taken.
Social Services: Elderly
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of older people in each local authority received local authority funded (a) residential and (b) domiciliary care in each of the last 10 years. [265757]
Phil Hope: Data on the number of older people receiving local authority funded domiciliary and residential care are collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
Information showing the numbers and proportion of older people aged 65 and over in local authority funded residential care, for the year ending 31 March from 1999 to 2008 and the number and proportion of older people aged 65 and over receiving local authority funded domiciliary care, for the year ending 31 March from 2002 to 2008 has been placed in the Library. Data on domiciliary care are not held centrally prior to 2001.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each local authority with social services responsibilities received in grants for older people in (a) cash and (b) real terms at 2008-09 prices in each of the last 10 years. [265766]
Phil Hope: The Department publishes local authority circulars and local authority and local authority social services letters. These set out the main departmental grants announced as part of the local government finance settlement which are relevant to the funding provided for social services.
A copy of the relevant local authority circulars and local authority and local authority social services letters has been placed in the Library.
Annex B provides a breakdown of all the grants which are solely or mainly provided to older people, over the eight-year period 2003-04 (when funding for children services became the responsibility of DCFS) to 2010-11 (the latest available data), at national total level.
Transplant Surgery: Foreigners
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas organ transplant patients who had transplant surgery in the UK in each year since 1997 there were from each country of origin; and how many such patients from each country had their treatment paid for by (a) the NHS, (b) the health service of their country of origin and (c) other means. [266218]
Ann Keen: The following table shows organ transplants carried out in national health service hospitals into patients recorded as resident outside the United Kingdom(1), by country, April 1998 to March 2008, broken down by type of donor. Information is not held centrally on how many such patients from each country had their treatment paid for by the NHS, the health service of their country of origin or by other means.
(1) Excluding Republic of Ireland.
| Type of donor | |||
| Country | Deceased | Living | Total |
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