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31 Mar 2009 : Column 1088W—continued
Care Homes: Closures
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances private nursing and elderly care home providers are able to withdraw services provided under contract by them for elderly people. [267317]
Phil Hope: The circumstances under which a contract can be terminated will depend on the terms and conditions in the contract. The detail of contracting arrangements between local authorities and independent sector providers of care is a matter for local decision. We think it is important that local authorities are able to tailor contracts as necessary to specific local circumstances.
Each local authority should have contingency plans, drawn up in consultation with service providers, for dealing with situations where residents, whose care it arranged, need to move. Each local authority is responsibility for protecting the welfare of people for whom it arranges care.
Care Homes: Copeland
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to ensure that money given by the NHS to the Anchor Trust in Copeland is used in Copeland for the purposes for which it was provided. [267314]
Phil Hope: It is for primary care trusts to decide their priorities for investment locally taking into account both local priorities and the national health service operating framework.
Care Homes: Fees and Charges
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the contribution of the hon. Member for Bury South on 11 December 2007, Official Report, column 52WH, when the Government plan to provide care home self-funders with access to an independent element in the complaints process. [268141]
Phil Hope: The Health Bill, currently before Parliament, contains provisions to extend the remit of the Local Government Ombudsman to allow service users who purchase their own adult social care services to have their complaint investigated by the Ombudsman. Subject to the passage of legislation, it is intended that the new scheme should be implemented in 2010.
Care Homes: Manpower
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the points-based immigration system on the supply and cost of labour in the (a) care home and (b) home care sectors; and if he will make a statement; [267229]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the effect of the introduction of the points-based immigration system on the supply and cost of labour in the (a) care home and (b) home care sectors; and if he will make a statement. [267230]
Phil Hope: Following the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) recommendations announced in September 2008 the Department has been working closely with the Home Office and MAC to review the evidence in the care home and home care sectors.
Care Homes: Standards
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistical tools his Department uses to model (a) the quality of life and (b) life expectancy of elderly nursing home residents in the event of the displacement of these residents. [267315]
Phil Hope: The Department does not model the quality of life or the life expectancy of residents in care homes in the event of their displacement from a care home.
All care homes are regulated by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) in accordance with statutory regulations and national minimum standards to ensure residents receive good quality and safe care. CSCI does not separately consider the quality of life and life expectancy of people who have changed care homes.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Eastbourne of 27 November 2007, Official Report, column 416W, on care homes: standards, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report on the review of the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care. [267823]
Phil Hope: The review of the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care is ongoing. The revised Framework and support tools will be published later this year.
Chlamydia
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much on average it has cost the NHS to perform a Chlamydia test in (a) genito-urinary medicine clinics, (b) GP surgeries and (c) pharmacies in each of the last five years. [266644]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on the costs to the national health service of Chlamydia testing in genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics, general practitioner (GP) surgeries and pharmacies is not available centrally.
In GUM, Chlamydia testing is routinely undertaken as part of a broader sexual health screen. In 2009-10, GUM clinics will attract the national tariff payment of £139 for each first attendance and £86 of £119 for any follow up attendance depending on the clinical complexity.
For Chlamydia screening within the National Chlamydia Screening programme (NCSP), in an article “Modelling the healthcare costs of an opportunistic chlamydia screening programme” published in the Sexually Transmitted Infection Journal on 1 April 2004, average estimates costs based on the pilot screening model in general practices and contraceptive and sexual health services are as follows:
for those screened and not infected (the majority of those screened): £18-£25;
for those screened and infected (includes costs of treatment and initiation of partner notification): £34-£42; and
for partner treatment: £24-£30.
A copy of the article has been placed in the Library.
In a further article, “The health care and patient costs of an proactive Chlamydia screening programme: the Chlamydia Screening Studies (ClaSS) project”, published in the British Medical Journal online, 17 January 2007 came up with similar costings. A copy of the publication has been placed in the Library.
The NCSP is currently reviewing costing of Chlamydia screening in the community and developing appropriate tariffs, in collaboration with the contraceptive and integrated sexual health services tariff development group.
Different variations of Chlamydia screening pathways are being costed: in Contraceptive and Integrated Sexual Health Services, in general practices, in pharmacies, mail outs and postal Chlamydia screening kit. This review will be completed later this year.
Clinical Trials: EU Law
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the EU Clinical Trials Directive on medical research activity in England; and if he will make a statement. [265549]
Dawn Primarolo: The Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004 transpose the provisions of the EU Clinical Trials Directive into United Kingdom law. UK stakeholders were widely consulted before implementation and continue to provide feedback.
The pharmaceutical industry has consistently confirmed that it is content with the broad thrust of the Directive, and that it reinforces systems and practices to which it already conforms. In collaboration with partners in the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, including research charities, the Medical Research Council and universities, the government is in dialogue with the research community about further opportunities to reduce the burden of regulation, taking account of risk. Departmental officials have arranged a workshop on dismantling barriers to clinical research for 30 April 2009.
The challenges to medical research arise only in part from the implementation of the Directive. In 2006, the Government published a comprehensive health research strategy Best Research for Best Health setting out a range of measures to transform the health research environment. These measures have begun to take effect. A copy of the strategy has already been placed in the Library.
A UK-wide regulatory and governance advice service now gives researchers free access to expert advice regulation. Research ethics committees are now organised in a national research ethics service which facilitates and promotes ethical research by maintain a consistent UK-wide system of ethical review. An integrated research application system now offers a single point from which to apply for permissions and approvals for health and care research in the UK, enabling researchers to enter the information about their project once instead of duplicating information in separate application forms. The National Institute for Health Research coordinated system for gaining National Health Service permission will standardise
and streamline the process for gaining NHS permission in England. These measures are reducing approval times and bureaucracy
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency publishes information monthly and in its annual report on the number of applications for clinical trials of medicines in the UK. The data show that the total numbers of clinical trials in the UK have remained stable since the implementation of the Directive. There are 3,000 trials currently active in the UK of which some 25 per cent. are from non-commercial sponsors, the highest figure in the European Union.
Representatives of many UK stakeholders contributed to a European Commission conference in October 2007 on the operation of the clinical trials directive and perspectives for the future. The conference identified the perceived benefits and difficulties and made a number of recommendations for change. The Commission has since announced it will make an assessment of the application of the Directive with a view to making legislative proposals by 2010.
Dementia: Sight Impaired
Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people with dementia who have an undetected visual problem; [268002]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people with dementia and serious sight loss. [268006]
Phil Hope: The Department does not have information on the number of people with dementia who have an undetected visual problem or serious sight loss.
Dental Services
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the funding allocation for dentistry is in each primary care trust area in each of the next two years. [267747]
Ann Keen: This information is not yet available.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NHS Information Centre plans to publish information on the number of patients seen by dentists in each primary care trust area; when the information was first scheduled for publication; what the reasons are for the time taken to publish these data; and if he will make a statement. [267887]
Ann Keen: The latest figures published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care on the number of patients seen by a national health service dentist in each primary care trust (PCT) were released on 26 February 2009. These were included within the ‘NHS Dental Statistics for England, Quarter 2: 30 September 2008’ report.
Patients seen information by PCT is available in Table Dl of Annex 3 of the above report. The latest period that they contained data for was the 24-month period ending 30 September 2008.
This report has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
Patients seen information is published quarterly. The NHS Information Centre expects to publish the next patients seen information on 21 May 2009. This publication will contain information on patients seen by an NHS dentist in the 24-month period ending 31 December 2008.
Sub-national information on patients seen was not published on 21 August 2008 as part of the end of year ‘NHS Dental Statistics for England 2007/08’ report due to concerns over the allocation of patients to PCTs across the various quarters. These concerns were examined by the NHS Information Centre in consultation with the NHS Dental Services of the NHS Business Services Authority and were addressed by the inclusion of additional technical information to enhance interpretation of the patient seen measure in the ‘NHS Dental Statistics for England, Quarter 1: 30 June 2008’ report, published on 27 November 2008. This report contained sub-national information on the numbers of patients seen for the 24-month period ending 30 June 2008 as usual, and also included the information for the 24-month period 31 March 2008, originally omitted from the 2007-08 end of year report.
This report has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
Dental Services: Registration
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria he takes into account in determining approval for the registration (a) fees and (b) requirements for dental care professionals proposed by the General Dental Council. [267244]
Ann Keen: The General Dental Council (GDC) is responsible for setting its fees. The Department has no role in approving either fees or related registration requirements for dental care professionals proposed by the GDC.
Departmental Buildings
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what buildings are owned or operated by his Department under a private finance initiative (PFI) arrangement; and which companies are involved with each such PFI arrangement. [267411]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department operates in two buildings that are under a private finance initiative (PFI) arrangement but is not the major occupier in either building. The Department operates in these buildings under a Memorandum of Terms of Occupation (MOTO) with the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs.
A wider list of non-centrally procured schemes is at:
Dietary Supplements: EU Law
Mike Penning:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely effect of setting levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements under Article 5 of the Food Supplements
Directive on the number of independent health food retailers in the UK; and what recent representations he has received from (a) right hon. and hon. Members and (b) others about the effects of this legislation on UK businesses and consumers. [267684]
Dawn Primarolo: No specific levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements have yet been proposed by the European Commission or discussed in Commission working group meetings with member states. In the absence of specific levels, it is not possible to assess the effect on independent health food retailers in the United Kingdom.
We have received representations from right hon. and hon. Members, the food supplements industry and consumers about the effects of setting levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements, in the form of correspondence and in meetings.
The Government continue to work with the food supplements industry in exploring approaches to assess the impact of levels, when they are proposed, on UK businesses and consumer choice and to ensure that any impact on small and medium enterprises is considered fully.
Doctors: Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS doctors are suspended; and for how long each has been suspended. [268097]
Ann Keen: Information relating to the number of doctors who are currently suspended, and for how long, is not collected centrally.
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