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2 Apr 2009 : Column 1486W—continued
NHS: Civil Proceedings
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to reduce the amount of money available to the NHS in respect of legal actions. [268733]
Ann Keen:
The Department has not issued guidance to primary care trusts on their expenditure on legal proceedings. Lord Justice Jackson is currently undertaking
a review of the costs of civil litigation to ensure that they are appropriate and we will consider the results of the review when they are published later this year.
NHS: Finance
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of follow-up care for procedures carried out (a) privately and (b) abroad in the latest period for which figures are available. [268408]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not collect the information requested. Some national health service organisations may collect this data at a local level, so the hon. Member may wish to approach them for further information.
NHS: North Yorkshire
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the (a) target and (b) actual allocation for North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust is in 2009-10; [268631]
(2) if he will estimate the allocation to North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust in 2008-09 under the terms of the funding formula adopted for 2009-10. [268634]
Mr. Bradshaw: The target allocation for the North Yorkshire and York primary care trust (PCT) for 2009-10, as determined by the weighted capitation formula is £1,103 million. The actual allocation the PCT will receive in 2009-10 is £1,077 million. The North Yorkshire and York PCT will be 2.4 per cent. under target in 2010-11.
The funding formula is used to determine PCTs’ target allocations. Actual allocations to PCTs depend also on pace of change policy—how additional funding is distributed to move PCTs towards their target allocations. It is therefore not possible to say what actual allocations would have been in 2008-09 under the terms of the funding formula adopted in 2009-10.
NHS: Professional Discretion
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review each directive which have been issued by his Department to (a) primary care trusts, (b) NHS hospital trusts, (c) other NHS trusts and (d) strategic health authorities and remains in force in order to establish the scope for extending professional discretion. [265597]
Ann Keen: The Government’s strategy for empowering national health service staff, giving them the freedom to use their talents to drive up quality, was set out in the final report of the NHS Next Stage Review, High Quality Care for All, published last summer. The measures set out in the report are now being taken forward in discussion with the service.
Obesity
Mr. Austin Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect on the
Government's obesity reduction strategy of the inclusion of specially-formulated, very low diet products within the category of foods which are liable for value added tax at the standard rate; and if he will make a statement. [268217]
Dawn Primarolo: The Secretary of State for Health has regular discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. All taxes are kept under review and are a matter for the Chancellor.
Obesity: Surgery
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what designated centres for obesity surgery have been approved by the NHS's specialised commissioning groups in (a) the West Midlands, (b) London, (c) East of England, (d) the North East, (e) the North West, (f) South Central, (g) the South East Coast, (h) the South West, (i) Yorkshire and Humber and (j) the East Midlands. [268067]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not collect this data.
Pests
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of (a) collecting information on pest vectors and (b) developing capacity to identify pest-related risks in the urban environment. [268193]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department considers that there is merit in a 'risk-based' approach to gathering information on pest vectors, and we have in place in England (and across the United Kingdom) the necessary capability to identify and assess the risks posed by pest vectors in the urban environment, together with the appropriate infrastructure and capacity for a coordinated approach to the control and management of such risks.
Pregnancy: Costs
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost to the NHS was of providing services to expectant mothers aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 years or over throughout their pregnancies in the latest period for which figures are available. [268590]
Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 March 2009, Official Report, column 1027W.
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what conditions provide grounds for exemption from prescription charges; when the list of such conditions was (a) first established and (b) last revised; and whether he expects further revisions to be made to the list in 2009. [267074]
Dawn Primarolo:
The original list of medical conditions that give exemption from prescription charges was introduced in 1968. Treatment for cancer has been inserted into the regulations as a new condition entitling
people to exemption from prescription charges; this amendment will come into force on 1 April 2009. Otherwise, the qualifying criteria for medical exemptions has not been revised since 1968. This fulfils the Prime Minister's commitment that cancer patients would be exempted from prescription charges from 2009.
The Government have also set out their intention to abolish prescription charges for people with long term conditions over the next few years. The President of the Royal College of Physicians (Professor Ian Gilmore) has been asked to carry out a review of prescription charges that will consider how to implement this commitment. The review is due to reports its recommendations to departmental Ministers in summer 2009.
Pressure Sores
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many recorded complaints about pressure sores were made to (a) hospitals, (b) primary care trusts and (c) strategic health authorities in each of the last five years. [268813]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
Primary Care Trusts: Manpower
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average staff-to-patient ratio in primary care trusts is; and what the ratio is for Wirral Primary Care Trust. [268352]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
Sexually Transmitted Infections: Hillingdon
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with each category of sexually-transmitted infection in the London Borough of Hillingdon in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [268587]
Dawn Primarolo: The data are not available in the format requested. Data are only available on the number of diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics and only available by strategic health authority (SHA). The following table gives the number of diagnoses of new STIs in GUM in the London SHA between 2003 and 2007, the latest year for which figures are available.
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Notes: 1. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are for diagnoses made in GUM clinics only. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the KC60 dataset. 2. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed. 3. The information provided has been adjusted for missing clinic data. 4. Data are unavailable for 2008. Source: Health Protection Agency, KC60 returns. | |||||
In addition to STIs diagnosed in a GUM clinic, the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) provides Chlamydia screening to asymptomatic people under the age of 25 years in England. The NCSP was launched in 2003, when a phased implementation started. The following table shows the number of diagnoses made of Chlamydia in patients between the ages of 15-24 years between April 2003 and December 2008 in London SHA and Hillingdon PCT.
| Area | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| (1) Cell size of 1 to 4 has been masked to protect deductive disclosure in accordance with Office for National Statistics guidelines. Notes: 1. The NCSP has been phased in since 2003 with all 152 PCTs reporting data to the programme since March 2008. Therefore note that number of diagnoses have risen substantially as an increasing proportion of the target population have been tested. 2. NSCP data are presented by PCT of residence. 3. The data from the NCSP Core Dataset are for Chlamydia screens conducted within the NCSP outside of GUM clinics only. 4. The data available from the NCSP are the number of diagnoses made and not the number of patients diagnosed. 5. Data includes Chlamydia tests for males, females and those with unknown/unspecified sex. 6. Data presented are based on tests with confirmed positive diagnoses only. Source: National Chlamydia Screening Programme Core Dataset. | ||||||
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus was in the last 12 months. [267575]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
Thalidomide: Disability Aids
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people affected adversely by thalidomide have been provided with assistance dogs. [268191]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally. Assistance dogs for the disabled are provided through voluntary sector organisations.
Tuberculosis: Health Services
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission an independent external assessment of NHS strategy in respect of services for the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis. [268071]
Dawn Primarolo: The Chief Medical Officer's Action Plan for tuberculosis (TB) was launched in October 2004, and the Department published a Toolkit in June 2007 to help the national health service to implement the key points of the action plan through effective commissioning and delivery of services, and this was backed up with a series of regional workshops for commissioners, public health professionals and clinical staff. The Toolkit recommends that TB services should always follow the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines, published in March 2006, when treating patients. As an independent body, NICE reviewed available evidence to make recommendations on best clinical practice.
The Healthcare Commission (Care Quality Commission from 1 April 2009) is an independent body which assesses how the NHS implements delivery of services, including TB services, and whether best clinical practice as set out by NICE, is followed, as part of its Annual Health Check of NHS organisations. Changes in TB services in the NHS will take time to come into operation and it is too early to assess the impact of the action plan or whether the targets are being achieved.
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place for the monitoring and evaluation of services provided for the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB); and what steps are taken when primary care trusts do not provide adequate TB services. [268168]
Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published their clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis (TB), and measures for its prevention and control, in March 2006. The Department published a Toolkit in June 2007 to help the national health service to implement the key points of the Chief Medical Officer's Action Plan “Stopping Tuberculosis in England” (October 2004) through effective commissioning and delivery of services. A copy of the plan has been placed in the Library. The Toolkit also recommends that TB services should always follow the NICE clinical guidelines when diagnosing and treating patients with TB.
The Healthcare Commission (Care Quality Commission from 1 April 2009), as part of its Annual Health Check of NHS organisations, monitors the implementation of NICE guidelines and assesses how the NHS implements delivery of services, including TB services. The organisation and running of local services are matters for local NHS management. Primary care trusts are responsible for procuring TB services to fit their local demography and incidence of TB in their area, and ensuring that those standards are monitored, met and reviewed as part of the commissioning process.
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