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19 May 2009 : Column 1372W—continued
Blood
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect on blood supplies of implementing the recommendations contained within the Archer Report on levels of contaminated blood supplies; and if he will make a statement. [276385]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has given careful consideration to the recommendations contained in Lord Archer’s report. We expect to publish the Government response to Lord Archer’s report by the end of May.
Bowel Cancer: Screening
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what programmes his Department has for screening for bowel cancer; what estimates he has made of the cost of operating such programmes in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many people were screened for bowel cancer during that period. [276414]
Ann Keen: The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is co-ordinated by NHS Cancer Screening Programmes (NHSCSP) with funding and policy guidance from the Department. The NHSCSP developed the structure of the screening programme, comprising five regional programme hubs responsible for call and recall, laboratory processing of test kits, and the booking of clinic appointments. Each hub links to a number of screening centres within its region responsible for providing colonoscopy services to those with an abnormal screening result.
The first screening centre commenced operation in July 2006. As at 15 May 2009, there are 47 screening centres in operation across England, covering approximately 83 per cent. of the eligible population. The programme costs £1.40 per head of the total population per year. The structure of the programme has developed as planned and full roll out of the programme across the country is expected by the end of 2009.
From 27 April 2008 to 26 April 2009, 2,238,193 invitations for bowel screening were sent. For the same period, 2,159,497 kits were issued and 1,277,519 kits were returned.
Dental Services
Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2009, Official Report, columns 932-33W, on dental services, what form the consultations referred to took; and when those consultations took place. [275993]
Ann Keen: Barry Cockcroft the Chief Dental Officer wrote to all stakeholders quoted in the previous reply with a draft of the General Dental Services (GDS) Statement of Financial Entitlement (SFE) on 2 October 2008. The Department met the British Dental Association (BDA) on 11 November to discuss the proposed changes and incorporated the points raised by the BDA in the GDS SFE, which came into force on 1 April 2009.
Dental Services: Pay
Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2009, Official Report, column 932W, on dental services, what consultation on the dental services statement of financial entitlement took place subsequent to the publication of the 38th Report of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration, Cm 7579. [276509]
Ann Keen: Following consultation on the content of the General Dental Services Statement of Financial Entitlements and subsequent to the publication of the 38(th) Report of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration, Cm 7579, representatives of the British Dental Association were consulted and agreed the uprated figures at a meeting on 31 March 2009, prior to the signing of the directions.
Drugs: Rehabilitation
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under the age of 16 years sought treatment for the effects of cannabis use in (a) North West Cambridgeshire, (b) Cambridgeshire, (c) the East of England and (d) England in each of the last five years. [275919]
Dawn Primarolo: Data on those seeking treatment for drug use are not collected centrally. Data on those in treatment is collected and the following tables give figures for under 16-year-olds in treatment for cannabis, both for primary and adjunctive use, for England only, the East of England and Cambridgeshire. North West Cambridgeshire is not separately identifiable.
The increase in the numbers of young people in treatment for drugs (primarily cannabis) reflects both the growth in treatment services for young people, and our success in getting more young people into treatment, rather than any increase in the actual incidence of substance misuse.
| Primary | Adjunctive | |
| (1) Used to suppress figures < 5 Notes: 1. If a client starts the year already in treatment, age is taken at 1 April, if they begin treatment during the year, age is taken at triage. 2. Figures are provided for primary use (the substance that brought the client into treatment) and adjunctive use (a substance additional to the primary drug used by the client). | ||
National data capture on under-18s did not begin until April 2005.
Epilepsy
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of arrangements for pre-conception counselling for women with epilepsy. [275874]
Ann Keen: Pregnancy should be planned with expert care and support from an epilepsy specialist. Preconception counselling will include discussion of:
the importance of healthy eating and taking 5mg of folic acid a day;
the possibility of early screening for foetal abnormalities at nine weeks of pregnancy rather than 12;
whether to continue to take anti-epileptic drugs; and
what the risk of the medication is to the baby.
One of the main reasons to have preconception counselling is to have the best possible treatment. Detailed advice on epilepsy and pregnancy is available on the NHS Choices website at:
Influenza: Vaccination
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of units of anti-influenza vaccines other than those prepared against swine influenza which will be available for distribution in the winter of 2009. [275946]
Dawn Primarolo: Based on current information, approximately 14 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine will be available for winter 2009-10, which is similar to the number of doses available last year. This information refers to the United Kingdom.
Khat
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) teenagers and (b) others have been treated by the NHS for addiction to khat in each of the last five years; [276246]
(2) how many (a) teenagers and (b) others were admitted to NHS psychiatric units for mental health disorders associated with khat usage in each of the last 15 years. [276247]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Maternity Services
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of provision of maternity services in (a) St Albans and (b) England. [276362]
Ann Keen: In July 2008, the Healthcare Commission published ‘Towards better births, a review of maternity services in England’ which assessed the quality, capability and efficiency of maternity services in England.
In late 2008, an independent review of maternity services in Hertfordshire was carried out by the National Clinical Advisory Team.
NHS: Standards
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) independent and (b) internal investigations into the NHS there have been in the last (i) five years, (ii) two years and (iii) 12 months; [275126]
(2) how many (a) independent and (b) internal investigations into the NHS (i) nationally and (ii) in Leicester have found that an NHS trust has not acted with due care and attention in the last (A) five years, (B) two years and (C) 12 months. [275127]
Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected by the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Osteoglophonic Dysplasia
Mr. Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what medical research his Department has commissioned recently on methods to increase detection rates of development dysplasia of the hip in the first 12 weeks of a baby's life; [275883]
(2) how many children under the age of 10 years were diagnosed with development dysplasia of the hip in each of the last three years; [275885]
(3) what the cost to the NHS is of treating children under the age of 12 years with late-diagnosed development dysplasia of the hip. [275886]
Ann Keen: The number of children under the age of 10 years who are diagnosed with developmental dysplasia of the hip are not collected centrally.
Data relating to the specific cost to the national health service of treating children under the age of 12 years with late-diagnosed development dysplasia of the hip are not collected centrally.
The Department is not currently funding research into dysplasia of the hip in newborn children. However, there has been an Ultrasonography in the diagnosis and management of developmental hip dysplasia trial (UK Hip Trial) conducted at 33 hospitals in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland by researchers from Oxford and London Universities. This found no significant benefits in costs from screening with ultrasound rather than the Barlow and Ortolani tests used currently.
The Medical Research Council, one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research, although not currently funding any research directly relating to developmental dysplasia of the hip, is funding the UK resource of new models of bone and mineral disorders, a £1.86 million research project, which may lead to further understanding of the condition.
Starthere Scheme
Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish in full the report provided to his Department on the effectiveness of Starthere as a means of expanding access to information for people who lack internet expertise. [276162]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 18 May 2009]: The report has recently been received by departmental officials and a decision on publication will be made in due course.
Stem Cells
Hilary Armstrong: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to prevent the marketing and selling of unlicensed stem cell therapies to people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions; and if he will make a statement. [275917]
Dawn Primarolo: Within the United Kingdom, any use of an unlicensed stem cell medicinal product requires the approval of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Organisations involved in collection, processing and storage of stem cells must also have a license from the Human Tissue Authority.
The Department is aware of a growing number of unlicensed and unproven stem cell products that are being marketed from overseas. Regrettably, such marketing falls outside the jurisdiction of the UK. The Department, NHS Choices and the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee have issued warnings and provided advice on their respective websites for anyone who may be considering such ‘treatments'.
Surgery
Norman Lamb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled for
non-clinical reasons in each strategic health authority area in each of the last three years; and what percentage of all scheduled operations this represents in each area. [276250]
Mr. Bradshaw: Data on last minute cancellations for non-clinical reasons in each strategic health authority in England are shown in the following table.
A last minute cancellation is one that occurs on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they have arrived in hospital or on the day of their operation.
The number of last minute cancellations is also included in the Care Quality Commission’s annual health check assessments.
| Number of last minute cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons | ||||||
| Number of cancelled operations | As a percentage of all elective admissions | |||||
| Area | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 to date (3 quarters) | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 to date (3 quarters) |
| Notes: 1. 2008-09 figures for quarters one to three only. Quarter four will be published on 5 June 2009. 2. Activity figures based on number of elective admissions in the year. This is an approximation to the number of operations. Source: QMCO Cancelled Operations, monthly activity return. | ||||||
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