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19 Oct 2009 : Column 1262W—continued
Local NHS organisations are best placed to determine the levels of service and resource required to meet the health needs of the local population. Therefore, the number of consultant posts likely to be available in each year is not collected centrally.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effects on the practical experience gained by medical trainees specialising in surgery of trends in the use of (a) out-of-hours lists and (b) independent sector treatment centres for routine operations. [293341]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department has not commissioned any specific research in this area but is aware, through stakeholder engagement, of issues relating to postgraduate medical training. Evidence of the impact on training of using out of hours lists and independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) is anecdotal and variable.
However, wherever training takes place, trainee doctors cannot progress through training unless they have demonstrated they are competent and have met the standards set by the competent authority, which in this case is the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board.
In 2006, the Department published its policy on training in independent sector treatment centres. This stated that any training that takes place in ISTCs will be required to meet the same standards as training in other organisations. The Department will also publish shortly the Staff Passport. This will clarify how training standards will continue to be met given the plurality of providers.
Drugs
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission a study into the impact of the parallel trade of medicines within the European Union on the supply of medicines in England. [293120]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have no plans to commission such a study. We are monitoring the situation closely and are in regular contact with pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers and pharmacy bodies.
Drugs: Counterfeit Manufacturing
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of counterfeit medicines entering the UK via a parallel trader were recorded in each month of the last two years. [293117]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: There have been no reported cases of counterfeit medicines entering the United Kingdom via a parallel trader in the last two years. The last instance was in May 2007 where four recalls were issued in respect of three specific medicines which had entered the UK market through that route.
No fatalities or serious adverse reactions have been attributed to counterfeit medicines in the UK up to now.
Hospital Wards
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) acute, (b) elderly, (c) mental health, (d) children's (e) maternity and (f) other Nightingale wards have been recorded in Estates Return Collection Information as in use in each NHS organisation in each year since 1997. [291784]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the precise format requested.
Since 2002-03, the Department has collected annual data from national health service trusts on the number of Nightingale wards in use over the reporting year, through the estates returns information collection. Since 2005-06, the data has been collected on a voluntary basis and therefore will not be complete. The available data for each year since 2002-03 has been placed in the Library.
The information provided has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended or validated centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.
Hospitals: Infectious Diseases
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's involvement in the Conference on Healthcare Associated Infection on 31 October 2008, what assessment he has made of the subsequent consensus statement; and if he will make a statement. [293874]
Ann Keen:
The Department welcomes initiatives to help reduce healthcare associated infections and was pleased to participate in the conference on 'The Relevance of Healthcare Associated Infection in Modern Surgical
Practice'. The consensus statement issued subsequently by the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain is likely to be of wide interest to the health service. The statement aims to heighten awareness of healthcare associated infections amongst national health service clinicians and managers. It also highlights the benefits of evidence based approaches, such as the care bundles used in our programme to reduce infections. It therefore makes a positive contribution to combating these infections.
Human Papilloma Virus: Vaccination
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reports of suspected adverse reactions to the (a) AHPVA021BA and (b) AHPVA024BA batch of the Cervarix vaccine have been made to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. [293279]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: As of 13 October 2009, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received 254 suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports for Cervarix vaccine with the batch number AHPVA021BA, and 129 suspected ADR reports for the batch number AHPVA024BA. It is noted that four suspected ADR reports received by MHRA related to patients who have received a Cervarix vaccination from both batches.
MHRA has not identified any safety concerns or batch defects associated with the Cervarix batch numbers AHPVA021BA and AHPVA024BA. As with any vaccine, the MHRA will continue to closely monitor the safety of Cervarix during usage in the immunisation programme and publishes regular summaries of all suspected ADR reports associated with Cervarix on its website:
McKinsey and Company
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on the report commissioned by his Department from McKinsey and Company on reducing costs. [293249]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is commercial and publishing it would raise issues of commercial confidentiality.
National Archives
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what files held by his Department have been transferred to the National Archives during each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [293285]
Phil Hope: The Department has not transferred any files to The National Archives in the last 12 months. The Department normally transfers material on an annual basis rather than monthly. The list of files being prepared for transfer have been placed in the Library.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what files held by his Department will be transferred to the National Archives during each of the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [293286]
Phil Hope: Records created by the Department during the years 1982-87 that were marked to be considered for permanent preservation are being assessed for transfer to the National Archives. The recommendations of the Department's reviewers will be considered jointly with the National Archives, and an agreed list of files for transfer will be completed. It is not possible to state at this time which files will be included in that list.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place for monitoring compliance with (a) National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines and (b) NICE technology appraisals. [293875]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: In 2008-09, national health service organisations were asked to assess themselves against a core standard that incorporates compliance with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) technology appraisals. These self-assessments were independently validated by the Care Quality Commission and showed that 95.2 per cent, of NHS organisations could provide evidence of compliance with this standard.
Clinical guidelines relate to a whole pathway of care and can make a large number of recommendations spanning all stages of care from diagnosis to treatment of a condition. In view of their complexity and because of the different states of readiness for implementation in the NHS, clinical guidelines are not subject to the same performance management assessment as NICE's technology appraisals. Compliance with NICE's clinical guidelines is a developmental standard for NHS organisations and the Government expect NHS organisations to implement them over time using available resources.
Use of NICE technology appraisals and clinical guidelines to prioritise investment and promote quality improvement is one of the ways in which primary care trusts can demonstrate progress towards becoming world class commissioners under the world class commissioning assurance framework.
NHS: Ernst and Young
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the value for money of the consultancy work provided to the NHS by Ernst and Young. [294004]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The Department has not undertaken a separate assessment of the work provided to the national health service by Ernst and Young. As part of
its ongoing drive to make the NHS accountable at a local level, the NHS constitution and the statement of NHS accountability have placed the emphasis on ensuring value for money to the boards of NHS organisations.
NHS: Finance
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on proposals from the Economic Counsellor of the IMF that reforms are required in the healthcare system to tackle the UK's budget deficit. [294005]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department has had no discussions with the IMF, who did not make specific reform proposals. The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget sets out a plan to address the Budget deficit. The implications for individual Government Departments will be set out in the next Spending Review, however the ministerial team has ongoing discussions about reforms needed to deliver best value from available national health service resources.
Oral Surgery Review Committee
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Oral Surgery Review Committee first met; what the Committee's terms of reference are; how much notice of the meeting was given to members of the Committee; who the members of the Committee are; what relevant qualifications each has; and which members (a) attended and (b) did not attend the meeting. [293157]
Ann Keen: The Oral Surgery working group first met on 23 September 2009, members were given 52 days notice of the meeting.
The group's draft terms of reference, which are yet to be finalised, are: to understand the background of how the specialty of oral surgery (OS) has developed to date and its relationship to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS);to examine the service implications of the development of the specialty of OS; to identify the needs and expectations of patients and the public; to examine the current provision of education and training in OS; to assess the cost implications of the development and commissioning of OS; to assess the availability and accessibility of specialist services in both OS and OMFS with a specific focus on how the needs of patients and the public are currently met; and to consider the implications of any recommendations made by the OS review group and their feasibility.
Details of committee members are listed in the following table, with a note of whether they attended the first meeting.
Party Conferences
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any of his Department's non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to attend one or more political party conferences in 2009. [293476]
Phil Hope: Of the Department's 10 non-departmental public bodies, only the Care Quality Commission sent representatives to the political party conferences in 2009.
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on reimbursements of No Cheaper Stock Obtainable concessions in each month between June 2008 and September 2009. [293118]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many No Cheaper Stock Obtainable applications from the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee were (a) received and (b) granted in each month between June 2008 and September 2009. [293119]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The number of No Cheaper Stock Obtainable applications received and granted in each month between June 2008 and September 2009 is shown in the following table.
| Applications received from Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee | Applications granted by the Department of Health | |
| Source: NHS Prescription Services Record of Concessions | ||
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