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2 Nov 2009 : Column 708W—continued
NHS: Drugs
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness of 25 June 2009, Official Report, columns 1119-20W, on NHS: drugs, what progress has been made in developing proposals for pilot studies to assess the demand for unfunded drugs; against what criteria sites for such pilot studies will be selected; when he expects them to commence; and if he will make a statement. [297192]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The project manager for the piloting work took up post in September 2009, and is in the process of engaging with key experts on the design of the pilots and with possible pilot sites.
Nurses
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses per 100 hospital beds there were in (a) England, (b) West Suffolk Hospital and (c) Ipswich Hospital in each year since 1999. [296172]
Ann Keen: The nurse to bed ratio has only been recorded electronically since 2001. The following table shows the number of nurses per 100 hospital beds in England, West Suffolk Hospital and Ipswich Hospital from 2001.
| National health service hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing staff in England, Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust and West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust per 100 "total available beds( 1) " as at 30 September each specified year | |||||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | ||
| (1) The 'total available beds' figure is the average daily number of open and staffed beds on wards open overnight in NHS hospitals in England. Figures are submitted annually on form KH03 by each NHS Trust and provide a summary across all hospital sites within the Trust. Notes: 1. Staff in post figures are as at 30 September. Figures are calculated against headcount. 2. Figures are rounded to one decimal place. Sources: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. Department of Health KH03. | |||||||||
Osteoporosis: Health Services
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will extend the length of the Osteoporosis Diagnosis and Prevention Scheme. [297030]
Ann Keen: This is presently being considered as part of negotiations on the 2010-11 general practitioner (GP) contract between NHS Employers and the GPs' Committee of the British Medical Association.
Patients: Human Rights
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress (a) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals, (b) Northwick Park Hospital and (c) the Royal Free Hospital have made towards fulfilment of their statutory duties in respect of the human rights of their patients; and if he will make a statement. [296599]
Phil Hope: We are advised by the London Strategic Health Authority that Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust have human rights policies in place.
"The NHS Constitution", published in January 2009, has established the principles and values of the national health service in England. A copy has already been placed in the Library. It makes it clear that NHS organisations have a duty to each and every individual that they serve and must respect their human rights.
Pharmacy: Greater London
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2009, Official Report, column 352W, on pharmacy, what assessment he has made of (a) the effectiveness of the use of essential small pharmacy local pharmaceutical services contracts in London and (b) the adequacy of support provided to pharmacies in London that fail to reach their prescription item threshold. [296249]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: It is for primary care trusts to assess what arrangements are required to ensure the proper and sufficient provision of drugs and medicines within their areas and the Department would not, therefore, undertake any such assessment.
Social Workers
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many social workers there were in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last 10 years. [296347]
Phil Hope: The number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) social workers employed directly by social services departments in England and the Tees Valley as at the 30 September each year from 1999 to 2008 is shown in the following table.
Information is collected by councils with social services responsibilities and is not available at constituency level. Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency covers part of Middlesbrough unitary authority and part of Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority. Tees Valley includes the following councils: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees.
| Number of social workers( 1) employed directly by social services departments( 2 ) in England and the Tees Valley 1999-2008( 3) | ||||||||||
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002( 4) | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| (1) Children's and adult social workers using the definition as used for the performance indicators which formed part of the Performance Assessment Framework (PAF). (2) The information supplied is the number of social workers employed by social services departments in England and does not include agency staff. (3) As at 30 September each year. (4) Information for Stockton-on-Tees in 2002 is not available and so data for 2001 has been used as a proxy to calculate Tees Valley and England figures, this matches the Department of Health publication of this data. | ||||||||||
Swine Flu: Pregnancy
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has assessed on the safety of the swine influenza vaccine to pregnant women and unborn children. [296125]
Gillian Merron: It is the role of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency to review all the available clinical and pre-clinical data for the swine flu vaccines and to assess their safety and immunogenicity.
Both Pandemrix and Celvapan, the swine flu vaccines used in the United Kingdom, have been licensed by the European Commission for use by pregnant women.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust: Bullying
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken in response to the allegation of bullying and harassment by NHS East Midlands staff in respect of senior management at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust. [295397]
Phil Hope: Following public allegations of bullying and harassment against the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority (SHA), David Nicholson, national health service chief executive asked an extremely experienced and senior former manager from the NHS to undertake an independent review of these allegations. On 28 October 2009, the Department released the review's findings and David Nicholson's response. They are available at:
Copies of both documents have been placed in the Library.
The independent review found no evidence in the allegations of bullying or harassment of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust by the East Midlands SHA. The NHS Constitution has set out the right for staff to have healthy and safe working conditions, one which has no place for bullying, harassment or discrimination. The NHS has taken strong steps to eliminate bullying and harassment in the workplace and all NHS employers are expected to have policies and procedures in place to tackle this.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to reply to Question 291712, on the percentage of women giving birth at home, tabled on 9 October 2009. [297541]
Angela E. Smith: I have been asked to reply.
Question 291712 has been answered today. I apologise for the delay in replying which was due to an administrative oversight.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when she plans to reply to questions (a) 291792 and (b) 291793, on numbers of live births, tabled on 9 October 2009. [297542]
Angela E. Smith: Questions 291792 and 291793 have been answered today. I apologise for the delay in replying which was due to an administrative oversight.
Cabinet Office
Cancer
Mr. Hepburn:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were diagnosed with (a) breast
cancer and (b) other cancers in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 1997. [296144]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
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