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3 Nov 2009 : Column 910W—continued
Breast Cancer: Screening
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the NHS is making on the provision of breast screening for women in Hendon constituency; and if he will make a statement. [296588]
Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally. It is for local national health service organisations to plan, develop and improve services for local people.
Nationally, breast screening is provided every three years for all women in England aged 50 and over. Currently, women aged between 50 to 70 years are invited routinely and women over the age of 70 can request free three-yearly screening.
In September 2007, the Department announced proposals to extend the age range of women eligible for routine breast screening to women between the ages of 47 and 73 years by 2012. As a result, around 400,000 more women will be screened each year.
"The Cancer Reform Strategy", published in 2007 (a copy of which has already been placed in the Library), is supporting the roll out of digital mammography for breast screening, an x-ray examination of the breasts, which can show breast cancers at an early stage. For the roll out approximately £120 million has been allocated to NHS trusts as part of the wider capital funding. They must ensure that all breast screening units have at least one full-field digital mammography set by 2010.
Cancer
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of (a) the symptoms of various forms of cancer and (b) the practice of regular self-examination for such symptoms. [296493]
Ann Keen: Through the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, we are raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer among healthcare professionals and the general public, and encouraging those people with symptoms that may be cancer to seek advice as early as possible. This work includes developing key messages on a number of cancers, carrying out a baseline national cancer symptom awareness survey, commissioning an audit of cancer diagnoses in primary care, and providing funding for a number of cancer awareness campaigns.
As part of the Initiative, almost £5 million has been allocated to the national health service to support cancer networks and primary care trusts in implementing local services that will improve awareness of cancers and promote early diagnosis.
We do not promote the practice of routine self-examination for cancer symptoms as people's bodies, particularly women's, can feel different at different times. However, it is important that people are aware of their bodies and what is normal for them, and that they report any changes as early and as soon as possible. We have collaborated with Cancer Research UK to produce a breast awareness leaflet, Be Breast Aware, and a testicular cancer leaflet, "Detecting Testicular Cancer -Spot the Symptoms Early."
Childbirth
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate of induced births was at each maternity unit in the NHS in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [296611]
Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested. Tables which show delivery episodes where there was an induced labour in national health service hospitals, broken down by type of induced labour, hospital provider and trust, for the years 2006-07 to 2008-09, have been placed in the Library.
Dental Services
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the new draft dental access contract was discussed with (a) representative bodies and (b) dental stakeholders before it was passed by his Department to primary care trusts; [296457]
(2) what timetable his Department has set for piloting the new draft dental access contract; and what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of those pilots. [296460]
Ann Keen: The Department's Dental Access Programme has been working with the national health service to increase patient access to NHS dentistry. As part of this it has been developing a contract template, based on the existing personal dental services (PDS) regulations to help primary care trusts (PCTs) to tender for new dental services in their area. The template, which is designed to be adaptable to local needs, includes a number of optional schedules for PCTs to choose what is best for their local circumstances. It is not a new contract: all of it is within the current PDS regulations. Its use is optional for PCTs, many of which are developing their own contracts, using the existing flexibilities within the regulations.
The template, which is still being finalised, is intended to set out more clearly existing requirements, which might, at present, be in a number of documents, and to focus more clearly on quality of dental services, as well as volumes of activity. To ensure this is transparent and helpful we have been discussing the template with a wide range of interested parties including PCTs, the British Dental Association (BDA), and dental services providers, as well as Professor Jimmy Steele and his Independent Review team.
A series of detailed meetings has taken place with the BDA-which has been engaged from the outset of the Dental Access Programme with presentations at the national provider workshops and attendance at regional strategic health authority/PCT workshops.
Two national workshops for potential providers were held, in Manchester and London on 27 and 28 April 2009 respectively, to discuss the Department's plans for the development of the PDS Agreement and to take feedback from providers. The national workshops were followed by more focused meetings with a broad range of providers to discuss developments on the contract. Over 40 meetings have so far taken place.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to primary care trusts on the use of the new draft dental access contract as a basis for contractual discussions with prospective practitioners in (a) existing and (b) new practices. [296458]
Ann Keen:
The contract template developed for the Dental Access Programme is intended to be available to primary care trusts (PCTs) to use for new procurements of new national health service dental services, if they wish. Comprehensive guidance, including several user guides (covering the contract provisions, insurance, pensions, premises etc.), will be provided for commissioning PCTs when the template is finalised. In addition, a series of workshops will be held regionally for strategic health authorities and PCTs, and e-mail/telephone technical
support will be provided. The full programme of workshops and support available to PCTs will be confirmed when the template has been finalised.
The Department is also planning regional workshops for interested providers to inform them of the developments made to the Personal Dental Services Agreement and to provide introductory information on procurement process-including information about how they can bid for new services.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what timetable his Department has set for public consultation on the new draft dental access contract; [296459]
(2) what form the (a) pilot and (b) public consultation on the new draft dental access contract will take; [296461]
(3) in what ways the new draft dental access contract programme takes account of the recommendations made in the report on the Independent Review of NHS Dentistry. [296465]
Ann Keen: There is no new dental access contract. The contract template currently being developed by the Dental Access Programme is designed to be adaptable, and includes a number of optional schedules for primary care trusts (PCTs) to consider, based on what is best for their local circumstances. The template is within the current Personal Dental Services (PDS) regulations and Statement of Financial Entitlements. Its use is optional for PCTs, many of whom are developing their own contracts, using the existing flexibilities within the regulations.
We intend, however, to use some of the contracts that PCTs will let using the new templates, to pilot aspects of improved quality and access, which were set out in the independent Steele Review of national health service dentistry. As part of the development of the contract template, members of the Dental Access Programme have discussed the quality provisions with members of the Steele Review team.
No formal public consultation on the proposed, optional, PDS contract templates has been undertaken-nor is required. However, we have had a number of discussions with a wide range of interested parties including dentists, PCTs, and the British Dental Association over the previous six months.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date his officials commenced drafting the new draft dental access contract; and on what date this work was completed. [296462]
Ann Keen: There is no new dental access contract. As part of its work to increase access to national health service dentistry, the Department's Dental Access Programme has been developing a new contract template, which is designed to be adaptable to local needs, and is within existing Personal Dental Services Regulations.
Work on the template started in April of this year, and continues as we discuss it with interested parties. Discussions with interested parties have been ongoing since April-the British Dental Association supported the initial national provider workshops in April with presentations. We hope to finalise the template very soon.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates his officials met external organisations during the preparation of the new draft dental access contract. [296463]
Ann Keen: There is no new dental access contract. As part of its work to increase access to national health service dentistry, the Department's Dental Access Programme has been developing a new contract template, which is designed to be adaptable to local needs, and is within existing Personal Dental Services Regulations. The template documents have been discussed with a wide number of organisations and interested parties. Over 40 meetings have so far taken place.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of drafting the new draft dental access contract. [296464]
Ann Keen: No accurate estimate is possible of the costs of drafting the new optional Personal Dental Services templates as the work has formed part of a wider programme, which cannot be disaggregated.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2009, Official Report, column 101W, on dental services, if he will place in the Library a copy of the notes seen by officials of his Department in relation to the visits by the chief dental officer or his representatives to (a) maxillofacial and (b) dental hospitals which were subsequently used in the production of the report by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board on oral and maxillofacial surgery; [297659]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2009, Official Report, column 101W, on dental services, on what date each unit was visited; for what reasons each unit was selected for a visit; who the representatives of the review body were at each visit; what the role of each such representative was during the visit; in what format the data were collected in each case; and in what format the data were passed to the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board secretariat. [297660]
Ann Keen: The dates of the visits were Royal Lancaster Infirmary 4 July 2007, Great Western hospital Swindon 25 July 2007, Royal Sussex Brighton 6 November 2007, Sunderland Royal hospital 20 November 2007, Royal London 21 December 2007, Southern General Glasgow 14 January 2008. The units were selected to enable the working group to meet with service providers in departments of differing composition and serving different population needs. The original programme of visits was extended at the suggestion of working group members and contributors, to ensure that the working group saw an appropriate balance of type and size of unit.
All visits were made by selected members of the working group and secretariat whose names are given on page 3 of the report. There was no formal programme, the intention was to give the staff of the units the opportunity to present to the working group what they saw to be relevant to the review. The terms of the review did not extend to formal reporting on the visits and any notes taken are not in an appropriate format for placing in the Library. The overall findings, as summarised in the report, were that there should be no change to the
current statutory requirement for those training in oral maxillofacial surgery to obtain primary qualifications in both medicine and dentistry but that there should be a separate review of the specialty of oral surgery. This review is now underway.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme relating to his Department; and what training is available to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in respect of the delivery of value for money savings. [296053]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Following publication of the Operational Efficiency Programme, I have been appointed as the Department's Value for Money Minister. The Department is working with Her Majesty's Treasury and other delivery partners to implement the recommendations of the Operational Efficiency Programme. There are a wide range of learning and development opportunities available for both Ministers and officials in the Department, many of which contribute towards the more effective delivery of value for money.
Doctors: Sports
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultant physician posts in sport and exercise medicine have been created in the NHS in the last three years. [295501]
Ann Keen: Sport and exercise medicine is a new medical specialty, established in 2006, when four posts were created and identified on the national health service work force census. It is not possible to say whether further posts have been created that have not been filled as this information is not collected centrally.
The following table gives the number of sport and exercise consultants in the last three years.
| Headcount | |
On average it can take between three and five years of full-time specialist training in a defined programme before a doctor can be appointed as a consultant in sport and exercise medicine (SEM). Doctors with sports medicine experience are not all going to be consultants in SEM.
Down's Syndrome
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of provision of healthcare services for those with Down's Syndrome; and what recent research his Department has evaluated on the incidence of Down's Syndrome. [296806]
Phil Hope:
The Department does not single out any condition when raising awareness around learning disability, although the Department recognises the excellent awareness
work carried out by third sector groups, which support people with Down's Syndrome and their families.
"Valuing People Now", published in January 2009 is a strategy that addresses people with learning disabilities having control over their lives and services, including what people do during the day, how they can be supported to access jobs, housing, better healthcare, and making sure that change happens.
The Department funds the Congenital Anomaly Register for Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire (CAROBB). CAROBB is based at the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, and collects information, including incidence data, on Down's Syndrome and other congenital anomalies. Further details, including CAROBB's first report, can be found at:
Haemophilia
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2009, Official Report, column 900W, on haemophilia, what assessment his Department has made of the pathogenic effect of multiple virus exposure on haemophiliacs; and if he will make a statement. [296896]
Gillian Merron: The Department has made no such assessment. However, the UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors Organisation ensures that all relevant tests and assessment for transfusion-transmitted infections are offered to haemophilia patients.
Health Services: Young Offender Institutions
Mr. Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent (a) in total and (b) per inmate on healthcare for inmates of young offender institutions in 2008-09. [296971]
Phil Hope: In 2008-09 healthcare allocations (including targeted mental health in-reach funding) to establishments within the young offender institutions and young person estate totalled £29,108,000.
Based on an operational capacity of 8,186 for the dedicated young offender institutions and young person's estate as at January 2009, this equates to per place cost of £4,685.
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