| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
30 Nov 2009 : Column 544W—continued
Obesity
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward plans to extend Change4Life to include adults; and if he will make a statement. [301145]
Gillian Merron: In the "Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives, One Year On" report (published April 2009) a commitment was made to extend Change4Life activity to reach at risk adults within the next 12 months.
We are planning to launch the campaign for adults in February 2010.
Obesity: Health Services
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many specialist weight management services there are in England; [301139]
(2) what recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of specialist obesity services in England; [301140]
(3) what the average waiting time was for referral to a specialist weight management service in the latest period for which figures are available. [301141]
Gillian Merron: The Department does not hold information on the number of specialist weight management service providers, nor the average waiting time for patients who are referred to a specialist weight management service. It is up to primary care trusts (PCTs) to commission weight management services according to their local needs.
The Department has not undertaken a formal assessment of specialist obesity services. However, earlier this year we produced a list of nine pre-qualified providers to help PCTs procure child weight management services. As part of this process, providers were assessed against agreed criteria. These providers cover a range of areas across England.
In addition, we would expect PCTs to ensure that all weight management services that PCTs commission are compliant with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children.
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Clinical Guideline 43: Obesity; and what support has been provided to assist (a) practitioners and (b) commissioners in implementing the guideline. [301142]
Gillian Merron: Compliance with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines is a developmental standard for national health service organisations and they are expected to work towards their full implementation over time using available resources. NICE has published a range of tools to support implementation of its clinical guideline on obesity including a commissioning guide on bariatric surgery and a costing tool to better assess the cost to implement the guidance locally.
As part of the implementation of our obesity strategy we have published several documents to assist both practitioners and commissioners to prevent and manage obesity. This includes "Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: Child Weight Management Programme and Training Providers Framework"; "Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A toolkit for developing local strategies"; and "Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: Commissioning Weight Management Services for Children and Young People". These publications have been placed in the Library.
These publications refer to the NICE guidelines, so that people who are involved in developing strategies to prevent and manage obesity are aware of available guidelines in this area.
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations Ministers in his Department have had from organisations on obesity policy and treatment in the last three years. [301143]
Gillian Merron: In the past three years, Ministers have received numerous pieces of correspondence on obesity policy and treatment from a range of organisations which include primary care trusts, local authorities, supermarkets, food manufacturers, trade associations, charities, non-government organisations, weight management providers, and academic institutions.
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which obesity and weight management services Ministers in his Department have visited in the last three years. [301144]
Gillian Merron: Obesity and weight management are priorities that the Secretary of State for Health (SofS) and the Minister for Public Health cover.
Following is a list of obesity and weight management services that SofS and MS(PH) have visited between 25 November 2006 and 27 November 2009:
Secretary of State for Health (SofS)
MEND programme, Sobelle Leisure Centre, Islington-to see the delivery of the MEND programme
Grassroots-Community Food Enterprise (CFE), Community Centre, London-Change for Life visit involved filming SofS outside mobile food store and meeting some volunteers.
Minister of State for Public Health MS(PH)
Sure Start Centre, Jacqueline Du Pre Court Sheltered Housing Accommodation, Brighton-viewed Active for Life sessions in action, met residents and local workers and spoke to participants at an Active for Life Yoga Session.
Weight Management Programme, Ropewalks GP Practice, Liverpool-met staff and participants, met with family participating in programme.
Obesity in Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University Sport and Exercise Centre-met staff and participants.
The Kids Cookery School, London-tour of premises, met Hammersmith PCT Nutritional Consultant and toured school facilities.
Stourbridge Health and Social Care Centre, West Midlands-met with representatives from all organisations involved in centre; met healthy eating, stop smoking and physical activity teams.
Weight Management Clinic, Brickfields Sports Centre, Devonport-met with patients beginning weight management programme; staff engagement, met with patients and staff to discuss public health issues.
Ashton Gate Primary School Kellogg's Breakfast Club, Bristol-part of the Change for Life campaign-met with staff and teachers that hold and attend the breakfast club.
Pompey Study and Beneficial Centre, Portsmouth-met the Portsmouth Health Trainers and the children involved in "Kick-start Health' activities relating to healthy eating.
Royal Surrey County Hospital, Surrey-visited the DAFNE (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating) diet course for people with type 1 diabetes and talk about the trust's obesity service bid.
Cycling town/city-Cycle path scheme, Southend-visited three services: a cycle path scheme outside Southend High School. The scheme is an example of how Southend is encouraging cycling by creating a network of cycle paths; Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust-Cycling initiatives-short tour to demonstrate the planned increase in the number of cycle spaces; and Earls Hall School-Bike it scheme-Bikeability scheme Level 1 demonstration and Go ride demonstration.
Community School in Swindon to visit MEND, (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition... Do It!), 7 to 13-year-old child and family weight management programme. To meet Emma Creighton the Swindon MEND programme manager, who will talk about the MEND programme and introduce the Minister to MEND staff and families taking part in the course.
Patients: Per Capita Costs
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the net expenditure per 100,000 unified weighted population was for each primary care trust on treatment for (a) cancer and tumours and (b) mental health in each year since 2003-04. [302479]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients who applied for free prescriptions in the last 12 months specified cancer on their claim for an exemption certificate; and if he will make a statement. [302322]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Cancer patients were able to apply for medical exemption certificates (which entitle them to exemption from prescription charges) from the end of January 2009, although these certificates were not valid until 1 April 2009. From this date until 23 November 2009, the number of valid prescription charge certificate applications processed by NHS Business Services Authority in England, for cancer patients resident in England, where cancer was the only medical condition ticked on the FP92A application form, was almost 70,000.
Screening
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of women were provided with the result of a cervical screening test within 14 days in the latest period for which figures are available; [301884]
(2) what steps he is taking to increase the cervical cancer screening participation rate among women in the 25 to 35 years age group. [302405]
Ann Keen: Under the national health service Cervical Screening programme, test results were available for 21.4 per cent. of women within two weeks in 2008-09. For the same period, test results were available within four weeks for 65.5 per cent. of women.
The Cancer Reform Strategy (2007) said that all women should receive the results of their cervical screening test within 2 weeks by 2010. Advice on achieving the 14-day turnaround time was issued to the cervical screening service in April 2008.
NHS Improvement has since been working with 10 local screening programmes to streamline the whole pathway from initial test to getting the results using Lean processes. So far, the project has been a success, and a second wave of sites is due to begin in early 2010.
In 2008-09, for the first time since 2002, coverage rates across England increased, with this increase being most prominent among 25 to 49-year-olds. As cervical screening coverage had been falling steadily in women aged 25 to 35 for some years, NHS Cancer Screening programmes commissioned the Improvement Foundation to undertake work at a local level to target this age group. The Improvement Foundation has been working with six primary care trusts to look into ways in which cervical screening uptake can be improved in women under 35. The lessons learned from this project, which is currently being evaluated, will be rolled out across the cervical screening service if successful.
We will continue to monitor levels of cervical screening coverage through the Office for National Statistics/NHS Information Centre for health and social care annual cervical screening programme statistical bulletin.
NHS Cancer Screening programmes have already produced posters specifically targeting women in the age range of 25 to 35.
Social Services
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the outcomes of his Department's consultation on ordinary residence guidance before 1 January 2010. [302525]
Phil Hope: We intend to publish the outcomes of the consultation on ordinary residence guidance early in the new year.
South London Healthcare NHS Trust: Finance
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the financial position of South London Healthcare NHS Trust. [302100]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department has assessed South London Healthcare NHS Trust as financially 'underperforming' in the results of The NHS Performance Framework for Quarter 1 for 2009-10.
The Department will be seeking assurance that strategic health authority and primary care trust commissioners have taken appropriate steps to engage with those organisations categorised as being 'underperforming'.
Tobacco
John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what mechanisms are in place to monitor the use of each smokeless tobacco product which is (a) legally and (b) illegally available; [301621]
(2) whether he plans to take steps to seek to reduce the health effects of tobacco products on those adults who continue to use them; [301622]
(3) if he will commission a full scientific review of the effects on health of tobacco products which are (a) smoked and (b) not smoked for the purposes of developing his Department's planned tobacco control strategy; and if he will make a statement; [301623]
(4) what subjects he plans to include in his Department's tobacco control strategy. [301624]
Gillian Merron: The Government will publish a new tobacco control strategy before the end of this year. This strategy will include action to:
stop the inflow of young people being recruited as smokers
assist smokers to quit
protect families and communities
The strategy will include plans to reduce harms to health caused by tobacco use.
The Department has not commissioned specific research into the harms of smoked and smokeless tobacco, as the evidence base is already extensive. On smokeless tobacco, we have given particular consideration to the 2008 report of the European Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks titled "Health Effects of Smokeless Tobacco Products".
The supply and marketing of certain forms of smokeless tobacco is prohibited by a European directive. While smokeless tobacco is not used extensively across the population, the Department is able to monitor use through surveys that compare smokeless tobacco use in the UK compared to other countries. In addition, the
Department is working in partnership with the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services to enhance the enforcement of smokeless tobacco products with respect tobacco legislation and the payment of relevant taxes and duties.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will commission research on the effects of the introduction of snus into the UK market on the incidence of smoking-associated diseases; [302839]
(2) what research his Department has conducted on the effects of the introduction of snus into the UK market on (a) the level of smoking cessation, (b) the incidence of smoking-related diseases and (c) the prevalence of cigarette smoking; [302840]
(3) pursuant to the oral answer of 24 November 2009, Official Report, columns 387-88, on smoking cessation, what the evidential basis was for his comments on the findings of the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks that the benefits of smokeless tobacco products outweigh the risks for those switching to smokeless tobacco from conventional tobacco. [302843]
Ann Keen: The marketing and supply of oral smokeless tobacco is prohibited across the European Union, including in the United Kingdom.
The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR), an official independent committee that provides the European Commission with scientific advice, has considered in detail the health effects of smokeless tobacco products. That committee concluded in their 2008 report "Health Effects of Smokeless Tobacco Products" that:
Smokeless tobacco products (STP) are addictive and their use is hazardous to health. STP contain various levels of toxic substances. Evidence on the effectiveness of STP as a smoking cessation aid is insufficient, and relative trends in progression from STP into and from smoking differ between countries. It is thus not possible to extrapolate the patterns of tobacco use from one country where oral tobacco is available to other countries due to societal and cultural differences (p. 12).
The Department has considered the SCENIHR report carefully and believe the risks of promoting the use of smokeless tobacco are significant.
Furthermore, pursuant to the hon. Member's statement during health oral answers of 24 November 2009, Official Report, column 387, the World Health Organization does not endorse the use of snus, or any other smokeless tobacco product, as a harm reduction strategy.
We will therefore continue to encourage tobacco users to use safer means to stop, including licensed nicotine replacement medicines.
Given the risks of using smokeless tobacco, the Department has not undertaken any research into the impacts of snus in the UK, and has no plans to commission any such research in the future.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |