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1 Dec 2009 : Column 657W—continued
Mentally Ill: Drugs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of prescribing anti-psychotic drugs in each year since 1997; [302897]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been prescribed anti-psychotic drugs in each year since 1997. [302913]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Information on the number of patients prescribed a medicine and the condition for which that medicine is prescribed is not collected centrally.
The following table shows the number of prescription items for anti-psychotic drugs within sections 4.2.1 Antipsychotic drugs and 4.2.2 Antipsychotic depot injections of the British National Formulary, written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England with the net ingredient cost (NIC).
| Thousand | ||
| Items dispensed | NIC | |
| Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. | ||
National Centre for Stereotactic Radiosurgery: Standards
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the performance of the National Centre of Stereotactic Radiosurgery in meeting the NHS 18-week pathway target; and if he will make a statement. [303044]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department has not made a specific assessment regarding the National Centre of Stereotactic Radiosurgery and data on the performance of the National Centre of Stereotactic Radiosurgery are not held centrally.
Referral to treatment (RTT) data, which show how trusts are performing against the 18-week operational standard, are collected at treatment function level and at provider level. Patients who are treated at the National Centre of Stereotactic Radiosurgery are recorded under the RTT data for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The latest RTT data (September 2009) show that 61.7 per cent. of admitted patients, and 72.8 per cent, of non-admitted patients received neurosurgery treatment at Sheffield teaching hospitals within 18 weeks of referral by their general practitioner.
NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency: Contracts
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department expects the Purchasing and Supply Agency to pay in contract payments to DHL over the contract period. [302524]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department signed a 10-year Master Services Agreement with DHL on 4 September 2006 for the provision of procurement and supply chain services, trading under the name of NHS Supply Chain (NHS SC).
NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) paid £17.1 million between 2006-09 to cover the costs and liabilities of employees who transferred from NHS PASA to NHS SC under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations.
No further contractual payments are anticipated.
NHS: Disclosure of Information
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to (a) strengthen whistleblowing procedures for hospital staff and (b) encourage constructive criticism of working practices from hospital staff. [301826]
Ann Keen: We expect national health service trusts to have policies in place that encourage feedback from staff and pre-empt the need to whistleblow. For those rare occasions where whistleblowing is the appropriate course of action, we have provided unprecedented protection for individuals and we emphasise in the NHS constitution the right not to be unfairly dismissed for whistleblowing or reporting wrongdoing. Listening to and acting upon concerns of staff are vital ways to drive up standards.
Following the recommendations of the recent House of Commons Select Committee report on patient safety, the Department will be updating and re-issuing guidance to the NHS, working in conjunction with NHS Employers, Public Concern at Work and trade unions.
The pack is intended to help employers who are in the process of creating or updating their whistleblowing procedures.
Nurses
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of physical assaults on nurses and other hospital staff. [301818]
Ann Keen: Each national health service body has a duty to address the risks to staff and ensure their safety. The NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) can assist employers through guidance on assessing risks and acting to protect staff from assaults and, where incidents do occur, on taking action against offenders. The Department and the NHS SMS will also work with the Social Partnership Forum to promote the security of NHS staff and reduce assaults.
A new offence of causing nuisance or disturbance on hospital premises and a power to remove someone suspected of committing this offence were supported by the Department in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. The purpose of these measures is to remove those whose actions may escalate into violence and whose behaviour diverts staff from delivering care. Consultation on guidance on the use of the powers took place between May and August and the powers will be commenced on 30 November 2009. The NHS SMS will provide free training for NHS staff who will use the power of removal.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of nurses working in NHS hospitals. [301821]
Ann Keen: It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to decide the levels of staffing required to meet the needs of their local population.
There are currently 89,304 more nurses (including general practitioner practice nurses) working in the NHS than in 1997. This represents an increase of 28 per cent. from 318,856 in 1997 to 408,160 in 2008.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking (a) to increase the level of access to specialist nursing care and (b) reduce hospital admission rates. [301822]
Ann Keen: Local national health service organisations are responsible for the skill mix of their work force including the number of specialist nurses. They are best placed to assess the health needs of their local community and must have the freedom to train and deploy staff in ways appropriate for local conditions.
To help trusts develop specialist nursing roles we have published "Long Term Neurological Conditions: A good practice guide to the development of the multidisciplinary team and the value of the specialist nurse". This guide has been prepared for commissioners and managers to highlight the role and contribution of specialist nurses. These principles are transferable to other specialities.
Copies of this guidance have already been placed in the Library and can be found on the Skills for Health website at:
Reducing unplanned and unnecessary hospital admissions is part of the Department's strategy to improve care and services for people with long-term conditions. The focus has been on implementing case management for those with complex health and social care needs who are most at risk of unplanned admissions. This is led by a community matron or other case manager who provides co-ordinated, proactive and personalised care at home or in the community setting.
In addition, the Department has made a commitment that everyone with a long-term condition will be offered a care plan by 2010. Personalised care planning and support for self-care will enable people with long-term conditions to plan their care, have strategies in place to cope with any exacerbations of their conditions, and have all the relevant information they need to make
decisions about their health and well-being. This should reduce use of secondary care services, including unplanned admissions.
In the National Service Framework for Long Term Neurological Conditions, we had made it clear that specialist advice and treatment can be cost-neutral and may reduce admissions and length of stay and improve well-being. It is for local NHS organisations to implement this guidance.
Primary Care Trusts: Finance
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he has set for the allocation to primary care trusts of funding at the level determined by the formula announced in December 2008. [303422]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We are committed to moving all primary care trusts (PCTs) towards their target allocations as quickly as possible. In 2009-10 and 2010-11, we have ensured that the most under-target PCTs benefit from the highest increases in funding.
Over those two years, revenue allocations represent £164 billion investment in the national health service, £80 billion in 2009-10 and £84 billion in 2010-11. PCTs received an average increase in funding of 5.5 per cent. in 2009-10 and will receive an average increase in funding of 5.5 per cent. in 2010-11, a total increase in funding of £8.6 billion.
No decisions have yet been taken on the future rate of progress towards target allocations. The rate at which PCTs will move towards their target allocation in future years will need to be considered in light of a number of factors including population changes, cost pressures and the overall resources available to the NHS.
Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup: Accident and Emergency Department
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated at the accident and emergency department at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, in the last three years for which figures are available. [302587]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Information is not collected on the number of patients treated at accident and emergency (A&E) departments. However, data on the number of attendances at A&E type 1 departments are available and published quarterly via the Department of Health's Quarterly Monitoring Accident and Emergency Services dataset. This includes patients who attended A&E but who were not subsequently treated and counts each attendance by the same patient separately.
Smoking
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are using NHS services to help them stop smoking in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. [301754]
Gillian Merron: The information requested is not available in the exact format requested. Information on the number of people using the NHS Stop Smoking Services is not available by constituency.
The number of people using the NHS Stop Smoking Services is defined here as the number of people setting a quit date. Information on the number of people setting a quit date in England, by strategic health authority and by primary care trust is available in table 3.8 of the "Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services: England, April 2008 to March 2009" publication. This publication is available on the Information Centre for health and social care website at:
Tranquilisers: Misuse
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 16 July 2009, Official Report, column 673W, on tranquilisers, when he expects to publish the results of his Department's review of policy on addiction to prescription and over-the-counter drugs. [303557]
Ann Keen: The results of the review of policy on addiction to medicines will be announced after the completion of the review in 2010.
Home Department
Animal Experiments
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animals were used in regulated procedures at Wickham Laboratories in 2008; and how many such procedures were re-uses. [302772]
Meg Hillier: I am unable to disclose the number of animals used in regulated procedures at Wickham Laboratories in 2008.
Information on number of animals used in regulated procedures relating to individual establishments cannot be disclosed in order to protect statistical confidentiality, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics (implementing the Statistics and Registration Act 2007) and the national statistician's guidance "Confidentiality of Official Statistics".
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regulated procedures were carried out on animals at Wickham Laboratories in 2008; and how many of these involved potency testing of botulinum toxin. [302811]
Meg Hillier: I am unable to disclose how many regulated procedures were carried out on animals at Wickham Laboratories in 2008 and how many of those involved potency testing of botulinum toxin.
Information on number of regulated procedures relating to individual establishments cannot be disclosed in order to protect statistical confidentiality, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics (implementing the Statistics and Registration Act 2007) and the national statistician's guidance "Confidentiality of Official Statistics".
Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Young People
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued to those under the age of 18 years and in the care or supervision of local authorities in each of the last five years; [301713]
(2) how many people under the age of 16 years received an antisocial behaviour order in each of the last five years. [301795]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Data on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued collected centrally by my Department do not include details of whether or not ASBO recipients were in the care or supervision of a local authority at the time their ASBO was issued. This information could be ascertained only by reference to individual court files, which could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
Available published data on the number of ASBOs issued provide an age group breakdown showing those ASBO recipients aged 10-17 and those 18-plus.
The number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued to persons under the age of 18 at all courts in England and Wales in each year between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
| Number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued to persons under 18 years of age( 1) at all courts( 2) in England and Wales, 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2007 | |
| England and Wales | Issued (aged 10-17) |
| (1) Where the age has been reported. (2) This includes magistrates courts when acting both in their civil capacity issuing ASBOs on application and their criminal capacity when issuing ASBOs following conviction for a criminal offence. Notes: 1. Previously issued data have been revised. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: As reported to the Home Office by the Court Service. | |
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