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2 Feb 2010 : Column 230W—continued
In Vitro Fertilisation
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to primary care trusts on whether they should fund IVF treatment in cases where a husband or partner has a child or children from a previous relationship. [314832]
Gillian Merron: Decisions on access criteria for national health service-funded in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment are made locally by individual primary care trusts (PCTs), taking into account local considerations.
The fertility guideline published in 2004 by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations about the clinical criteria for access to NHS-funded fertility treatment. To support PCTs in working towards the implementation of the NICE guideline and more equitable provision, the Government funded the leading fertility patient support group, Infertility Network UK (IN UK), to draw up standard access criteria as a guideline. The Standardised Infertility Access Criteria were published by IN UK in June 2009, alongside a guide for commissioners in developing their services.
The Access Criteria recommend that PCTs should move towards a position where funding is available for those who do not have a living child, including couples where one partner is childless. It also explains that as investment in fertility services increases, funding may be available for IVF where both partners have a child/children from a pervious relationship, but not from the current relationship.
Kidney Patients: Health Services
Mr. Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will take steps to (a) increase the level of monitoring of NHS performance on the diagnosis and treatment of acute kidney injury and (b) implement a code to identify and audit the (i) incidence of and (ii) outcomes associated with acute kidney injury; [314709]
(2) if he will take steps to facilitate joint working and commissioning by acute care and renal medicine services to ensure the rapid diagnosis of acute kidney injury. [314711]
Ann Keen: The Department is bringing together a range of organisations with a key role to play in delivering improvements in the prevention, detection and management of acute kidney injury. The National Clinical Director for Kidney Care, Donal O'Donoghue, set out in his letter of 16 December to the Chief Executive of the National Confidential Enquiry into Outcome and Patient Deaths the actions which will be taken at a national level to improve the detection and management of acute kidney injury and a copy of this has been placed in the Library.
Lung Disease: Health Services
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was of treating non-UK residents for lung disease in each of the last five years. [314912]
Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 February 2010, Official Report, column 57W.
Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much was spent on public relations at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months; [314308]
(2) how many staff are employed in the public relations department at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton; [314309]
(3) how many avoidable deaths have occurred at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last five years; [314311]
(4) how much was raised from (a) parking charges and (b) parking fines at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months; [314312]
(5) what estimate he has made of the number of patients discharged from Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in a malnourished state in the last 12 months; [314313]
(6) how many people are employed in equality and diversity roles at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton; [314314]
(7) how much was paid in bonuses to staff in management grades at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the financial year 2008-09; [314316]
(8) what the budget of the Art For Life scheme at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton was in each of the last three years. [314317]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is a matter for Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to Rosalinde Wyke, chair of Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, informing her of the hon. Member's enquiry. She will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people (a) contracted and (b) died from (i) MRSA and (ii) clostridium difficile infection at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months. [314310]
Ann Keen: The number of people who contracted methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (bacteraemia) and clostridium difficile infections (CDI) at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months is not held in the format requested. Data on the numbers of MRSA bacteraemia and CDI, broken down by acute trust, are published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on their website on a monthly basis at:
The latest available data for Taunton and Somerset NHS foundation trust, which includes Musgrove Park hospital, are in the following table:
| Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) and Methicillin - resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (bacteraemia) diagnosed at Taunton and Somerset foundation trust between December 2008 and November 2009 inclusive | ||
| Number | ||
| CDI | MRSA | |
| Notes: 1. National health service acute trust laboratories report all cases of MRSA bloodstream infections, not just those from in-patients, and include infections acquired in hospital and elsewhere. 2. NHS acute trusts report episodes of CDI in people aged two years and over. The figures presented are the 'trust apportioned number' referring to infections that are presumed to be hospital acquired. Source: HPA mandatory surveillance scheme The number of people who died from MRSA and CDI at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months is not held centrally. The numbers of deaths in England in 2008 where MRSA or CDI were recorded as a contributory factor are available on the website of the Office of National Statistics at (for MRSA): www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/mrsa0809.pdf for CDI): www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/cdif0809.pdf | ||
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many attacks on staff there have been at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months. [314315]
Ann Keen: Information on the number of reported physical assaults against national health service staff is compiled by the NHS Security Management Service (SMS) following the end of each year April to March. Information on assaults in the last 12 months is not available centrally. The number of reported physical assaults against staff at the Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009 was 92.
Further information on the number of reported physical assaults against NHS staff in England is contained in the 'Tables showing number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff from 2004-05 to 2007-08, broken down by NHS trust/PCT' and 'Tables showing number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff in 2008-09, broken down by NHS trust/PCT' which have already been placed in the Library.
The 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 NHS SMS also works with stakeholders, including the Social Partnership Forum, to promote the safety and security of NHS staff.
NHS Walk-in Centres
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS walk-in centres there were in (a) England, (b) Merseyside and (c) Cheshire in each year since 1997. [312945]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The first national health service walk-in centres were established in 2000; the first wave consisted of 43 pilot sites, opening between 2000 and 2001, with a further 28 sites announced in 2004, and six commuter walk-in centres which opened between 2005 and 2007. Responsibility for centres was subsequently passed to primary care trusts, and the Department no longer centrally monitored numbers; however, we believe there are now over 90 across England, plus 121 new general practitioner (GP)-led health centres, where patients can similarly access care on a walk-in basis.
The following table gives the walk-in centres and GP health centres believed to have opened in Merseyside and Cheshire since 2000.
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for how many hours on average each day NHS walk-in centres are open. [312947]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Most national health service walk-in centres are open every day, for at least 12 hours; some are open 24 hours; however opening times will vary to meet local circumstances and are not monitored centrally.
NHS: Drugs
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make an assessment of the effects of the guidance issued to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the processes for local decision-making about medicines, with particular reference to (a) the consistency of decision-making between PCTs and (b) the availability of drugs not recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence across PCTs; [314794]
(2) what mechanisms exist to monitor the consistency of decisions taken by exceptional case panels in different primary care trusts. [314795]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The National Prescribing Centre's good practice guidance, "Supporting rational local decision-making about medicines (and treatments): A handbook of good practice guidance" available at:
was reinforced by directions which came into force on 1 April 2009. We have no plans to make a formal assessment of primary care trust arrangements under the Directions.
NHS: Executives
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many female chief executives of NHS hospital trusts there were in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) 2009. [312946]
Ann Keen: Chief executives of NHS hospital trusts are included under the senior manager occupation code within the workforce census, along with other executive level staff such as board members and non-clinical directors. The following table gives the numbers by gender of staff that fall under the senior manager occupational code in 1997, 2001 and 2008. Numbers for 2009 will be available following publication of the next national health service workforce census in March 2010.
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