| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
22 Feb 2010 : Column 122W—continued
Subject to parliamentary approval, the Personal Care at Home Bill will guarantee free personal care for 280,000 people with the highest needs and help around 130,000 people who need home care for the first time to regain their independence;
Shaping the Future of Care Together Green Paper, published in July 2009, sets out a vision for a National Care Service for all adults in England which is fair, simple and affordable. The Department has consulted widely on this reform and is currently analysing the responses, which will feed into a White Paper later this year;
The National Carer's Strategy - (Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities)- launched in 2008;
The first National Dementia Strategy was published in February 2009; Valuing People Now - a three year strategy for people with learning disabilities published in January 2009; and
New Horizons: A Shared Vision for Mental Health - launched in December 2009 - to maintain improvements in mental health services combined with a new cross-Government approach to promoting public mental health.
Since 1998, there are now 2.4 million fewer smokers in England as a result of the Government's comprehensive tobacco control strategy which has had a measurable impact on reducing smoking prevalence.
Child obesity levels are reducing due to the efforts of families across England, supported by the Government's obesity strategy. In 2008, 13.9 per cent. of children (aged two to 10) in England were classified as obese, compared with 17.3 per cent. in 2005.
Overall, life expectancy at birth for men has increased from 74.5 years (1995-1997 data) to 77.7 years (2006-08 data) while for women, life expectancy at birth has increased from 79.6 years (1995-97 data) to 81.9 years (2006-08 data).
Food Standards Agency
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) objectives and (b) costs for 2009-10 are of the Food Standards Agency's Livestock Traceability Scheme. [316824]
Gillian Merron: The Food Standards Agency has advised that it does not have a 'Livestock Traceability Scheme'. European Union legislation requires food business operators (FBOs) at slaughterhouses to be able to trace all food-producing animals supplied to them and, from 1 January 2010, to receive food chain information (FCI) for all cattle and sheep sent for slaughter for human consumption. The requirement for FCI forms part of the whole chain, farm-to-fork approach to food safety introduced by EU hygiene regulations from 1 January 2006.
The Meat Hygiene Service verifies the checks on livestock identification carried out by FBOs in slaughterhouses to ensure the traceability of meat for food safety and animal disease control purposes. Livestock traceability is the responsibility of Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Departments of Rural Affairs in the devolved Administrations.
General Practitioners
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the number of people presenting to their GPs with minor ailments. [316718]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department's self care strategy focuses on supporting people especially those with long-term conditions to take a more active and informed role in decisions about their health and well-being. "Your health, your way" provides information about self care support on NHS Choices, including "Making the most of your pharmacist".
Community pharmacies have a key role to play in supporting self care, providing advice and support to people requesting help with the treatment of minor ailments, illnesses and injuries including advice on the use of over-the-counter treatments, where appropriate. The pharmacy communications strategy, currently under way, aims to encourage people to use pharmacies as the first port of call for such minor ailments, potentially reducing the number of people presenting to general practitioners' surgeries.
General Practitioners: Opening Hours
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner surgeries in Salford offered extended opening times in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest date for which information is available. [317393]
Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. The Department's latest published data show that as at July 2009, in the Salford primary care trust area, 39 out of 53 general practitioner practices (73.6 per cent.) were offering extended opening hours to patients. The figure for the North West Strategic Health Authority is 71.3 per cent., and the figure for England is 77.1 per cent.
Source:
Department of Health.
Government Car and Despatch Agency
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department paid to the Government Car and Despatch Agency in each of the last five years; how much it has spent on such payments in 2009-10; and what proportion of such payments was made in respect of the Government Car Service. [316425]
Phil Hope: The Department has made the following payments to the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). These totals exclude officials' cars.
| (£) | |
The cost increase in 2008-09 was due to courier and taxi services previously supplied by another party being transferred to the GCDA contract, who provide a 'greener' service.
Costs to Departments of officials' cars are reported annually to Parliament by my right. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport through written ministerial statement and are available in the Library.
Health Service: Feltham
Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many and what percentage of suspected cancer patients resident in Feltham and Heston saw an NHS consultant within two weeks of referral in each year since 1997; [316662]
(2) how many and what percentage of women resident in Feltham and Heston with suspected breast cancer saw a specialist within two weeks of referral in each year since 1997. [316666]
Gillian Merron: This information is not held in the format requested. This data is collected by national health service trust, for each quarter since 2001-02. The following table shows the number and percentage of patients seen within two weeks by a specialist following urgent general practitioner referral with suspected breast cancer and all suspected cancers at West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust.
| Breast cancer | All cancers | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |