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Mental Health Services: Advocacy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the level of access to independent mental health advocates by qualifying patients in (a) Birmingham and (b) England; [316749]

(2) which primary care trusts (a) have and (b) have not commissioned independent mental health advocate (IMHA) services; and if he will establish a national database of IMHA services. [316750]

Phil Hope: It is the duty of each primary care trust in England to make such arrangements as it considers reasonable to make available independent mental health advocates (IMHAs) for qualifying patients. The precise arrangements are a matter for local decision. The Department has no plans to establish a national database of IMHA services.

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prisons have a (a) resident and (b) visiting psychiatrists and how often visiting psychiatrists visited the prison to which they are allocated in the last 12 months. [318047]

Phil Hope: The information requested is not collected centrally.

The transfer of responsibility to primary care trusts for the commissioning of health services in prisons was completed in 2006. Health needs are based on a joint strategic needs assessment that informs the type and frequency of services provided in all prisons.

Mephedrone: Risk Assessment

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received of the progress of the European Commission's risk assessment of mephedrone. [317557]

Gillian Merron: The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has issued a formal request to member states' National Focal Points for the collection of further information on mephedrone for an EMCDDA-Europol Joint Report due later this year.

The UK's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is also conducting a review into the harms associated with mephedrone and other cathinones and has invited the UK National Focal Point to present evidence to this review on behalf of the EMCDDA. The ACMD will incorporate this evidence into its report and will advise Ministers accordingly.

Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton: Patients

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many appointments at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton were cancelled by patients in the last 12 months. [317974]


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Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.

Outpatient appointments cancelled by the patient for Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, 2008-09

Patient cancelled first appointment Patient cancelled subsequent appointment Total

2008-09

5,299

11,945

17,244

Notes:
1. Hospital Provider: hospital providers can also include treatment centres (TC). As the data is tabulated by healthcare provider, the figure for a national health service trust gives the activity of all the sites as one aggregated figure. The quality of TC returns are such that data may not be complete. Some NHS trusts have not registered their TC as a separate site, and it is therefore not possible to identify their activity separately. Data from some independent sector providers, where the onus for arrangement of dataflows is on the commissioner, may be missing. Care must be taken when using this data as the counts may be lower than true figures.
2. Data quality: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.
Source:
HES, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many private patients were treated at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton in the last 12 months; [317975]

(2) whether Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton is expected to meet its target to abolish mixed sex accommodation by the end of 2010. [317977]

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 patients' complaints were rectified by Patient Liaison and Advice Service Level at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton in 2009. [317976]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available centrally. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service is managed through the national health service at a local primary care trust (PCT) level. PCTs are required, as part of their annual report, to provide the relevant strategic health authority with complaints data.

Such information as is available is in the following table.


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Written complaints about hospital and community services by local resolution action within Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, England, as at 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009
Local resolution
Total complaints Concluded within 25 working days Concluded outside 25 working days Concluded outside 25 working days with consent Concluded outside 25 working days without consent Still being pursued

Percentage Number

Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

459

62

283

171

130

41

5

Note: Local resolution is the first stage of the complaints procedure when front-line staff should aim to provide the fullest possible opportunity for investigation and resolution of the complaint, as quickly as is sensible in the circumstances. This definition is from the guidance for completing the returns that are sent to Trusts. Source: Information Centre for health and social care-workforce and community dataset K041a.

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many single occupancy rooms are available for patients at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton. [317978]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the latest Estates Related Information Collection (ERIC) return data for 2008-09 indicate that the Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust declared 14 per cent. of the 620 available beds at Musgrove Park Hospital as being single bedrooms for patients use.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration his Department gives to (a) progression-free and (b) overall survival factors in its health technology appraisals. [317948]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department does not carry out health technology appraisals. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is an independent body responsible for the development of technology appraisal guidance and its "Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal" is available on its website at:

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what medicines (a) have been and (b) are being appraised through the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for supplementary advice for treatments extending life; which have met National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence criteria; what the outcomes were; and if he will make a statement; [317950]

(2) what assessment he has made of the impact of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's supplementary advice on the appraisal of end of life treatments in securing improved patient access to such treatments. [317951]

Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 8 February 2010, Official Report, columns 713-14W.

Neuromuscular Services: West Midlands

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with (a) the West Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group and (b) primary care trusts in the West Midlands on the implementation of the West Midlands Neuromuscular Strategy. [316910]

Ann Keen: No discussions have been held with the West Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group or primary care trusts in the west midlands on the implementation of the West Midlands Neuromuscular Strategy.

It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure the provision of services for neuromuscular dystrophy patients in that region, including access to national health service funded muscular dystrophy care advisers.

NHS

Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the NHS as the preferred provider of health services. [316313]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The policy on national health service as preferred provider is about getting the best care for patients and looking after the NHS staff who care for them. It represents a clarification of Government policy to ensure that where services provided within the public sector are performing well, are financially sustainable and also demonstrating the ability to keep improving there should be no presumption that these services are subject to competitive tender. When competitive tender does occur, it will be transparent and fair with all providers having an equal opportunity to bid, potentially in new partnerships and joint ventures.

The aim is to ensure that NHS staff are treated fairly and engaged in decisions, so that they know what is happening and when, and what changes are being sought and why. Service improvement and re-design should not be something which is imposed on NHS staff but something which they own and lead. Clinical engagement and leadership will be crucial to driving the transformation of services patients and taxpayers need.

The Secretary of State's Vision document "NHS 2010-2015: From Good to Great" and the "NHS Operating Framework 2010/11" outline how we expect the NHS as preferred provider to work in practice. Copies of both documents have already been placed in the Library.


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NHS Direct

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many referrals were made by NHS Direct services in (a) 2008 and (b) 2009. [317690]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is set out in the following table:

Referrals from NHS Direct (0845 46 47)

Referrals

2008

1,982,544

2009

1,735,473

Note:
These data include all calls to the 0845 46 47 line. It does not include other calls to services provided to national and local commissioners, including calls to The Appointments Line and locally commissioned services such as dental and out-of-hours services.
Source:
NHS Direct.

NHS Peterborough: Finance

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance his Department has provided to NHS Peterborough to reduce their budget deficit for 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [317360]

Phil Hope: The Department has not provided any financial support to Peterborough Primary Care Trust (PCT) to reduce its forecast deficit. The PCT held an extraordinary board meeting on 3 February where the Month 9 forecast deficit was reported as £9.8 million.

The East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) reports that it has agreed a robust recovery plan with the PCT and is closely monitoring progress against the agreed plan. The Department will work with the SHA to ensure that the PCT returns to financial balance.

NHS: Drugs

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2010, Official Report, column 558W, on drugs: testing, if he will commission research on the comparative (a) safety and (b) effectiveness of (i) human biology-based testing and (ii) animal testing of new drugs and treatments. [317610]

Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not commission research directly but provides funding to the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) through the research councils.

The NC3Rs has a number of projects which assess the value of animal research in drug development and safety testing. For example, an evidence-based review of conventional single dose acute toxicity studies for pharmaceuticals has shown that they provide limited information for human safety. Based on these data the regulatory requirement to carry out these studies prior to clinical trials has been removed.

The Medical Research Council's (MRC) own research programmes contribute to developing new knowledge or methods that help replace or refine animal use.


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The MRC invests substantially in drug safety science including the new MRC Centre for Drug Safety Science in Liverpool and Manchester, the MRC's Toxicology Unit in Leicester, and the Integrative Toxicology Training programme. The aims include evaluation of the potential contribution of new technologies to the pre-clinical toxicological assessment of drugs and integration of the results with the findings from clinical studies.

NHS: Expenditure

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure envelope for the NHS in England is for the next five years. [317987]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: As set out in paragraph 6.23, page 103 of the pre-Budget report 2009, the Government have not done a spending review at this stage, and therefore, the specific numbers requested in the question are not available.

NHS: Fees and Charges

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has collected in charges for services to patients not entitled to free services in each year since such charges were introduced; and if he will make a statement. [317337]

Ann Keen: Charges have been in place since 1982 for hospital treatment given to certain overseas visitors to the United Kingdom, but these statistics have only been collected since 2003-04. The total national income from overseas patients under non-reciprocal arrangements collected by national health service trusts and primary care trusts since that time is shown in the following table. They do not include data from NHS foundation trusts.

Non-reciprocal income received (£)

2003-04

9,178,000

2004-05

10,883,000

2005-06

13,070,000

2006-07

15,182,925

2007-08

18,167,000

2008-09

17,541,000


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