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4 Mar 2010 : Column 1394W—continued
Sports: Primary Education
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of (a) comprehensive and (b) maintained primary schools which held a school sports day in the latest period for which figures are available. [315705]
Mr. Iain Wright: The annual PE and Sport survey collects data from maintained schools relating to pupils' participation in PE and sport. The 2008/09 survey found that all primary schools and 98 per cent. of secondary schools held a sports day during the last academic year.
Health
Abortion
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2010, Official Report, columns 382-3W, on abortion, what the evidential basis is for the statement that additional funding for contraception in the last two years has contributed to a decrease in abortion rates. [319957]
Gillian Merron: The Department invested additional funds in contraception services in April 2008 (£12.8 million), September 2008 (£10 million) and April 2009 (£11.6 million). In each of the last five quarters (July 2008 to September 2009), the abortion rate was lower than the corresponding quarter in the preceding year. As these decreases in the abortion rate coincide with the period in which the additional investment was available, we believe that the additional investment, and other measures we have taken, has made a contribution towards the decreases in the abortion rate.
Aortic Aneurysm: Screening
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much the NHS Abdominal Aortic Screening programme has cost to date; [320049]
(2) how many phases of NHS Abdominal Aortic Screening programme there will be; [320050]
(3) which NHS trusts have submitted an application to the NHS Abdominal Aortic Screening programme to begin an ultrasound screening programme for aortic aneurysms; [320051]
(4) what the timetable is for the full implementation of the NHS Abdominal Aortic Screening programme; [320052]
(5) what estimate his Department made about the number of patients who will have been screened in each of the sites covered by phase one of the NHS Abdominal Aortic Screening programme after (a) one year and (b) five years; [320054]
(6) when ultrasound screening for aortic aneurysms will begin in each of the sites covered by phase one of the NHS Abdominal Aortic Screening programme; [320055]
(7) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that men aged 65 years old participate in an ultrasound screening programme for aortic aneurysms (a) at each of the early implementation sites and (b) when the programme is fully implemented. [320056]
Ann Keen: The NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm screening programme has cost £5,335,809.50 up to the end of March 2010. This is made up of start up and full year costs for six early implementation sites, start up costs for four phase one sites, screening equipment for 10 sites, training of technicians and information leaflets.
It is anticipated that there will be a maximum of eight phases of roll out, however the exact number is unknown
as this depends on the number of applications received and geographical fit of each local screening programme.
The following national health service trusts have been successful with their applications to begin ultrasound screening for aortic aneurysms:
| Phase | Screening Programme | NHS Trust |
|
Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | ||
|
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust | ||
It is anticipated that full national roll out of the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm screening programme will be completed by the end of 2012-13.
The following table details the numbers of patients screened in phase one after a) one
| Screening Programme | Year One | Year Five |
All phase one sites will be screening by the end of May 2010.
The national programme team have put in place a number of measures to ensure the highest possible take up of screening once men have been identified for screening through their general practitioner. Examples include:
Involving 65 year old men when developing the initial communication materials for the screening programme to ensure that key messages were targeted at the right level;
National information leaflets have been designed for use in local programmes to ensure consistency of messages and offer informed choice;
Recruiting a Communications manager to work with local programmes ensuring that the right information is promoted to suit their local demographic; and
Commissioning an independent evaluation of all information to assess:
whether the patient information materials met the needs of men invited for screening
how well men invited for screening understand the risks they may face and;
assess how well health professionals think the information meets the needs of men invited for screening and the programme itself.
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been screened as part of the NHS Abdominal Aortic Screening programme at each early implementation site. [320053]
Ann Keen: The following table details the number of patients screened by each screening programme to the end of February 2010:
| Screening Programme | Numbers of patients screened |
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment has been made of the standard and quality of care and management at Basildon and Thurrock Hospital Trust by (a) Monitor, (b) the Care Quality Commission and (c) his Department. [320267]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Chris Mellor, Acting Chair of Monitor, the regulatory body for NHS Foundation Trusts, has written to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State about the progress being made at the trust.
Monitor has advised that further progress has been made at the trust since December 2009.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has advised that it has an ongoing engagement with Basildon and Thurrock as part of the registration process which began in January. CQC is in the process of assessing whether conditions will need to be attached to the trust's registration on 1 April.
The Secretary of State will update the House in a written ministerial statement which will be issued on 5 March.
Bone Marrow Disorders: Drugs
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the drug Peginterferon alfa-2a has been approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for use with patients with essential thrombocythaemia; [320596]
(2) which primary care trusts in (a) London and (b) the South East have approved the funding for the treatment of essential thrombocythaemia with Peginterferon alfa-2a. [320597]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Peginterferon alfa-2a is not licensed for the treatment of essential thrombocythaemia and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has not been asked to appraise it for this condition.
Information on primary care trusts' funding decisions is not collected centrally.
Colorectal Cancer: Screening
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the levels of participation in bowel cancer screening programmes. [320339]
Ann Keen: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for screening services, including the promotion of the national health service bowel screening programme. We would expect those areas with low bowel screening uptake rates to develop targeted programmes to tackle this locally.
As the bowel cancer screening programme was implemented in local areas, NHS Cancer Screening Programmes sent out an information pack to all local general practitioners (GPs). As well as explaining how the programme works, the packs contained promotional information, including posters for GPs to use to promote the programme in their own practices.
The National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, launched in November 2008, is working with NHS Cancer Screening Programmes on key messages and awareness programmes to improve screening uptake, particularly in deprived groups.
Complementary Medicine
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what complementary or alternative treatments, medicines or therapies are offered through the National Health Service; and what evidence his Department has considered on the efficacy of each. [320578]
Gillian Merron: The commissioning and funding of any treatments, including complementary/alternative, is the responsibility of the national health service. Many strategic health authorities and primary care trusts have developed their own policies on which treatments they will provide based one the safety and clinical and cost-effectiveness of a treatment as well as the availability of suitably qualified/regulated practitioners. When developing guidance for the management of health conditions, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) considers complementary therapies, where appropriate and sufficient evidence of effectiveness exists, alongside conventional treatments.
Dementia
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many staff in a (a) elderly mentally infirm and (b) standard care home are required to have a qualification in dementia awareness; [319959]
(2) Health what recent estimate he has made of the (a) length of stay in care homes of residents with dementia and (b) proportion of residents in care homes with a diagnosis of dementia. [319960]
Phil Hope: The Care Homes Regulations 2001 - Regulation 18 - require homes to
"ensure that at all times suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons are working at the care home in such numbers as are appropriate for the health and welfare of service users".
This will include ensuring that there are suitable numbers of staff trained and able to care for residents with dementia.
We are informed by the NHS Information Centre that data on the length of stay in care homes of residents with dementia and the proportion of residents in care homes with a diagnosis of dementia are not collected centrally.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) registers care homes under the Care Standards Act 2000 (CSA), which remains operational until 30 September 2010. The CSA makes no provision for a registration category of "elderly mentally infirm". Homes are registered with CQC as care homes or care homes with nursing.
Subject to the approval of Parliament, care homes will be registered from 1 October 2010 under the 'regulated activity' in which they are engaged - that is, 'accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care'. It will be for CQC to decide whether to record detailed information for each care home, such as whether it provides care for people with dementia.
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