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4 Mar 2010 : Column 1398W—continued
Health Act 2009
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made on its consultation on the provisions of the Health Act 2009 relating to tobacco; when he expects to (a) publish a report on the consultation and (b) lay before Parliament the consequent statutory instruments; and if he will make a statement. [320169]
Gillian Merron:
On 26 February 2010, the Government published "Consultation on proposed tobacco control regulations for England (under the Health Act 2009):
Summary of consultation responses" on the Department's website. A copy has been placed in the Library.
Two sets of regulations for England were laid before Parliament on 27 January 2010, prohibiting tobacco sales from vending machine and regulating tobacco product prices lists and labels.
Two further sets of regulations for England were laid before Parliament on 2 March 2010 regulating the removal of tobacco displays and tobacco advertising and display by specialist tobacconists.
Health Services: Worcestershire
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2010, Official Report, columns 747-48W, on health services: Worcestershire, what consultation he plans to undertake on the preferred option for the delivery of community services; and what objectives he has set for that consultation. [320575]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department would not consult on proposals in Worcestershire. This is a matter for Worcestershire primary care trust (PCT).
'Transforming Community Services: The Assurance and Approval Process for PCT-provided Community Services', makes clear that patients and the public should be involved in any proposed service change that may arise from an organisational change. This document has already been placed in the Library. Sustained engagement of patients, public, staff, their unions and representatives, and key stakeholders is essential. This is a process that is managed locally by PCTs, and assured by strategic health authorities.
Home Care Services: Finance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 296W, on social services: finance, from which of his Department's budgets the remaining £228 million required to fund the provisions of the Personal Care at Home Bill will be taken; and how much will be taken from each budget. [318889]
Phil Hope: In 2010-11, we are meeting half of the full implementation costs-£420 million-as implementation starts from October. These are being met as explained in my reply on 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 296W to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds).
The remaining half year costs will be found from 2011-12. Detailed budget prioritisation decisions for 2011-12 onwards will be taken once the outcome of the next Spending Review is available, as the Department's total budget beyond 2010-11 is not yet known.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 296W, on social services: finance, whether the savings in (a) administration and (b) management consultancy spending will be made in (i) his Department and (ii) primary care trusts. [318890]
Phil Hope: The savings will be made in the Department.
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of funding that local councils will have to contribute to implementation of the free social care at home scheme. [320272]
Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 10 December 2009, Official Report, column 553W.
Leukaemia: Drugs
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's recommendations on the use of dasatinib and nilotinib for chronic myeloid leukaemia patients. [319180]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I understand that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) currently expects to issue final guidance to the NHS on the use of dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-intolerant chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in June 2010. Details of this appraisal are available on NICE'S website at:
NICE will schedule the technology appraisal of dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant CML into the review of its published guidance on the use of imatinib for the treatment of CML.
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with chronic myeloid leukaemia have been prescribed (a) dasatinib and (b) nilotinib in the last 12 months. [319181]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Information is not collected centrally on the number of people prescribed drugs or for what purpose drugs are prescribed.
In the period October 2008 to September 2009, the latest 12 months available, there were 109 prescriptions for dasatinib and less than 100 for nilotinib written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England.
Information for hospital prescribing is not available.
Medical Treatments Abroad
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people referred by NHS commissioners for proton therapy treatment abroad in each of the last five years. [319935]
Ann Keen: Proton beam therapy became a nationally commissioned service in April 2008. Prior to this, the service was commissioned by individual primary care trusts (PCTs) and figures are not available on the numbers of patients referred for treatment abroad.
In 2008-09, 24 patients were referred to the proton reference panel for consideration for proton beam therapy treatment. Of these, eight patients were turned down by the panel, six were not treated by the centre for clinical reasons, and 10 patients were treated.
In 2009-10, 67 patients were referred to the proton reference panel. Of these, 30 patients were accepted for treatment: and 17 of them received or are currently receiving treatment during 2009-10. Six patients were accepted by the panel, but were not treated by the centre for clinical reasons and three patients require more surgery before being considered further for proton beam therapy. Nine patients are still being considered by the panel.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reply to the letter of 2 February 2010 from the hon. Member for Walsall North concerning a constituent. [320349]
Phil Hope: A reply was issued to my hon. Friend on 3 March 2010.
Mental Health Services
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many independent investigations into cases of patients receiving treatment for mental health reasons have been commissioned in (a) West Chelmsford constituency and (b) England in each of the last five years. [320351]
Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Nadine Dorries) on 22 February 2010, Official Report, column 134W.
NHS: Negligence
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many claims for clinical negligence as a result of NHS hospital mistreatment for which compensation has been awarded were made in each of the last five years; what the monetary value of the five largest payments was in each such year; and which hospitals were involved. [319913]
Ann Keen: The NHS Litigation Authority covers claims made against the national health service in England only. Claims are not made under the heading of mistreatment and an answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
NHS: Procurement
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts have been awarded through the NHS Supply Chain Framework for the Supply of Endoscopy Products (a) following a mini-competition and (b) under the terms of the framework itself. [320270]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: NHS Supply Chain has the following endoscopy framework agreements:
Endoscope Disinfectants and Detergents
Endoscopy Consumables
Endosurgery
Rigid Endoscopes
Flexible Endoscopy
Automated Endoscope Reprocessors.
'Endoscope Disinfectants and Detergents' is a national framework established in 2009 with nine suppliers. All orders and deliveries are via NHS Supply Chain. There are no mini-competitions or quotations. 186 trusts have made purchases against the framework from April 2009 to the present.
'Endoscopy Consumables' is a national framework established in 2008 with 10 suppliers. All orders and deliveries are via NHS Supply Chain. There are no mini-competitions or quotations. 170 trusts have used the framework to make purchases from April 2009 to the present.
'Endosurgery' is a national framework. There have been six mini-competitions and 210 trusts have gone though this framework. The framework has 17 suppliers and most purchases are made through NHS Supply Chain. However, there is a mini-competition option whereby trusts can create a local pricing agreement under the coverage of the national framework.
'Rigid Endoscopes' is a national, direct-supply framework. There have been no mini-competitions and 120 trusts have gone through this framework. Trusts request quotations for equipment from NHS Supply Chain and these quotes are then compiled by suppliers and subsequent orders and deliveries are facilitated directly. There is an option for mini-competitions but as yet no trusts have chosen this option.
There have been 340 contracts awarded though the 'Flexible Endoscopy' framework, with one mini-competition. 175 trusts have gone through this framework. The contracts are delivered direct from suppliers against this framework.
There have been 56 contracts awarded through the 'Automated Endoscope Reprocessors' framework. 36 trusts have gone though this framework, with no mini-competitions. The contracts are delivered direct from suppliers against this framework.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of NHS trusts that have chosen to (a) purchase endoscopy products through NHS Supply Chain's Framework for the Supply of Endoscopy Products and (b) buy directly from suppliers. [320271]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: This information is not held centrally.
NHS: Sight Impaired
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance his Department has issued to NHS providers on communication with visually-impaired patients in accessible formats; what systems are in place to monitor the provision of such materials; and if he will make a statement; [319058]
(2) what estimate he has made of the proportion of visually-impaired patients who received communications from NHS providers in accessible formats in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [319060]
(3) what proportion of (a) hospitals and (b) GP surgeries have used (i) Braille, (ii) large print and (iii) audio to communicate with visually-impaired patients in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [319061]
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of information in hospitals for blind, partially sighted and print-disabled people. [318895]
Phil Hope: Information on the proportion of national health service providers that have provided Braille, large print, audio or other accessible communications to patients in general practice (GP) surgeries or hospitals in each of the last five years is not collected centrally.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 confers a duty on NHS providers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including making information accessible to people with visual impairments. The NHS Constitution also commits the NHS to offer patients accessible information to enable them to participate fully in their health care decisions.
Under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 each NHS organisation is required to develop a Disability Equality Scheme, based on real engagement with local people, including those who are blind or partially sighted. They are required to implement the action plans set out in their schemes; and report annually on their progress, the results of their information gathering and how this information has been used.
Listed Government Departments, including the Department, must publish a report setting out an overview of progress on disability equality as well as proposals for co-ordinated action between authorities in the sector to progress disability equality. The Department's first report, which was published in December 2008, acknowledges that patients who are blind or have severe visual impairments report significantly lower levels of satisfaction when making choices following a referral for hospital treatment. The introduction of data broken down by impairment in national GP access and choice surveys will allow NHS organisations in addressing such differences in satisfaction levels.
To support service improvements, the Department has also co-produced "Improving Access, Responding to Patients: a 'how to' guide for GP practices" in 2009. This guide brings together good practice case studies with step-by-step guides and top tips, developed and disseminated by national stakeholders. It has been distributed to every GP practice, primary care trust and strategic health authority in England and a copy has already been placed in the Library.
Putney Hospital: Valuation
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the district valuer has made of the monetary value of the Putney Hospital site in each of the last 10 years. [320138]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: This information is not held centrally.
Swine Flu: Vaccination
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many units of Swine influenza vaccine are available to be dispensed to UK patients. [319958] [Official Report, 8 April 2010, Vol. 508, c. 16MC.]
Gillian Merron:
As of 26 February 2010, the amount of swine influenza vaccine available to be dispensed was
25.3 million doses, held centrally, plus the stock currently held in the national health service across the United Kingdom.
This is based on the total amount of swine influenza vaccine delivered to the United Kingdom from Baxter and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) at approximately 38.5 million doses, less the total number of doses sent out to the NHS England, up to 24 February, which was approximately 13.2 million.
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