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30 Mar 2010 : Column 893W—continued
Health
NHS IT Programme
16. James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of progress on the NHS IT programme. [324921]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The NHS IT programme is bringing benefits to doctors, nurses and, most importantly, to patients. The new NHS broadband network, digital imaging systems, choose and book and central databases are all in place.
All acute trusts and over 90 per cent. of primary care trusts in England, and all GPs, are using systems delivered as part of the National Programme. The NHS could not now function without the systems and services the programme has already delivered.
National Care Service
17. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on proposals for the National Care Service. [324922]
Phil Hope: I have had a number of discussions about reform of the care and support system in the course of my ministerial duties, including at the care and support conference hosted by the Secretary of State in February.
We have set out our proposals for reform of the care and support system in the White Paper "Building a National Care Service" published on 30 March.
NHS: Croydon
18. Mr. Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of the NHS in Croydon since May 2005. [324923]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Local trusts are measured against the NHS Performance Framework supported by the Care Quality Commission annual health check. This will help to ensure the safety and quality of care across all local health providers.
The local NHS in Croydon continually monitors its performance to ensure the provision of appropriate, safe, high quality services designed to meet the needs of local people.
Violence Against Women and Children
19. Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he has set for implementation of the recommendations of his Department's task force on the health aspects of violence against women and children. [324924]
Ann Keen: One of the task force report's recommendations was that an implementation group should be set up. This recommendation was fully accepted in the Government's interim response to the task force report and a chair has been appointed. One of the first tasks of the implementation group will be to develop an action plan for publication later this year.
Cancer Treatment: NICE
20. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he next expects to meet representatives of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to discuss treatments for cancer. [324926]
Ann Keen: No such meeting is planned.
Life Expectancy: York
21. Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's policies on the average life expectancy of (a) men and (b) women in York since 1997. [324927]
Ann Keen: In the 10 years from 1997 to 2007, average life expectancy at birth has increased by 3.7 years for males and 1.9 years for females in the City of York unitary authority.
Alternative Medicine
22. David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the Government's response to the consultation on the statutory regulation of herbal medicine, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine before the dissolution of Parliament. [324928]
Gillian Merron: A report is due to be submitted to Ministers and a statement will be made shortly.
Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many urgent care centres which were formerly accident and emergency departments were operating at (a) 100 per cent., (b) 95 per cent., (c) 90 per cent., (d) 85 per cent., (e) 80 per cent., (f) 75 per cent., (g) 70 per cent., (h) 65 per cent., and (i) 60 per cent. of their capacity in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [325070]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the clinical outcomes in hospital trusts where accident and emergency departments have had their status changed to urgent care centres; and if he will make a statement. [325071]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: It is for the national health service locally to monitor clinical outcomes and ensure that local services meet the needs of patients.
Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency, (b) Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust, (c) Peterborough Primary Care Trust and (d) England were attended to within (i) 10, (ii) 30, (iii) 60 and (iv) 120 minutes of arriving at an accident and emergency unit in the latest period for which figures are available. [324594]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Information is not available in the format requested. The Department does not hold data by constituency. However, the following table sets out the number of attendances in 2008-09 in accident and emergency (A&E) departments operated by acute trusts based within the Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) area, the Peterborough PCT area, and England, by the time spent between arrival and departure from A&E. Since the data are collected by acute trust rather than by PCT, the data may include attendances from A&E departments located outside the PCT area. For example, Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust operates a type 3 A&E department (a minor injuries unit) at Stamford and Rutland hospital in Lincolnshire.
| Number of A&E attendances, by time from arrival to departure from the department, 2008-09 | |||
| Duration to departure from A&E | Cambridgeshire PCT | Peterborough PCT | England |
| Source: Experimental A&E Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care. | |||
Arthritis: Health Education
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will run a campaign within the next 12 months to raise people's awareness of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, with particular reference to seeking prompt medical attention. [324372]
Ann Keen:
The Department is considering the findings and recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee in its report "Services for people with
rheumatoid arthritis". The Department will respond formally to the recommendations made by the Committee in the form of a Treasury Minute in due course.
Information on the symptoms and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is widely available. For example, NHS Choices provides a wealth of information to assist patients in recognising the symptoms of a variety of conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis: Health Services
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken in response to the recommendation of the Public Accounts Committee in its recent report on Services for people with rheumatoid arthritis, HC 46, on take up of the Commissioning Pathway by primary care trusts; and how it intends to evaluate the effect of the Pathway on patients. [324373]
Ann Keen: The Department is still considering the findings and recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee in its report "Services for people with rheumatoid arthritis". The Department will respond formally to the recommendations made by the Committee in the form of a Treasury Minute in due course.
The good practice commissioning pathway for inflammatory arthritis provides a high level service model that supports primary care trusts (PCTs) as commissioners of health care services. PCTs need to ensure that their populations have access to inflammatory arthritis services that reflect their needs, priorities and aspirations and that the design and provision of these services is evidence based.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by his Department in reviewing evidence on the need for better access to flare-up and pain management services for people with rheumatoid arthritis; and when it will produce an action plan. [324374]
Ann Keen: The Department is considering the findings and recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee in its report "Services for people with rheumatoid arthritis". The Department will respond formally to the recommendations made by the Committee in the form of a Treasury Minute in due course.
Personalised care planning and supporting people to self care enables people to have the information they need to make informed choices and decisions in order to manage any exacerbation of their condition. There is information on NHS Choices to support self-management of long-term pain including free patient information leaflets.
Our own information, taken from national surveys such as the GP survey, indicates over 60 per cent. of people with a long-term condition (LTC) in England have reported that they have agreed a plan about how to best manage their LTC.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued to primary care trusts on assessing what services are required for people with rheumatoid arthritis to enable them to decide what services they need to provide in the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [324375]
Ann Keen: The Department has not issued specific guidance to primary care trusts on assessing what services they need to provide.
Carer's Allowance
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals stopped receiving carer's allowance due to taking up employment through which they earned more than £95 per week in each of the last five years. [323898]
Jonathan Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
We are committed to helping carers combine their caring role with paid employment wherever possible, as this can alleviate some of the negative financial effects that carers have to contend with. This is why we have made available up to £38 million to help carers enter or re-enter the employment market.
The White Paper-'Building Britain's Recovery: Achieving Full Employment'-announced an increase in the carer's allowance earnings limit from £95 to £100 with effect from April 2010. Many carers want to combine caring with paid employment. This increase will ensure that the real value of the earnings limit is maintained.
The information requested is in the table.
| Numbers of carer's allowance cases where entitlement has stopped due to exceeding the carer's allowance earnings limit | |||
| Number of cases where entitlement has ceased | Caseload | Percentage of total caseload | |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures for 2005/06 to 2008/09 are year end figures (March). 2. The figures are at one decimal point, in order to show the difference year on year, because if the figures are rounded to a whole figure they will all be 1 per cent. 3. The numbers represent the number of cases where carer's allowance entitlement has been terminated because the customer's earnings, after allowable expenses had been deducted, exceeded the carer's allowance earnings limit. Source: Department for Work and Pensions - Carer's Allowance Quarterly Management Information Statistics | |||
The carer's allowance earnings limit has changed during the period covered by the above figures. The earnings limit was as follows in the periods shown in the following table.
| Period | Carer's allowance earnings limit (£) |
Cervical Cancer: Health Education
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness of cervical cancer; and if he will make a statement. [324925]
Ann Keen: The Cancer Reform Strategy's National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) aims to improve the public's awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer and encourage those with symptoms to seek help earlier than they currently do.
With health professionals, patient groups and the voluntary sector, we have developed key messages for cervical cancer. These are available on the NHS Choices website. The Department of Health encourages charities and other stakeholders to use them widely in awareness raising activities.
The Department will be working closely with the Eve Appeal, a charity that funds research into gynaecological cancers, to support wider communication of cervical cancer signs and symptoms. This will be evaluated using the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM), developed by Cancer Research UK, which can be used to test and monitor the impact and effectiveness of cancer awareness work at both national and local levels.
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