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22 Jun 2010 : Column 168W—continued
Breast Cancer: Screening
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of eligible women in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan attended breast screening clinics in the latest period for which figures are available; and what steps he plans to take to improve the take-up of breast screening services in (a) the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and (b) nationally. [3140]
Mr Burstow: The information is not available in the format requested, as breast screening attendance statistics for the metropolitan borough of Wigan are not recorded. However, statistics from Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust (PCT), which covers the Wigan area, based on the number of the women screened from the eligible population, rather than the number of women attending screening, can be provided. This is also the case for national screening figures, which are based on the number of the women screened from the eligible population and have also been provided in the following table.
The data show the eligible population, number of women screened and the proportion of the eligible population screened within three years, as at 31 March 2009.
| Area | Eligible population | Number of women screened | Proportion screened (percentage) |
These figures are available in Table 11a of the 'Breast Screening Programme, England 2008-09' report. Information is provided by PCT and strategic health authority on an annual basis. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.
PCTs are responsible for managing the NHS Breast Screening Programme locally and for organising local screening awareness initiatives as appropriate. In March 2010 the Department published 'Reducing cancer inequality: evidence, progress and making it happen: a report by the National Cancer Equality Initiative' which recommended that PCTs review local levels of screening coverage and uptake to consider whether further action is required to improve coverage and uptake. A copy of the report has already been placed in the Library.
Dementia: Drugs
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what evidence on the inappropriate use of anti-psychotic medicines the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is including in its review of anti-Alzheimer's disease medication; [3398]
(2) if the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will bring forward the timetable for the planned review of its guidance on Dementia: supporting people with dementia and their carers in health and social care for the purposes of incorporating the recommendations made by Professor Sube Banerjee in his report on the prescribing of anti-psychotic drugs to people with dementia of 12 November 2009. [3405]
Mr Burstow: Decisions on the evidence to be considered by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in updates of its guidance and the timetables for updates are matters for the Institute as an independent body.
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by his Department on reducing the use of anti-psychotic drugs by two-thirds, as recommended by Professor Sube Banerjee in his report to the Minister for Care Services of 12 November 2009. [3400]
Mr Burstow: The National Clinical Director for dementia is leading the work to implement the recommendations made by Professor Sube Banerjee in his report in to the use of anti-psychotic medicines, which was published in November 2009. As a priority, the Department is working with the NHS Information Centre to develop an audit of the prescribing of anti-psychotics for people with dementia with the aim of achieving a two-thirds reduction over a period of two years from establishing a baseline position. The results of the audit are expected by October 2010.
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms will be used to measure his Department's progress on the recommendations made by Professor Sube Banerjee in his report on the prescribing of anti-psychotic drugs to people with dementia of 12 November 2009. [3404]
Mr Burstow: The Department's progress on addressing the recommendations within Professor Sube Banerjee's report will be monitored by the National Dementia Strategy Programme Board responsible for the delivery and implementation of the National Dementia Strategy. The audit of the prescribing of anti-psychotics for people with dementia will be a key mechanism for measuring the reduction in the use of anti-psychotic drugs.
Dental Services: Bolton
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many NHS dentists there are in Bolton; and how many are accepting new patients; [3260]
(2) if he will take steps to ensure that sufficient dentists are recruited to meet demand for NHS dental services in Bolton. [3738]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested.
During the year ending 31 March 2009, there were 136 dentists with national health service activity in the Bolton primary care trust (PCT) area.
The number of dentists accepting new NHS patients is not collected centrally. However, these data will be available direct from Bolton PCT.
The Coalition programme includes a commitment to the introduction of a new dental contract that will focus on achieving good dental health and increasing access to NHS dentistry, providing care for an additional million patients.
Departmental Official Cars
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers in his Department are entitled to the use of (i) a car with a dedicated driver, (ii) a car from the Government car pool and (iii) a taxi ordered through a departmental account. [3202]
Mr Simon Burns: Other than the three Permanent Secretaries, no civil servants or special advisers are entitled to the use of a car with a dedicated driver or a car from the Government car pool.
All three of the Permanent Secretaries have voluntarily given up their entitlement to a dedicated driver. Two have already ceased to have a dedicated driver. In the remaining case, notice has been issued and the arrangement ends on 19 August 2010.
The Department has an account with Computer Cab for those staff who need to use a taxi as part of a reasonable adjustment, for example, those who have mobility issues. Currently seven individuals have access to Computer Cab as a reasonable adjustment.
Departmental Public Expenditure
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what end of year flexibility his Department has had in each of the last five financial years. [3826]
Mr Simon Burns: Departmental end of year flexibility is published by HM Treasury in the annual Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper-table six. The last five years published reports are:
2004-05: CM 6639
2005-06: CM 6883
2006-07: CM 7156
2007-08: CM 7419
2008-09: CM 7606.
HM Treasury are to publish the 2009-10 Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper in July 2010.
Draw-down of end of year flexibility is published in Supplementary Parliamentary Estimates and for the Department is as follows:
| £ million | |||
| Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL ) | Capital DEL | Library reference | |
Diabetes: Health Education
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to raise awareness of the symptoms of diabetes amongst members of the public who have the condition but who remain undiagnosed. [3216]
Mr Burstow: It is important to identify people with diabetes early to ensure that they receive prompt treatment to enable them to manage their diabetes and help to delay or prevent long term complications of the condition.
The Department has initiatives in place to encourage healthy eating and promote an active lifestyle, which raise awareness of type 2 diabetes. Primary care trusts are running vascular risk assessment and management programmes. These proactively identify and manage people at high risk of vascular disease including diabetes.
Dietary Supplements: EU Law
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when next he expects to meet the European Health Commissioner; and if he will discuss with the Commissioner representations he has received on the proposals for maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the EU Food Supplements Directive. [3424]
Anne Milton: There are no current plans for Health Ministers to meet with the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy to discuss representations he has received on the proposals for maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements.
Epilepsy
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate his Department has made of the (a) incidence and (b) cost of misdiagnosis of epilepsy. [2800]
Mr Burstow: The Department has made no recent estimate of the incidence, or cost, of misdiagnosis of epilepsy.
However, an independent study from the Health Services Management Centre at Birmingham University and the National Collaborating Centre for Primary Care at the University of Leicester, published in the British Medical Journal, reported that each year more than 90,000 people in England and Wales were wrongly diagnosed with epilepsy, resulting in unnecessary costs of as much as £138 million a year.
The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (which receives its funding from the Department), has commissioned a national clinical audit known as 'Epilepsy 12' (so-called because the audit covers 12 key indicators derived from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) to facilitate local health services to evaluate clinical practice, patient experience and service descriptors in a standardised and meaningful way. One of the things it will do is to look at misdiagnosis rates and patient experience as achievable outcome measures. It will not look at costs. Data collection is due to start in the autumn of 2010 at early adopter sites, with a national roll out to follow soon after. The audit is being coordinated by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Food Standards Agency
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to change the (a) structure and (b) staffing level of the offices of the Food Standards Agency responsible for (i) nutrition, (ii) food safety and public health and (iii) other matters. [3425]
Anne Milton: Ministers are currently exploring options for the Food Standards Agency.
Health Centres
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's policy is on the support primary care trusts will be required to give to polyclinics in the future. [2877]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government's policy is that changes to local health services, such as moving care out of hospital into the community, should be led by general practitioners with other local clinicians, working alongside patients and the public, and not be driven by top-down instructions.
As a result of the complexity and scale of the changes proposed in London, we have asked NHS London to make recommendations about how service change in the capital should be taken forward in line with the principle of local decision-making.
Health Services: Overseas Visitors
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to extend to six months per year the permitted period of absence for current UK residents who are not pensioners during which they are not liable to be charged for hospital treatment. [3480]
Anne Milton: The Government are considering this area.
Heart Diseases: Children
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to continue the current review of the provision of children's heart surgery in England. [2804]
Mr Simon Burns: The current review of the provision of children's heart surgery in England is continuing.
The review, known as the Safe and Sustainable programme, will develop proposals for the future configuration of services and these will be the subject of a three-month public consultation to commence in autumn 2010.
Hospices: Children
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in (a) Wirral, (b) Liverpool, (c) Knowsley, (d) Warrington, (e) Halton and St Helens, (f) Western Cheshire, (g) Central and Eastern Cheshire, (h) Sefton and (i) Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust were in receipt of children's hospice services at the latest date for which figures are available. [3571]
Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons Julia's House Children's Hospice in Dorset has been charged £1,220 by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to vary its registration by the addition of one bedroom; if he will require the CQC to revoke the charge; and if he will make a statement. [3719]
Mr Simon Burns: Under the Care Standards Act 2000 the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for setting the level of registration fees payable by different providers. It is a standard principle that organisations that are regulated should meet the cost of regulation. CQC registration provides assurance to users of registered services that the care that a provider delivers meets regulations and relevant minimum standards.
CQC has advised that Julia's House Children's Hospice in Dorset has been charged £1,220 for an application that relates to a 'major variation' to the hospice's registration with CQC as a provider of independent healthcare under the Care Standards Act 2000. A major variation such as this means CQC needs to carry out a site visit in order to approve the change to the hospice's registration.
A full consultation on CQC's future fees structure, which will come in from April 2011, is due to start later this year.
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