Mrs Moon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms will be in place to ensure that kidney dialysis patients (a) receive their choice of treatment at the hospital they have selected and (b) receive their choice of treatment within an appropriate period of time. [32006]
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Mr Simon Burns:
We are committed to extending choice for all national health service patients and service users, including those who need dialysis treatment. We are currently consulting on proposals for giving all patients and service users greater choice and control over their care and we will publish our response along with more detailed policy proposals early next year.
For all patients with established renal failure, fully informed choice of all appropriate treatment modalities, together with timely preparation, should be the rule rather than the exception. This should include options for dialysis at home, as well as transplantation, or conservative management.
Dialysis services in Wales are a matter for the Welsh Assembly.
Nervous System: Stem Cells
Mr Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the use of stem cells to repair injury in the central nervous system; and if he will make a statement. [31660]
Mr Simon Burns:
The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research, funds 12 Biomedical Research Centres and 16 Biomedical Research Units. These are currently undertaking a number of research projects on stem cells but none specifically on the use of stem cells to repair injury in the central nervous system.
Older People: Weather
Richard Burden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of elderly people who fall ill or die because of cold weather. [31782]
Anne Milton:
Action aimed at tackling winter illness and deaths in the elderly include winter fuel payments and influenza vaccinations. The Government have also launched their annual Keep Warm Keep Well Campaign for 2010-11 which provides advice on staying warm over the winter and staying in touch with people who may be vulnerable during cold weather, including the elderly, in order to reduce illness and deaths. As part of our further work we are working with the Met Office and public health champions in a number of regions to improve the way we communicate with people in local settings to accurately predict cold weather and provide an appropriate and effective response.
Prescriptions
Eric Ollerenshaw:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were issued for each (a) benzodiazepine and (b) Z-drug in 2009-10. [31600]
Mr Simon Burns:
The information requested is shown in the following tables.
Table 1: Number of benzodiazepine prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England in the financial year 2009-10, as classified as hypnotics and anxiolytics in British National Formulary (BNF) Section 4.1.1 and 4.1.2
BNF chemical name
Prescription items (thousand)
Alprazolam
(1)-
Chlordiazepoxide Hydrochloride
232.6
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Diazepam
5,051.7
Flurazepam Hydrochloride
(1)-
Loprazolam Mesilate
94.8
Lorazepam
942.0
Lormetazepam
69.4
Nitrazepam
1,086.1
Oxazepam
170.1
Temazepam
2,934.8
Total for BNF Section 4.1
10,581.4
(1) less than 50 prescription items dispensed. Source:
Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system
Table 2: Number of benzodiazepine prescription items written in the UK and dispensed in the community in England in the financial year 2009-10, as classified as antiepileptic drugs in British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.8.1 and 8.8.2
BNF chemical name
Prescriptions items (thousand)
Clobazam
176.5
Clonazepam
589.2
Midazolam
29.9
Total for BNF Section 4.8
795.7
Source:
Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system
Table 3: Number of benzodiazepine prescription items written in the UK and dispensed in the community in England in the financial year 2009-10, as classified as anaesthesia drugs in British National Formulary (BNF) section 15.1.4
BNF chemical name
Prescription items (thousand)
Midazolam Hydrochloride
71.6
Total for BNF Section 15.1
71.6
Source:
Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system
Table 4: Number of 'Z-drug' prescription items written in the UK and dispensed in the community in England in the financial year 2009-10, as classified as hypnotics drugs in British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.1.1
BNF chemical name
Prescription items (thousand)
Zaleplon
26.6
Zolpidem Tartrate
717.0
Zopiclone
5,072.0
Total for 'Z-drugs'
5,815.6
Source:
Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system
Primary Care Trusts: Prisoners
Dr Thérèse Coffey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2010, Official Report, column 722W, on drugs: prisons, how many prisoners received the treatment in each (a) primary care trust and (b) prison in each of the last three financial years. [32360]
Paul Burstow:
Data on the number of prisoners receiving integrated drug treatment systems services (IDTS) in each primary care trust are not collected by the Department.
Some data are held centrally in respect of IDTS services delivered in individual prisons and, where this is available, are shown in the following tables.
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Integrated Drug Treatment Systems provision in National Offender Management Service (NOMS) operated Prisons in England, 2007-10
