CJD: Disease Control
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many units of fresh frozen plasma were issued by NHS Blood and Transplant in the latest year for which figures are available. [74539]
Anne Milton: NHS Blood and Transplant issues fresh frozen plasma to hospitals in England and North Wales. In 2010-11, 255,488 units were issued for use in adults and children; and 7,289 units were issued for use in neonates. A neonatal unit is one quarter of the volume of an adult unit.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what cost was incurred by NHS Blood and Transplant in collecting, testing, processing and issuing of (a) red blood cells, (b) platelets and (c) fresh frozen plasma in the latest year for which figures are available. [74540]
Anne Milton: The available information is shown in the following table.
| Budgeted costs incurred by NHS Blood and Transplant in financial year 2010-11 | |||
|
|
Red cells (£) | Platelets | Plasma (1) (£) |
| (1) There are no costs for collection or testing of plasma as plasma is a by product of the whole blood donation. The whole blood donation is tested before the plasma is separated out (most of which is then discarded). Note: NHS Blood and Transplant collects blood donations in England and North Wales. Source: NHS Blood and Transplant | |||
Dementia: Drugs
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the use of anti-psychotic medication to treat people with dementia. [73468]
Paul Burstow: We want to see a two-thirds reduction in the level of prescribing of anti-psychotic drugs for people with dementia by November 2011 and we have commissioned an audit to measure this.
The Dementia Action Alliance supported by the NHS Institute and the Department of Health launched a ‘National Call to Action' on 9 June 2011, with the aim of ensuring that by 31 March 2012 all 180,000 people with dementia, who are receiving anti-psychotic drugs will have undergone a clinical review, to ensure that their care is compliant with current best practice and guidelines and that alternatives to their prescription have been considered.
Reducing the use of anti-psychotic medication is a key element of the Dementia Commissioning Pack which is supported by a multi-disciplinary care pathway for the management of agitation in people with dementia and for the review of medication on people already receiving anti-psychotics.
The Department provided funding of £1.9 million in December 2010 to enable all strategic health authorities (SHAs) to accelerate improvements in prescribing practice. Each SHA has committed to undertaking audits of current practice on anti-psychotic prescribing for people with dementia that cover prescribing by acute and community hospital doctors, prescribing by psychiatrists, prescribing by general practitioners and prescribing in care homes. This work will report in the autumn.
The Department has also contributed £100,000 to the Alzheimer's Society FITS (Focussed Intervention Training Scheme) programme. The overarching aim of the programme is to reduce the use of anti-psychotics in care homes. The FITS programme delivers a 10-day training course to nominated health professionals. These individuals disseminate the information as a trainer and act as a Dementia Champion in their care home.
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Departmental Billing
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in July and August 2010. [74335]
Mr Simon Burns: The data for July and August 2010 are 97.76%, and 97.96%, respectively. These percentages were published on the Department's website in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance.
Departmental Buildings
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) building and (b) refurbishment projects his Department plans in (i) the current and (ii) the next financial year; and what the cost of each such project will be. [74334]
Mr Simon Burns: In the current financial year, it is planned to carry out refurbishment projects in Richmond House, costing £1,575,000, to increase its efficiency and underlying infrastructure. Similar projects costing £994,000 have already been completed.
No plans have yet been formulated for the following financial year.
Consultants
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures his Department uses when engaging external consultants. [73105]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department's current procedures include several controls to ensure the consultancy requirement is essential and will provide best value for money. Appropriately approved procurement routes are used to engage consultancy services. Each consultancy requirement has a Statement of Operational Necessity and Business Case set out and approved within the Department. Further approvals are then obtained from senior officials and Ministers dependent upon the value of the proposed contract. All approvals procedures are in accordance with the Cabinet Office controls for consultancy expenditure within central Government.
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on management consultants in each of the last five years. [73508]
Mr Simon Burns: The figures for expenditure on external management consultants for the core Department of Health for the last five financial years are as follows:
|
|
£ million |
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Departmental Correspondence
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average amount of time taken by his Department is to reply to letters from hon. Members (a) in total and (b) of each political party. [73704]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department took an average of 13 working days to reply to correspondence received between 1 January and 31 August 2011 from hon. Members. The following table shows the average number of working days it took to respond to hon. Members within the same time-period, split by political party.
| Party | Working days |
Transport-related Fines
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many transport-related fines his Department has settled on behalf of its staff in each year since 2007; and at what cost. [74337]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department and its predecessors have not settled any transport related fines on behalf of its staff in any year from 2007. This is in line with Departmental policy and the Civil Service Code, which states:
“Departments and agencies must reimburse staff only for expenses which they actually and necessarily incur in the course of official business.”
Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in each of the last 12 months. [73666]
Mr Simon Burns: The information held on the Department's business management system is as shown in the following table. Due to the procedures employed by the Department which score expenditure on the system in the month in which an invoice is processed and paid, the figures do not necessarily relate to the costs incurred in the months in question. The figures show the total spend by Ministers' private offices on hospitality and catering and this will typically include purchases of teas, coffees, lunches and refreshments. The system does not have the facility to report on whether these purchases were for specific events or meetings.
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| £ | ||||||||||||
| 2010 | 2011 | |||||||||||
| Minister | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept |
Procurement
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement for his Department in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; and what estimate he has made of the cost of (i) employing civil servants and (ii) engaging consultants to undertake procurement for his Department in 2011-12. [73189]
Mr Simon Burns: The cost of running the Procurement Directorate within the Department was £1,553,145 for financial year 2009-10, and £1,618,800 for financial year 2010-11. It is not possible to provide comparative figures for 2008-9 as the Department obtained a procurement service at the time from the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency. The Procurement Directorate consists of a mix of civil servants and non-permanent workers.
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made in eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000. [73834]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has formally adopted the Government's policy announced in February 2011 to eliminate the use of pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQ) for all central Government procurements under £100,000.
A central tracking system has been in place on the Department's procurement database since August; a report shows that no procurement competitions have been undertaken since that month using a PQQ for procurements with a value of less than £100,000.
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts of a monetary value of (a) between £100,000 and £500,000, (b) between £500,000 and £1 million, (c) between £1 million and £5 million, (d) between £5 million and £10 million, (e) between £10 million and £50 million, (f) between £50 million and £100 million, (g) between £100 million and £500 million, (h) between £500 million and £1 billion, (i) between £1 billion and £5 billion and (j) over £5 billion his Department has entered into with private suppliers in each year since 1990. [74205]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department's central procurement database, which has provided the information in the following table, holds information at the level of purchase order (PO)—these are individual items of expenditure—rather than contract. The category of expenditure is for ‘suppliers’; the majority will certainly be external private suppliers but the figures do include some non-private expenditure (voluntary or public sector).
The following table provides information about the number of POs awarded within the bands specified for the current financial year and the last two closed financial years. The Department's central procurement database was only established in July 2008; prior to this date such data were not collated centrally within the Department. To gather information for financial year 2008-09 and earlier years would require us to contact all directorates and branches within the Department to check their individual records; this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| Band (£) | Number of purchase orders |
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on new furnishings in the last year. [72935]
Mr Simon Burns: The cost of furniture and fittings purchased by the Department in the last year (October 2010 to September 2011) is £135,502.
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Training
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many external training courses staff of his Department attended in the last 12 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of each course. [74336]
Mr Simon Burns: From August 2010 until July 2011, the last 12 month period for which we have figures, £411,629.64 was spent from the Department's central training budget. This figure includes the costs of external courses and those where the central Department brought in external training provision.
Information is not held centrally about the cost of locally commissioned training, funded by directorates within the Department, nor is information held on how many external courses were attended by staff.
Diabetes: Children
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to help prevent childhood diabetes. [74226]
Paul Burstow: The majority of children with diabetes have Type 1 diabetes, which is not currently preventable.
Although it is much rarer in children than Type 1, there is a strong evidence base closely linking Type 2 diabetes with obesity and inactivity. The Government are helping to prevent Type 2 diabetes in children by tackling obesity and inactivity through schemes such as Change4Life, the National Child Measurement programme, and the Healthy Child programme.
Diabetes: Screening
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to offer blood sugar checks alongside eye tests; [73016]
(2) what steps he is taking to improve early diagnosis rates for diabetes. [73017]
Paul Burstow: We are aware of the importance of diagnosing diabetes as early as possible in the course of the disease, if patients are to get optimal outcomes. The main strategy for securing this early diagnosis is through the roll out of the NHS Health Checks programme. There are no plans to offer blood sugar checks alongside eye tests.
With around 15 million people eligible, the NHS Health Check programme is a major public health programme for people in England aged 40-74 aimed at preventing heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. Everyone having an NHS Health Check will have their risk of developing these diseases assessed, and will be supported to reduce or manage that risk through appropriate lifestyle advice, support and management.
Phased implementation of the programme by primary care trusts (PCTs) began in April 2009. The NHS Health Check programme is a supporting measure in the Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2011-12; and PCTs have been provided with funding in their baselines to support this activity.
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Disease Control
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets his Department has set for the reduction of non-communicable diseases. [73062]
Anne Milton: We will set out in the Public Health Outcomes Framework the key priorities for improving the public's health and provide a means for local and national transparency and accountability.
We consulted on a broad range of indicators as part of our proposals for a Public Health Outcomes Framework. Among a number of indicators, the consultation proposed a number relating to non-communicable diseases including the following:
Mortality rate from all cardiovascular disease (including heart disease and stroke) persons less than 75 years of age;
Mortality rate from cancer in persons less than 75 years of age;
Mortality rate from chronic liver disease in persons under 75 years of age; and
Mortality rate from chronic respiratory diseases in persons less than 75 years of age.
These proposals received strong support from stakeholders, and following consultation and further development, we are considering whether to include these indicators within the final framework which we expect to publish in the autumn.
Donors: Health Education
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of schools that are using the NHS Blood and Transplants Give and Let Live blood and organ donation education pack (a) in the latest period for which figures are available and (b) in its first year of availability. [75100]
Anne Milton: NHS Blood and Transplant's (NHSBT) “Give and Let Live” pack, designed for 14 to 16 year olds, helps young people learn about the importance of organ, blood, tissue and bone marrow donation in life and after death. NHSBT has informed the Department that in 2007-08, when the Give and Let Live packs were launched, 1,776 schools ordered the pack, and research by NHSBT showed that 21%, of teachers used the pack in two to three lessons. In 2009-10, (the latest figures available), 5,568 schools ordered the pack and 51%, of teachers used the pack in two to three lessons. In 2009-10, 92% of teachers who used the pack said they found it useful or very useful.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Research
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has provided for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [74705]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department spent £0.4 million on directly-funded research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2010-11. A figure for 2011-12 is not yet available.
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Eating Disorders
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) children and (b) adults were admitted to hospital for eating disorders in each of the last five years; [74530]
(2) how many (a) boys and (b) girls aged (i) under 10, (ii) between 10 and 18 and (iii) over 18 years were admitted to hospital for eating disorders in each of the last five years; [74531]
(3) what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of the treatment of eating disorders in the last year for which figures are available. [74532]
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Paul Burstow: Details of the number of finished admission episodes for which the primary diagnosis is an eating disorder are in the following tables.
|
|
0 to 18 years | 18+ years | Unknown age | Total for the year |
| Male | Females | ||||||||||
|
|
0 to 9 years | 10 to 18 years | Over 18 years | Unknown age | Total males | 0 to 9 years | 10 to 18 years | Over 18 years | Unknown age | Total females | Total for the year |
| Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care | |||||||||||
We have made no estimate of the cost of treating eating disorders.
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his Department use private e-mail accounts for the conduct of government business. [73210]
Mr Simon Burns: The Ministerial Code, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, and the Civil Service Code set out how Ministers, officials and special advisers should conduct Government business.
Food: Health Hazards
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to reduce trans fats in food. [74650]
Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 6 September 2011, Official Report, column 568W.
Government Procurement Card
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amounts, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by the Department using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10. [73441]
Mr Simon Burns: The document containing the information requested has been placed in the Library. It also contains information for financial year 2010-11 and Level 3 transaction information, which is only available for financial year 2010-11.
The information is not available prior to May 2008 because this is when the Department's reporting database tool used to extract the information was set up. Attempting to provide information prior to May 2008 would mean sifting through individual cardholder paper files and extracting the information manually, which would incur disproportionate costs.
Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Government Procurement Card transactions were made by his Department's officials withdrawing cash from automated teller machines from 2006-07 to 2009-10; at what cost; and on which dates. [73723]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has arranged with Barclaycard (the card provider for this Department's Government Procurement Card transactions) that access to automated teller machines is blocked. So it is not possible for withdrawals to be made.
Health and Social Care Bill
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on providing that the right of appeal for patients who are dissatisfied with the NHS service they receive can be made to a locally accountable body following the implementation of the Health and Social Care Bill. [74074]
Mr Simon Burns: The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 allow for a complaint about NHS services to be made to either the commissioner or the provider of those NHS services.
We envisage that the principles underlying these arrangements will continue following the implementation of the Health and Social Care Bill. A complaint would
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be made either to the provider of the service or to either the NHS Commissioning Board or Clinical Commissioning Group.
If a complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of their complaint at this local level, they will continue to be able to take their complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to ensure that the commissioning function remains a public function carried out by a public body following the implementation of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill. [74076]
Mr Simon Burns: Yes. This policy is already reflected in the Health and Social Care Bill. The National Health Service Commissioning Board and clinical commissioning groups established in accordance with the provisions proposed by the Health and Social Care Bill would be statutory public bodies and, as such, would be responsible for the exercise of their statutory functions. As now, NHS commissioners could arrange for external organisations to provide support for commissioning, but statutory responsibility for commissioning decisions would continue to rest with the NHS Commissioning Board or the clinical commissioning group.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to ensure that Directors of Public Health retain autonomy following the implementation of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill. [74086]
Anne Milton: The Health and Social Care Bill gives local authorities clear duties for improving the health of their local populations. The Bill also says that they must employ a director of public health to deliver these public health functions. Directors of public health will undertake these functions in a professional, impartial and objective way within the corporate structure of their local authority. The Bill also requires directors of public health to write an annual report that can chart local progress; local authorities must publish this report.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to seek the removal of Clause 4 from the Health and Social Care Bill. [74137]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government believe that clause 4 of the Bill achieves the right balance of autonomy and accountability, ensuring that the Secretary of State for Health retains ultimate responsibility for the NHS while empowering those closest to patients to take clinical decisions.
However, as the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow), made clear during Commons Report and the Under-Secretary of State for Health my noble Friend, Earl Howe, reiterated at Lords Second Reading, we are willing to listen to and consider the concerns that have been raised and make any necessary amendment to put it beyond doubt that the Secretary of State remains responsible and accountable for a comprehensive health service.
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Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential impact of implementation of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill on vulnerable households; and if he will make a statement. [74273]
Mr Simon Burns: The Equality Analysis for the Health and Social Care Bill assesses the equality impact of the reforms set out in the Bill. In carrying out this analysis the Department considered the impact in relation to age; disability; gender reassignment; pregnancy and maternity; race and ethnicity; religion and belief; sex; sexual orientation and socio-economic status.
The Equality Analysis can be found on the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsLegislation/DH_123583
Health Services
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to involve allied health professionals and the health clinicians in strategic planning through joint strategic needs assessments and joint health and wellbeing strategies; [74081]
(2) whether he plans to place Health and Wellbeing Boards under a statutory duty to gain specialist advice from allied health professionals and other NHS clinicians. [74082]
Anne Milton: Beyond the minimum membership set out in the Health and Social Care Bill, local authorities and the Health and Wellbeing Boards will be able to invite other members with particular skills and expertise, including representatives of the allied health professions or other national health service clinicians.
The membership of Health and Wellbeing Boards should be determined locally. Too much prescription would prevent local membership from being determined in a way that reflects local needs and priorities.
It is important to be clear that the purpose of this policy is not just about setting up a committee, but about stimulating effective joint working for and with local people and communities.
Membership is not the only way to get involved with the work of Health and Wellbeing Boards. We expect that Health and Wellbeing Boards will want to ensure they have wider mechanisms in place to draw on the expertise of other groups, including allied health professionals and other NHS clinicians, when developing their Joint strategic needs assessments and joint health and well-being strategies.
Health Services: EU Nationals
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been recovered from EU countries for citizens of those countries who received medical care from the NHS in the latest year for which figures are available. [75099]
Anne Milton: For the year 2010-11, the Department received payments totalling £51.7 million from European Economic Area countries for citizens of those countries who received medical care from the national health service.
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The £51.7 million quoted is under European Union Regulations and relates to healthcare provided to temporary visitors using a European Health Insurance Card; workers posted to the United Kingdom by their employer, patient referrals and state pensioners residing in the UK.
Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid by the UK Government to EU member states under the European Health Insurance Card scheme in each of the last five years; how much is owed by the UK Government to EU member states under the scheme; and if he will make a statement. [73757]
Anne Milton: The following table provides available information of payments to member states. The amounts relate to combined claims for temporary visitors (via European Health Insurance Cards), workers temporarily posted abroad by their employer and referrals for treatment in other European economic area countries. Due to the nature of the claims system between member states, it is not currently possible to disaggregate the data consistently for all member states by either type of claim or type of treatment.
|
|
£ |
| Notes: 1. £ equivalent totals based on exchange rates at the time of the payment. 2. Totals are rounded to the nearest £100,000. 3. Comparable data for years prior to 2007-08 are not available. | |
The amount owed by the United Kingdom for equivalent claims submitted up to and including the financial year 2010-11 is £65.5 million.
Heart Diseases: Children
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings he has had to discuss the Children's Congenital Cardiac Services Review; and how many of those meetings (a) included and (b) excluded discussion of Leeds General Infirmary's Heart Unit. [73705]
Mr Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), has kept abreast of the progress of the Children's Congenital Cardiac Services Review through submissions and meetings with officials. The Secretary of State for Health has met with Cystic Fibrosis Trust, and while it was discussed, the focus of his meeting was not on the Children's Congenital Cardiac Services Review. He also met with hon. Members from the Yorkshire and Humber region to discuss the terms of a backbench business committee debate rather than specific issues concerning the paediatric unit at the Leeds General Infirmary.
HIV Infection
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what metrics to assess the extent of late diagnosis of HIV by local authorities and primary care trusts will be contained in his Department's Public Health Outcomes Framework; [73388]
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(2) what targets he plans to set for early diagnosis and treatment of HIV in his Department's Public Health Outcomes Framework. [73389]
Anne Milton: The Public Health Outcomes Framework will set out the key priorities for improving the public's health and provide a means for local and national transparency and accountability. It will be for local authorities with their partners to agree the level of improvement they will wish to make against public health indicators in line with the Outcomes Framework.
We consulted on a broad range of indicators as part of our proposals for a Public Health Outcomes Framework. Among a number of indicators the consultation proposed an indicator on the “Proportion of persons presenting with HIV at a late stage of infection”. This proposal received strong support from stakeholders, and following consultation and further development, we are considering the inclusion of this indicator within the final framework which we expect to publish in the autumn.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will assess the potential savings to other parts of the NHS budget which could arise from increasing early diagnosis of HIV in each of the next four financial years; [73401]
(2) what resources his Department plans to provide to primary care trusts to increase the early diagnosis of HIV in each of the next four financial years. [73402]
Anne Milton: The Department recognise the benefits of early HIV diagnosis which include preventing the onward transmission of HIV, improved treatment outcomes for patients and savings to the national health service. In March 2011, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its public health guidance “Increasing the uptake of HIV testing in men who have sex with men” and “Increasing the uptake of HIV testing among black Africans in England”, the groups most affected by HIV in the United Kingdom. The NICE accompanying costing report included a local costing template to assess the local impact of implementing the NICE guidelines including the costs and saving to the NHS. Both the guidance and the costing report are available on the NICE website at:
www.nice.org.uk/Search.do?keywords=HIV&tsearch submit=GO&searchSite=on&searchType=AII&newSearch=l
In 2009-10, the Department funded eight pilot projects to assess different models for expanding HIV testing in non-specialist health care settings in primary and secondary care. In September 2011 the Health Protection Agency published a report of their review of all eight projects—“Time to test for HIV: Expanding HIV testing in healthcare and community services in England” a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The Department will consider the report's findings in developing the new sexual health policy document.
Up to 2013, it is for primary care trusts to commission and fund interventions to increase the offer and uptake of HIV testing in a variety of health care settings, taking into account the local prevalence of HIV and other health care priorities. The Department is funding the charity the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health to produce information resources to support primary care staff in offering an HIV test.
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Hospitals: Admissions
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to collecting and publishing data on emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge from hospital according to diagnosis code as part of the data collection within the NHS Outcomes Framework. [74080]
Mr Simon Burns: Data on emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge from hospital are available from the National Centre for Health Outcomes Development compendium, and can be accessed at:
www.nchod.nhs.uk
The compendium includes information on emergency readmissions for a small number of individual procedures.
Since the publication of “The NHS Outcomes Framework 2011/12”, we have been working to refine the indicators in the framework as well as finalising the approaches to measuring and reporting of outcome measures.
As part of this work, consideration has been given to refining the definition of the indicator ‘emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge from hospital' but it has not examined the feasibility of disaggregating the indicator by diagnosis code.
Hospitals: Construction
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will allow local authorities to use prudential borrowing to fund the building of new hospitals in cases where the (a) interest rate and (b) total cost to the public purse can be demonstrated to be lower than the use of a proposed private finance initiative scheme. [73130]
Mr Simon Burns: Local authorities can contribute to the funding of national health service schemes which involve an element of delivering service for which they are responsible and accountable.
Any such scheme is subject to a value for money test as part of the standard business case process, which includes a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the optimal procurement route, i.e. whether to use public capital or the private finance initiative (PFI). The exact form of public capital funding is not assumed or determined as part of the value for money test as the cost of raising the required capital by the Government is the same for all public capital funding options. Different forms of funding, such as loans under Prudential Borrowing Limits or Public Dividend Capital, used by different Government Departments for differing purposes, will mean different cashflow implications for the public authority concerned, such as an NHS trust. However, this will not affect the overall economic cost to the taxpayer, which is the criterion used in such value for money tests.
In the value for money test it is the balance between the additional cost of raising private finance under PFI against the value of risk transferred to the private sector and an adjustment to take account of differential taxation under each option which determines which offers best overall value for money for the taxpayer.
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Injuries: Dogs
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to the NHS in Yorkshire and the Humber was of treatment in hospitals due to injuries inflicted by dogs in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11. [73424]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on the average cost to the national health service in Yorkshire and the Humber of treatment in hospitals due to injuries inflicted by dogs is not centrally held.
The number of finished admission episodes with a cause code of ‘bitten or struck by dog' for the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is held centrally. Data for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are shown in the following table:
|
|
Finished admission episodes |
| (1) The 2010-11 data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period, ie November from the (month 9) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected. Notes: 1. A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2. Data for A&E attendances are not available. 3. Cause code is a supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in HES. The cause code used was W54—‘bitten or struck by dog'. 4. In July 2006, the NHS reorganised SHAs and primary care trusts (PCT) in England from 28 SHAs into 10, and from 303 PCTs into 152. As a result, data from 2006-07 onwards are not directly comparable with previous years. Data have been presented for those SHA/PCTs which have valid data for the breakdown presented here. As a result, some SHA/PCTs may be missing from the list provided. 5. HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so are no longer included in admitted patient HES data. 6. In-patients are patients who are admitted to hospital and occupy a bed, including both admissions where an overnight stay is planned and day cases. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care. | |
Maternity Services
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that maternity care is commissioned on a whole-pathway basis. [74887]
Anne Milton: In 2012-13, the Department is introducing tariffs to enable pathway commissioning for maternity care. Initially, this funding system will be on a shadow basis to test its impact and allow the development of commissioning contracts. The expectation is that full implementation will take place from 2013-14.
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Midwives
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives there are in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England. [73454]
Anne Milton: The NHS Information Centre's annual census data are collected by strategic health authority (SHA) region, and not by constituency boundaries. The following table shows the number of midwives working in the NHS in the East Midlands SHA and England.
| NHS hospital and community services: Midwives in England, the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority area and each specified organisation as at 30 September 2010 | |
|
|
Headcount |
| Note: Figures shown are for staff associated with employers based in Nottinghamshire. Data q uality: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: The NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care Non-Medical Workforce Census. | |
Multiple Sclerosis: Medical Treatments
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to take steps to improve the UK's international ranking in relation to access to new treatments for multiple sclerosis; and if he will make a statement. [73433]
Mr Simon Burns: A number of treatments for multiple sclerosis are available to national health service patients in England, supported by the multiple sclerosis risk sharing scheme and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance. NICE'S forthcoming review of its clinical guideline on multiple sclerosis will bring together up-to-date advice on the best treatments for patients, as part of the overall package of care.
The use of multiple sclerosis treatments in the rest of the United Kingdom is a matter for the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Naloxone
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the name is of the manufacturer of naloxone used in the N-Alive trials in prisons. [72990]
Paul Burstow:
The product Naloxone is a generic drug, therefore the supply could come from several companies, however the N-ALIVE research team are
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purchasing pre-filled syringes from Cardinal, who produce and sell them via their company Aurum Livery through Martindale Pharma.
NHS Foundation Trusts: Food
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his policy is on allowing all hospital trusts in England to decide what consumables they buy; [74098]
(2) whether he has assessed the possibility for greater efficiency savings in the procurement of consumables by NHS acute and foundation trusts in England; [74099]
(3) what consideration he has given to (a) intervening, (b) directing or (c) providing guidance to NHS acute and foundation trusts on reducing the cost of the procurement of consumables. [74100]
Mr Simon Burns: All trusts are aiming to be independent of the Department's direct control by April 2014, i.e. becoming national health service foundation trusts. Accountability for effective procurement will sit primarily with their boards. The Department's strategy on procurement of goods and services (including consumables) is to develop trusts into better informed clients, able to make decisions based on improved and more transparent data and able to make better use of regional and national procurement organisations such as NHS Supply Chain.
To this end, the Department has been working with organisations such as Monitor and the Foundation Trust Network as well and holding workshops to support the NHS in delivering £1.2 billion in savings on procurement of goods and services under the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) workstream. This applies exclusively to NHS providers—NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts.
These savings are to come in four main areas:
reducing price variation (all providers to use best available prices): £598 million;
efficiencies in back office organisation: £65 million;
improved use and management of stock: £283 million; and
clinical efficiencies (release of time for more direct clinical work): £142 million.
To support this, the Department is currently working on the finalising of key performance indicators to be introduced by April 2012 which can successfully measure improvements made by trusts in the management of their non-pay spend. The new strategy based around the work strands of greater transparency on pricing; promoting and improving the national collaborative bodies such as NHS Supply Chain; and product standardisation and rationalisation, which as is mentioned above are currently being consulted on within the NHS, will be formally launched by April 2012.
NHS: Billing
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints his Department received concerning delays in the payment of bills by the NHS from each strategic health authority area in each month of (a) 2010 and (b) 2011. [73015]
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Mr Simon Burns: The Department has received seven letters in 2010 and six letters in 2011 in relation to concerns with delays in the payment of bills.
A search of the Department's correspondence database identified the following items of correspondence. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department's central correspondence team only. The following table shows this figure split by month received and strategic health authority cluster area.
|
|
Strategic health authority cluster area | Number of cases |
As set out in the Better Payment Practice Code for national health service trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities, the Government recognise the importance of paying suppliers promptly and in line with contractual requirements, and this will continue to be the case under our proposals for modernising the NHS.
NHS: Drugs
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) societal, (b) carer and (c) other components will be considered in his Department's assessment of value under value-based pricing; and if he will make a statement. [73261]
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Mr Simon Burns: A response to the Government's consultation for a new value based system of pricing branded medicines was published on 18 July. That document explained that the Government's objective is to use society's valuation of treatments and their impacts to inform the development of the value based pricing (VBP) model. In respect of wider societal benefits this entails considering the full range of potential impacts of treatments beyond their health effects, determining which of these ought to be included in VBP and developing a transparent mechanism for reflecting their value as accurately as possible. As we take forward our work in this area, we intend to collaborate with external experts and stakeholders, to ensure that the VBP system is clear, robust and transparent, and that industry, patients, clinicians and all others who have an interest can understand how valuations are made in the new system.
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had on the creation of a legacy scheme for the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation scheme from 1 January 2014. [73262]
Mr Simon Burns: A response to the Government's consultation for a new value based system of pricing branded medicines was published on 18 July. In that document, we set out our intention that value based pricing will apply to new active substances placed on the market from 1 January 2014. However, the vast majority of branded medicines already on the market before 2014 will be considered by the successor arrangements to the current Pharmaceutical Price Regulation scheme. The Department is taking forward this work.
NHS: Expenditure
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has spent on (a) pharmaceutical products, (b) IT equipment, (c) IT services, (d) hospital equipment and (e) management consultants in each of the last five years. [73507]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is shown in the following table.
| £000 | |||||
|
|
2009-10 | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 | 2005-06 |
| (1) Includes primary care prescribing (primary care trusts (PCTs)) and drugs used in secondary care (PCTs and national health service trusts). Source: NHS audited summarisation schedules (prescribing costs) and NHS financial returns (drugs) (2) Capital expenditure (purchased additions to non-current assets) under the ‘IT' heading (PCTs, strategic health authorities (SHAs) and NHS trusts). The figures do not include revenue expenditure on IT equipment, which is not separately identifiable from the financial data held. Source: NHS audited summarisation schedules (3) Revenue expenditure on maintenance and data processing contracts (PCTs, SHAs and NHS trusts). Source: NHS financial returns (4) Revenue expenditure on the purchase and maintenance of medical, surgical, x-ray and laboratory equipment. The figures do not include capital expenditure on hospital equipment, which is not separately identifiable from the financial data held. Source: NHS financial returns (5) Consultancy services (PCTs, SHAs and NHS trusts). Data for consultancy services expenditure were collected for the first time in 2007-08. Source: NHS audited summarisation schedules | |||||
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The Department does not collect data from NHS foundation trusts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data provided are only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust.
NHS: Private Sector
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what areas of NHS provision he expects private sector businesses to operate under his proposals for NHS reform. [73021]
Mr Simon Burns: We expect national health service services to be commissioned from the provider (or providers) best able to meet patients' needs and deliver value for taxpayers' money whether from the public, private or voluntary sector.
A plural system of provision already exists in the NHS, for example within primary care and mental health services. For services where there is competition between providers this must be fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. However, it will remain the responsibility of commissioners to take decisions, in the context of the mandate from the Secretary of State for Health on where services should be competing as a means to improving those services for patients.
NHS: Procurement
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to introduce a system within the proposed new NHS structure to ensure that procurement practices achieve value for money; [74266]
(2) what assessment he has made of the extent to which NHS procurement practices enable the making of efficiency savings. [74267]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has in place clear plans through the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) workstream to support the national health service in making £1.2 billion in savings on procurement of goods and services over the next three years. This applies exclusively to NHS providers—NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts.
These savings are to come in four main areas:
reducing price variation (all providers to use best available prices)—£598 million;
efficiencies in back office organisation—£65 million;
improved use and management of stock —283 million; and
clinical efficiencies (release of time for more direct clinical work)—£142 million.
To support this, the Department is currently working on the finalising of key performance indicators to be introduced by April 2012 which can successfully measure improvements made by trusts in the management of their non-pay spend. The Department has also developed a new procurement strategy based around three key work strands of greater transparency on pricing; promoting and improving the national collaborative bodies such as NHS Supply Chain; and product standardisation and rationalisation. Following completion of consultations on these measures within the NHS, this new procurement strategy will be formally launched by April 2012.
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In terms of procuring clinical services for NHS patients, the Health and Social Care Bill would provide for the Secretary of State to impose regulations on commissioners for the purpose of ensuring that they adhere to good procurement practice when commissioning health services for the purposes of the NHS.
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have had with NHS trusts on the sharing of best practice in respect of the adoption of money-saving technologies. [74269]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department actively pursues opportunities to support the national health service to share best practice in general and in particular on the adoption of money-saving technologies including:
collating a national register of local Quality, innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) digital initiatives for the direct purpose of bringing local teams together and sharing collateral;
providing guidance to local teams in using existing frameworks for money-saving technologies (such as online meeting services that provide direct cash-releasing savings); and
supporting other QIPP national workstreams such as QIPP Long-Term Conditions in bringing their local teams together in exploiting money-saving technologies.
In addition, officials within QIPP and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence have been in discussions with NHS trusts to identify case studies of best practice in how the NHS is improving quality and productivity while making efficiency savings across the NHS and social care—many of which utilise innovative technology.
These cases studies are available online at:
www.evidence.nhs.uk/qipp
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in UK-based small and medium-sized enterprises that are dependent on NHS procurement or the NHS supply chain. [74973]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally.
The Department is committed to encouraging the national health service to comply with the transparency requirements that apply to all Government bodies as set out in Cabinet Office guidance. This includes measures such as promoting the use of standardised forms such as pre-purchase questionnaires held on a centralised database, so suppliers can submit information once only; and encouraging NHS Supply Chain, Buying Solutions and other NHS procurement partners to simplify access for small and medium sized enterprises to their contracting activities.
NHS: Repairs and Maintenance
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of future liabilities for NHS Trusts as a result of maintenance backlogs. [73092]
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Mr Simon Burns: The Department collects data on the backlog maintenance of national health service organisations annually. This represents the capital investment required to bring their estate up to an appropriate condition. The total backlog maintenance reported in 2009-10 was £4,096 million. All backlog maintenance collected from the NHS is published at:
www.hefs.ic.nhs.uk
Management of the NHS estate, including decisions on the capital investment made to reduce backlog maintenance, is undertaken locally by NHS organisations. These decisions will reflect the quality of the existing estate, the organisation's future plans for it and the resources they have available.
NICE: Cost Effectiveness
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the University of York on assessment of NICE cost-effectiveness thresholds. [73260]
Mr Simon Burns: The work being led by the University of York is independent research, commissioned in 2008 by the National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council.
Departmental officials have participated as observers at a workshop in which preliminary findings were discussed with a range of stakeholders. Departmental officials are not involved in directing or influencing the work of the academics leading the study.
Obesity
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce levels of childhood obesity; [74225]
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to publish a Government strategy for obesity. [74646]
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to tackle childhood obesity. [72973]
Anne Milton: The Government have recently published “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A call to action on obesity in England”. This sets out how obesity among adults and children will be tackled in the new public health and national health service systems, and the role of key partners. I refer the hon. Members to the written ministerial statement on the call to action issued on 13 October 2011, Official Report, columns 43-44WS.
A copy of the document has already been placed in the Library.
Organs: Donors
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve levels of organ donation. [74223]
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Anne Milton: An independent Organ Donation Taskforce (ODTF) published its first report “Organs for Transplants” in January 2008 and made 14 recommendations to increase donor rates and make organ donation a usual part of end of life care. Implementation of the ODTF recommendations has seen donor rates rise by around 28%, since 2008. Work continues at local, regional and national levels to further strengthen the donation infrastructure to reach the 50% increase in donors by 2013 anticipated by the ODTF. This includes an increase in the number of highly trained Specialist Nurses for Organ Donation, the appointment of Clinical Leads for Organ Donation, and the establishment of Organ Donation Committees driving improvement locally.
Work also continues to encourage more people to add their name to the Organ Donor Register (ODR). Much of this work is led by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) in liaison with a number of partners in the private, public and third sectors. Examples include asking people to sign up to the ODR when they register with a new general practitioner (GP), when applying for a new passport or European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), and when applying for a Boots advantage card. The prompted choice scheme, working in partnership with the Department for Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, requires people applying for a driving licence online to make a choice about organ donation. NHSBT publicise the need for more people to register as donors through their public awareness campaigns, via the organ donation website and their national helpline. This includes the annual National Transplant week, this year held between 4 and 10 July.
Pancreatic Cancer
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to increase pancreatic cancer survival rates. [75218]
Paul Burstow: “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published on 12 January, sets out a range of measures to improve cancer survival rates in England. The Strategy sets out an ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15 through earlier diagnosis of cancer and improved access to screening and radiotherapy.
To support earlier diagnosis of cancer, the Government have committed over £450 million over the next four years. This money will be used to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer; fund increased general practitioner access to diagnostic tests; and pay for more testing and treatment in secondary care.
The Strategy also sets out our commitment to work with a number of rarer cancer-focused charities to assess what more can be done to encourage appropriate referrals to secondary care for earlier diagnosis. Departmental officials have already met with a number of these charities, including a pancreatic cancer charity, with the aim of identifying some of the barriers to early diagnosis and to discuss potential solutions. This will inform our future work in this area.
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Finally, “Improving Outcomes in Upper Gastro-intestinal Cancers”, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2001, makes recommendations on the treatment, management and care of patients with upper gastro-intestinal cancers, including pancreatic cancer. The Cancer Outcomes Strategy makes it clear that the improving outcomes in cancer NICE guidance will continue to be a feature of all commissioned cancer services.
Patients
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that the interests of the patient remain the primary priority for doctors. [74075]
Mr Simon Burns: The proposed reforms to national health service commissioning arrangements do not in any way alter the existing duties of general practitioners (GPs) as clinicians to provide high quality primary medical care to meet the needs of patients, as required by their contracts and the terms of their registration as doctors. Under the proposed arrangements for clinical commissioning, GPs will also have an enhanced role in protecting the interests of patients, through their membership of clinical commissioning groups that plan and secure the majority of NHS services. This will ensure that commissioning decisions are made by those with the best understanding of local patients' needs.
Pharmacy: Regulation
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the efficacy of the regulatory regime that applies to pharmacy wholesalers; and whether he has any plans to alter that regulatory regime. [74077]
Mr Simon Burns: Registered pharmacies are currently exempt under the Medicines Act 1968 from the need to hold a Wholesale Dealer's licence to wholesale deal licensed medicines. Such dealing should be limited to an inconsiderable part of their pharmacy business. Recent experience of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in investigating cases in which counterfeits have entered the legitimate supply chain suggests that there is a need to strengthen the rules governing trade in medicines not carried out by Wholesale Dealers to limit potential for infiltration of the supply chain by counterfeit medicines. The MHRA has undertaken two public consultations on proposals to address this issue as it relates to pharmacies, and is still considering what measures to introduce.
Speech and Language Disorders: Research
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what longitudinal studies on speech, language and communication his Department undertook in each of the last five years. [73070]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has not directly funded any longitudinal studies on speech, language and communication during the last five years. The National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network is currently providing research infrastructure support for a longitudinal study of dyslexia and specific language impairment led by the university of York.
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Stem Cells
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of stem cell treatments to human health. [74224]
Anne Milton: The Department keeps developments and advances in stem cell science under constant review in order to assess the potential for improved healthcare treatments.
In 2010, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) carried out a review of current national health service stem cell transplant services for the treatment of Leukaemia and other blood disorders. The review's report, “The Future of Unrelated Donor Stem Cell Transplantation in the UK” was published in December 2010 and a copy has already been placed in the Library. The report made 20 recommendations to improve stem cell treatment services and £4,000,000 in additional funding has been provided by the Department this financial year to begin implementation.
In July 2011, a joint report with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: “Taking Stock of Regenerative Medicine in the United Kingdom”, was published. The report considered the increasingly vital role of regenerative medicine in delivering the next generation of healthcare. As with the report above, a copy has already been placed in the Library.
Suffolk Primary Care Trust: Continuing Care
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on NHS Continuing Care by Suffolk Primary Care Trust since 2001. [73259]
Paul Burstow: Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT) spent £5.326 million on continuing health care in 2009-10. The source of these data is the 2009-10 audited summarisation schedules of Suffolk PCT. 2009-10 was the first year in which these data were collected. A figure for 2010-11 is currently unavailable as the audit of the NHS (England) Summarised Account is ongoing.
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters he has received on funding for civil society organisations within his Department's area of responsibility in each month since 1 June 2010; and if he will make a statement. [73984]
Mr Simon Burns: A search of the Department's correspondence database has identified 90 items of correspondence received since 1 June 2010 about funding for charitable or voluntary sector organisations. This is a minimum figure that represents correspondence received by the Department's Central Correspondence Team only. The following table shows this figure split by month received.
| Items of correspondence received by the Department's Central Correspondence Team concerning funding for charitable or voluntary sector organisations | |
| Month received | Number of cases |
17 Oct 2011 : Column 791W
| Note: The ‘number of cases' for October 2011 is a month-to-date figure, up to 13 October 2011. Source: Central Correspondence Team, Department of Health. | |
Tranquillisers: Misuse
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take following his Department's recent round table meeting on involuntary tranquilliser addiction. [73506]
Anne Milton: I convened a roundtable meeting of stakeholders on 15 September to discuss the future actions to tackle addiction to medicines. This included consideration of the specific actions required to:
1. Support GPs to respond to the issues of addiction to medicine.
2. Improve access to treatment and support.
3. Improve the commissioning of services to local need.
4. Increase public and professional awareness of addiction to medicines.
The Department will be publishing the list of agreed actions in due course and reconvening the stakeholders group to review progress in four to six months’ time.
Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems are being put in place to address drug-resistant tuberculosis in (a) England and (b) London. [74306]
Anne Milton: The key to addressing drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is successful completion of treatment. The Department has supported the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in development of national clinical guidance for treatment and control of TB.
In London, national health service commissioners are currently reviewing the configuration of TB services to ensure they operate in the most clinically and cost-effective way. Local arrangements are in place to ensure that people with drug resistant TB are treated by clinical teams with specialist expertise and the current review will determine whether these arrangements need to be
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strengthened. A common approach to the use of directly observed therapy has already been agreed, which should reduce the number of drug resistant cases in the future.
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be responsible for commissioning (a) immunisation, (b) screening, (c) treatment and (d) other tuberculosis services and programmes across London in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14. [74307]
Anne Milton: In 2012-13, it is proposed that primary care trust clusters will be responsible for commissioning immunisation, screening, treatment and other tuberculosis (TB) services and programmes across London. The details of this arrangement are still being developed.
The details of commissioning arrangements for all TB services in London for beyond 2013 are still being developed.
X-rays
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that all hospitals adopt common standards of performing and recording laboratory and x-ray investigations. [74272]
Mr Simon Burns: The provision of diagnostic services is a regulated activity for which the Care Quality Commission (CQC) sets essential and common registration requirements to ensure basic standards of safety and quality. The Department has also supported a range of measures intended to reduce variation in the way investigations are undertaken and recorded, working with relevant professional organisations such as the Royal College of Pathologists, the Royal College of Radiologists and the Society of Radiographers to identify and implement opportunities for improving standards of professional practice in addition to the codes of practice already in use.
For pathology laboratory investigations, the Department is working with Connecting for Health and the Royal College of Pathologists to develop the first National Laboratory Medicine Catalogue (NLMC). This will enable a standardised form of requesting and reporting pathology results intended to improve patient safety and outcomes by ensuring that all pathology tests use the same terminology and units of measurement. Through minimising local variations in pathology test requesting and reporting, the NLMC will also improve general practitioner and trust ability to commission and provide services across regional boundaries. This will increase options for patient choice.
In addition, the Department has asked NHS Improvement to work with pathology laboratories across England to support the introduction of LEAN methodologies into laboratory practice. These will further assist standardisations in professional practice.
For x-ray investigations in radiology, also known as ‘medical exposures', the standardisation of the way tests are undertaken is effected by legislation. The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2000 as amended in 2006 and 2011 (IR(ME)R) are intended to protect individuals undergoing medical exposures against the dangers associated with the use of ionising radiation and define a number of obligations. The key requirements of IR(ME)R are that all such procedures carry a net benefit to the individual (i.e. justified); a radiation dose as low as reasonably practicable is used (optimised); and
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that all personnel directly involved with the medical exposure are adequately trained for the tasks they carry out.
In addition the Royal College of Radiologists, in collaboration with the Society and College of Radiographers, have introduced an Imaging Service Accreditation Scheme. The Department supports and encourages organisations to be accredited against this scheme.
When recording x-ray investigations, standardisation is encouraged through use of technology. The main computer systems used in collecting patient information are Radiology Information Systems and for storing images, the Picture Archiving Communication Systems. These are procured to common specifications developed by the Connecting for Health programme.
Mental Health: Higher Education
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to amending the legislative provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 in respect of mental health policy in higher education institutions. [74084]
Mr Willetts: I have been asked to reply.
Universities have duties under the Equality Act 2010 (which incorporated the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995) to support disabled staff and students in higher education, including those with mental health conditions.
The law establishes a framework of responsibility which higher educations must comply with and also
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promotes an anticipatory and proactive approach to supporting disabled students, including those suffering from mental illness. This may mean that there will be different approaches taken by different universities on this issue, as they seek to offer provision that anticipates the needs of their students and staff based on the unique circumstances of the institution. Individual institutions will use the law as a baseline standard to establish their own tailored policies, procedures and approaches. The Government have no plans to amend the provisions in the Equality Act relating to higher education institutions' duties towards disabled students.
There is guidance available to universities on supporting students and staff with mental health conditions from a range of sector and medical bodies, including the Heads of University Counselling Services, the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education (AMOSSHE), the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the former Disability Rights Commission and most recently from the UniversitiesUK/Guild HE Working Group for the Promotion of Mental Well-Being in Higher Education.
Students can use an institution's internal complaints process to raise any concerns about discrimination and pursue their complaint with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) if they have exhausted the internal processes and remain dissatisfied with the outcome. Universities are subject to the courts in the application of these duties. Any student who feels they have been discriminated against can seek legal advice about their situation, and the advice of the Equality and Human Rights Commission which provides guidance on discrimination matters and has a statutory enforcement role (established in the 2006 Equality Act).