General Practitioners: Birmingham
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions GP out-of-hours services in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency had fewer than the contracted number of GPs available in each month of (a) 2012 and (b) 2013 to date. [157684]
Anna Soubry: The data requested are not collected centrally. It is for out-of-hours providers to determine the appropriate level of staffing for their services, based on local circumstances, including determining the level of general practitioner (GP) cover according to the availability of other urgent care services in the area.
Providers must ensure that their staffing levels enable them to meet the national quality requirements for out- of-hours services, while clinical commissioning groups
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are responsible for ensuring local out-of-hours services are high quality, safe and effective in accordance with these requirements.
The national quality requirements stipulate that:
patients will be guaranteed a GP consultation—including a home visit if there is a
clinical need;
patients are treated by the clinician best equipped to meet their needs in the most appropriate location; and
services will be regularly audited to ensure that patients are receiving quality care.
General Practitioners: Cancer
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which body is responsible for ensuring that GPs and GPs with a special interest accreditation who diagnose, manage and excise low-risk basal cell carcinomas in the community are overseen and measured by a process of cancer peer review. [157911]
Dr Poulter: The current framework for the accreditation and re-accreditation of general practitioners with a special interest remains under review following the transition to the new arrangements for NHS services in England. Within NHS England this work is being led by Dr Mike Bewick, one of NHS England's two deputy national medical directors. Decisions on future arrangements will be confirmed in due course.
General Practitioners: Telephone Services
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England use (i) 0844 and (ii) 0845 numbers. [158815]
Dr Poulter: The requested information is not held centrally.
The regulations that underpin all general practitioner (GP) contracts contain a term to ensure that persons will not pay more to make relevant calls to their GP practice than they would to make equivalent calls to a geographical number.
General Practitioners: Working Hours
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of GPs have worked out of hours in each year since 1992. [157850]
Anna Soubry: This information is not held centrally.
Health and Wellbeing Boards
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many job descriptions for directors of public health to be appointed by health and well-being boards his Department has approved to date; and how many such appointees are currently in post. [158772]
Anna Soubry:
On 1 April 2013 104 director of public health posts covering 114 local authorities had been filled by former primary care trust directors of public health who transferred to local authorities as part of the transition process, and accepted the new position with the agreement of the Department and the relevant
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local authorities. In all other local authorities without a permanent director of public health, interim arrangements have been in place since 1 April 2013.
The new director of public health appointment arrangements will apply to those recruited to posts after 1 April 2013.
Since 1 April 2013, Public Health England has approved three job descriptions for director of public health roles following the introduction of the new appointment procedures.
Health Education: Young People
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to ensure that Public Health England works with health and well-being boards to promote health awareness in young people; and what steps he is taking to monitor progress in this area. [158527]
Anna Soubry: Public Health England (PHE) has set out in “Our priorities for 2013-14” (April 2013) the importance of health and well-being boards in bringing together key local partners to agree local priorities. For 2013-14 PHE has set five high-level priorities, one of which is specifically addressing our commitment to “Supporting families to give children and young people the best start in life”.
Through PHE centres, PHE will support local authorities by providing evidence and knowledge, as well as professional advice on what to do to improve health. As part of this, PHE will consider how health awareness in young people can be improved through national campaigns and making available resources and tools for agencies to use locally. PHE is committed to engaging with children, young people and carers to inform the work it does, and how it does it.
Health Professions: HIV Infection
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to respond to the consultation on the management of HIV-infected health care workers. [158453]
Anna Soubry: The Department expects to publish a response before the summer recess.
Health Services: North West
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the future of (a) North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust and (b) St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust. [158958]
Dr Poulter: A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database for correspondence received since 1 December 2012 has identified three items of correspondence about the future of St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and none about the future of Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (formerly the North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust). These are minimum figures which represent correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit only.
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On 26 February 2013 Official Report, column 163, during Health oral questions, my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington South (David Mowat), spoke about the private finance initiative scheme at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and sought assurance that the trust would not be required to merge with the Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The hon. Member for Warrington North (Helen Jones) sought similar assurance at the same session.
Health Services: Prisons
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on (a) alcohol treatment, (b) drug treatment, (c) mental health services and (d) psychology in each prison in England and Wales in each year since 2007. [158363]
Norman Lamb: Data are not collected centrally on spending on alcohol treatment, other specific drug treatments, mental health or psychological therapies in individual prisons. Data are collected on total health care spending in each prison, which includes spending on alcohol treatment, drug treatment, mental health and psychological therapies. The amount spent on these treatments as a proportion of total spending is not discernible from the data.
Data on total health care spending for each prison in England between 2007-08 and 2012-13 have been placed in the Library.
Data on Welsh prisons, are collected by the Welsh Government.
Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints he has received in each of the last three years from UK citizens whose European Health Insurance cards have not been accepted by clinics in the EU. [157837]
Anna Soubry:
The Department has received a number of complaints over the past three years relating to individuals who have been forced to use private health
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insurance rather than a valid European Health Insurance card in some European economic area countries, particularly Spain.
As a result, the Department has raised this issue directly with the Spanish Government and the European Commission. The Department does not record the total number of complaints received.
Health Services: Retirement
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on remuneration in the case of the early retirement of (a) clinical staff and (b) all categories of non-clinical staff in the NHS. [158567]
Dr Poulter: Most staff working in the national health service are entitled to contribute to the NHS Pension Scheme (NHSPS), which is governed by NHS Pension Scheme regulations. The scheme's early retirement terms apply where members draw their pension before their normal pension age (NPA) and are the same for clinical and non-clinical staff.
The NHSPS currently has two sections—the 1995 section, which generally has an NPA of 50, and the 2008 section, with an NPA of 65. The earliest age at which a member of the NHS pension scheme can draw their pension is their minimum pension age (MPA), which varies depending on the section of the scheme they are a member of, and when they started pensionable employment.
Members can choose to take voluntary early retirement, or may be retired prematurely because of redundancy or in the interests of the efficiency of the service. Both circumstances are outlined as follows.
Members who joined the 1995 section before 6 April 2006 can choose to take voluntary early retirement from 50 or 55 if they joined the scheme on or after 6 April 2006. Under these circumstances they will receive reduced benefits.
Table A shows how much a member’s pension and lump sum would be reduced by if they choose to retire early:
| Percentage | ||||||||||
| Age | ||||||||||
| 59 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 53 | 52 | 51 | 50 | |
Members in the 2008 section can choose to take voluntary early retirement from age 55, and also receive reduced benefits.
Table B shows how much a member's pension would be reduced by if they choose to retire early (please note, there is no compulsory lump sum in the 2008 section):
| Percentage | ||||||||||
| Age | ||||||||||
| 64 | 63 | 62 | 61 | 60 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 55 | |
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Where members of either section are retired prematurely because of redundancy or in the interests of the efficiency of the service their benefits may be paid immediately. These terms are set out in section 16 of the NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook and summarised as follows.
Members retiring in the interests of the efficiency of the service have their benefits paid without reduction by their employer, and the employer is required to meet the cost of paying the pension early. Members must have at least two years’ membership and have reached their MPA.
Staff made redundant who are over the MPA may choose either to take their redundancy payment and have their pension paid at the normal retirement age, or to take their benefits immediately, without reduction. Where a member chooses to take their pension immediately, the employer will use their redundancy payment to meet any additional costs that arise and pay the balance
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(if any) to the member. Where the redundancy payment is not enough to meet the costs, the employer will 'top up' the remainder.
Health: Research
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the amount of funding his Department has given to research on (a) mental and (b) physical health in each of the last five years; [157854]
(2) what research into mental health his Department is currently undertaking or funding. [157855]
Dr Poulter: Spend on research funded directly by the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) from 2008-09 to 2011-12 in mental health and other Health Research Classification System (HRCS) health categories is shown in the table. These figures do not take account of NIHR expenditure on research infrastructure and systems where spend cannot be attributed to health categories.
| £ | ||||
| Health category | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
Figures for 2012-13 are not yet available.
In addition, the Department commissions research through the Policy Research Programme (PRP). The PRP funds research to inform policy development and implementation across the full range of the Department's responsibilities, and data on PRP spend by HRCS health categories are not routinely collected.
The NIHR and PRP fund a wide range of research relating to mental health.
Details of research carried out by the NIHR Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre can be found on the centre's website at:
http://brc.slam.nhs.uk/our-research
The NIHR Clinical Research Network is currently hosting 285 studies in mental health that are in set-up or recruiting patients. Details of these studies can be found on the UK Clinical Research Network portfolio database at:
http://england.ukcrn.org.uk/Portfolio.aspx?Level1=5
Details of projects funded through programmes managed by the NIHR Central Commissioning Facility (CCF) can be found on the CCF website at:
www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/FundedProgrammes.aspx
Details of projects funded through programmes managed by the NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Centre (NETSCC) can be found on the NETSCC website at:
www.netscc.ac.uk/
Details of research awards managed by the NIHR Trainees Coordinating Centre (TCC) can be found on the TCC website at:
www.nihrtcc.nhs.uk/
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Details of research funded by the PRP are available on the Department's website at:
http://prp.dh.gov.uk/category/funded-research/
Heart Diseases: Children
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish for each of the last five years (a) mortality rates and (b) risk-adjusted PRAiS data on mortality rates for children's heart surgery units in England, broken down by the number of paediatric surgical procedures on the following basis: (i) less than 150, (ii) 151 to 250, (iii) 251 to 350, (iv) 351 to 450, (v) 451 to 550 and (vi) 551 and over. [158582]
Anna Soubry: The data are not available in the format requested. However, the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR) has published an analysis of outcome data for the 10 paediatric cardiac surgical units in England using the new model for monitoring surgical outcomes called ‘Partial Risk Adjustment in Surgery’ (PRAiS).
NICOR's PRAiS analysis only covers the three years 2009-10 to 2011-12, therefore it is not possible to provide the analysis over five years as requested.
The absolute mortality figures are available from the NICOR website, and the PRAiS analysis from the NHS England website:
https://nicor4.nicor.org.uk/CHD/an_paeds.nsf/WSummary Years?openview&RestrictToCategory=2011&start =1&count=500
www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/finl-rep-mort-paed-card-surg-2009-12.pdf
Heart Diseases: Drugs
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) considered in respect of the link and possible side effects with the use of statins and (i) memory loss, (ii) muscle aches and pains and (iii) itching; and if he will make a statement. [157121]
Norman Lamb: Statins are important and widely used medicines in patients with lipid disorders and in the prevention of heart attack and stroke. Evidence from large clinical trials shows that, overall, statins can reduce heart attacks and the need for bypass surgery, and can save lives in certain patient groups.
As with all medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) keeps the safety of statins under continuous review and promptly evaluates any new evidence, including published research and reports of side effects encountered in routine clinical practice, which may have implications for the safe use of statins.
Clinical trials have shown that statins are generally well tolerated by most people who use them. A European-wide review of statins in 2007 highlighted that prescribers and patients alike should be aware of the potential for some side effects which can, in rare cases, prove serious.
Muscle aches and pains in association with statin treatment are common and generally not serious, but in rare instances, ‘rhabdomyolysis’ or muscle breakdown has been reported.
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In light of this, patients should report inexplicable muscle pain, weakness or cramps to their general practitioner (GP) immediately, especially if associated with fever.
The review identified an increased risk of memory loss associated with statin therapy, mainly arising from individual safety reports submitted following licensing. Patients who develop problems with their memory during treatment should continue taking their statin and should seek advice from their GP.
Itching can occur alone or in association with skin reactions while taking statins. Such reactions are generally mild and well-tolerated. Itching can occasionally be a symptom of liver dysfunction, and all patients commencing statin treatment should undergo liver function monitoring before, and three months after, initiation of treatment. All of the side effects described are included in the product information for statins, and the outcome of the European review was communicated to health care professionals in the regular MHRA bulletin drug safety update.
The Department has not commissioned any research on these specific side effects.
Overall, the benefit of statins in reducing cardiovascular disease in at-risk patients strongly exceeds the risks. Patients should consult their GP if they have questions or concerns about their statin treatment.
Hospitals: Trafford
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make public the advice he has received from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel in relation to reconfiguration of hospital services in Trafford; and if he will make a statement. [158429]
Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), is currently considering the initial advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel concerning a new health deal for Trafford, and will make his decision in due course.
Hospitals: Waiting Lists
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England waited longer than 18 weeks for treatment in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13. [158856]
Anna Soubry: The information is shown in the following table. Information on the percentage of patients who started treatment within 18 weeks is also shown.
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| Referral to treatment (RTT): Number of patients that waited more than 18 weeks to start treatment during the month | ||||||
| Admitted treatment (admitted adjusted RTT pathways) | Non-admitted treatment (non-admitted RTT pathways | |||||
| Coventry Teaching primary care trust | West Midlands strategic health authority | England | Coventry Teaching primary care trust | West Midlands strategic health authority | England | |
| Note: Data is collected monthly. Admitted patients are those who started treatment requiring an admission to hospital during the month. Non-admitted patients are those who started treatment that did not require admission in the month. Source: Unify2 Referral to Treatment Waiting times return. www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/rtt-waiting-times/ | ||||||
| Percentage of patients that started treatment within 18 weeks during the month | ||||||
| Percentage | ||||||
| Admitted treatment (admitted adjusted RTT pathways) | Non-admitted treatment (non-admitted RTT pathways) | |||||
| Coventry Teaching primary care trust | West Midlands strategic health authority | England | Coventry Teaching primary care trust | West Midlands strategic health authority | England | |
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| Note: Data is collected monthly. Admitted patients are those who started treatment requiring an admission to hospital during the month. Non-admitted patients are those who started treatment that did not require admission in the month. Source: Unify2 Referral to Treatment Waiting times return. www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/rtt-waiting-times/ | ||||||
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what role the NHS Contribution to Public Health Senior Oversight Group plays with respect to Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommendations; [157799]
(2) what role the NHS Contribution to Public Health Executive Group plays in relation to Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommendations; [157800]
(3) which organisation is responsible for taking forward recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation; [157801]
(4) what roles his Department, NHS England and Public Health England play with regard to the delivery and implementation of vaccination and immunisation policy. [157826]
Anna Soubry: The roles of the Department, NHS England and Public Health England for national immunisation programmes, including in relation to recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), are described in a letter entitled “National screening and immunisation programmes”, which the Department published on 23 August 2012. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library.
The national health service Contribution to Public Health Senior Oversight Group forms part of the arrangements for oversight of the agreement made between the Secretary of State for Health and NHS England, under section 7A of the National Health Service Act 2006 (a section 7A agreement), about public health functions which NHS England exercises, including the delivery of national immunisation programmes. The NHS Public Health Steering Group (formerly Executive Group) advises and reports to the Senior Oversight Group. Both groups play a role in forward planning and the implementation of ministerial decisions on JCVI recommendations. A copy of the section 7A agreement for 2013-14 has been placed in the Library.
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the draft minutes of the meeting of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on 6 February 2013, on what date the annual review of a potential revision to the section 7A agreement between his Department and NHS England will take place; and what steps he will take to ensure that potential introduction of the meningococcal B vaccine into the childhood immunisation schedule would not be delayed by the annual review of the section 7A agreement. [158005]
Anna Soubry: The agreement made under section 7A of the National Health Service Act 2006 between the Secretary of State and NHS England, is currently an annual agreement made alongside the mandate to NHS England. The agreement for the financial year 2014-15 is expected to be concluded in October 2013, including the delivery of national immunisation programmes. This agreement will be kept under review.
Any decision on the timely introduction of a meningococcal B vaccine into the childhood immunisation schedule will be subject to the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to paragraph 7 of the draft minutes of the meeting of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on 6 February 2013, on what date the JCVI will make public the report from the working group on uncertainty in vaccine evaluation. [158006]
Anna Soubry: The report of the working group on uncertainty in vaccine evaluation and procurement is planned to be published as an annex to the revised code of practice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. The revised code is being finalised and is expected to be published later this year.
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will outline (a) the process that will follow a positive JCVI recommendation for a new vaccination and (b) who has overall responsibility for taking forward and implementing a positive JCVI recommendation following the coming into force of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. [158191]
10 Jun 2013 : Column 165W
Anna Soubry: When making a recommendation for a new vaccination programme, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) usually produces a statement explaining its conclusions, the basis for them and the evidence reviewed. The statement with the recommendations will be provided to Ministers for consideration.
Following ministerial consideration of the statement, the JCVI statement will be published and Ministers may issue a response to the JCVI statement and recommendations. Subject to Ministers' considerations, the Department, Public Health England and NHS England will collaborate to plan and implement the immunisation programme in question. This process will include discussions with the devolved Administrations and issues such as setting policy for the new programme based on JCVI's advice; securing resources for the programme; procuring, storing and distributing the vaccine; negotiating with providers of immunisation services; determining mechanisms for surveillance of vaccine uptake; providing guidance to health care professionals; and conducting marketing campaigns for the public to provide information and advice.
A new national immunisation programme will usually be included in the agreement between the Secretary of State and NHS England, under section 7A of the National Health Service Act 2006 (a section 7A agreement), about public health functions that NHS England exercises, including the delivery of national immunisation programmes.
The roles of the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England for national immunisation programmes, including in relation to recommendations from the JCVI, are described in a letter entitled ‘National screening and immunisation programmes’, which the Department of Health published on 23 August 2012 and has been placed in the Library.
Meat Products: Labelling
Mr Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Food Standards Agency will prosecute supermarkets and other food retailers following the recent mislabelling and mis-selling of meat products. [157856]
Anna Soubry: Prosecutions for the mislabelling of meat products fall within the remit of local authority (LA) environmental health or trading standards departments.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the police, working with their counterparts across Europe, are involved in a complicated and far-reaching investigation into horsemeat. At this stage, it cannot be confirmed whether prosecutions will result from this ongoing action. The FSA will be in contact with those LAs known to be involved in investigation work to find out what further steps they will take on the evidence gathered.
Medical Treatments Abroad: Radiotherapy
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many English patients were sent abroad for proton beam therapy between 31 March 2012 and 1 April 2013; and to which country each such patient was sent. [157116]
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Anna Soubry: 89 patients (17 adults and 72 children) from England were approved for referral for proton beam therapy overseas during the period 31 March 2012 and 1 April 2013. All of these patients were approved for referral to centres in the United States.
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which company holds the largest contract to provide mobile telephony services to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; how much is paid each year under that contract; how many individual services are covered by the contract; when the contract was awarded; and (a) when and (b) how the contract will next be renewed. [158156]
Norman Lamb: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has a mobile telephony contract with a single supplier: Vodaphone.
The value of this contract is £53,000 (excluding VAT) per annum including rental and call charges.
| Number | |
The contract was awarded in 14 May 2011 under a 2+2 contract agreement that runs for two years plus an option of a further two years. The mobile telephony services contract will be renewed in January 2014 following Government procurement guidelines.
Meningitis: Vaccination
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the meningococcal B vaccinations programme is on the agenda for the meeting of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation scheduled for 12 June 2013; [157827]
(2) what the timetable is for recruiting a new committee chair for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the recruitment process will not delay a decision on introducing the meningococcal B vaccine into the childhood immunisation schedule. [157828]
Anna Soubry: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will consider at its meeting on 12 June 2013 the conclusions of the JCVI meningococcal sub-committee following the sub-committee's review of evidence on the impact and cost effectiveness of potential meningococcal B immunisation strategies.
The indicative timetable for recruiting a new JCVI chair following an advertisement on the Department's website on 30 May 2013 and in The Lancet on 1 June 2013 is as follows:
Closing date: Midday on 27 June 2013
Shortlisting complete: early July
Interviews held: mid July
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This information is available on the Department's website in the information pack for applicants wishing to apply for the post. A copy of the information pack has been placed in the Library.
The recruitment process will not delay the committee's consideration of meningococcal B immunisation. The committee has agreed an acting chair from its existing membership.
Mental Illness: Cannabis
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of mental or behavioural disorder due to use of cannabinoids in each year since 2005-06. [158290]
Anna Soubry: Data on the number of hospital admissions are collected by finished admission episodes rather than by number of people. Data on the number of finished admission episodes to hospital with a primary diagnosis of mental or behavioural disorder due to the use of cannabinoids for each year since 2005-06 are given in the following table. It is important to note that finished admission episodes do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year
| Finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis of mental or behavioural issues due to use of cannabinoids, 2005-06 to 2011-12 | |
| Total admission episodes | |
| Notes: 1. Finished admission episodes: A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant; within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. 2. Primary diagnosis: The, primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 3. Data quality: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent, by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 4. Activity included: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre | |
Midwives: Unemployment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were unemployed in each of the last 10 years. [157847]
Dr Poulter: The Department does not have this information; it is not collected centrally.
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NHS 111
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the newly launched 111 service in easing strains on accident and emergency departments in (a) England, (b) the west midlands, (c) Dudley metropolitan borough and (d) Dudley North constituency; [157840]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of patients who are directed to accident and emergency departments by the newly launched 111 service in (a) England, (b) the west midlands, (c) Dudley metropolitan borough and (d) Dudley North constituency; [157841]
(3) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the newly launched 111 service does not increase the number of unnecessary referrals to accident and emergency departments. [157842]
Anna Soubry: NHS England is responsible for the performance of NHS 111, and will be working with area teams and commissioners to understand the impact of NHS 111 on the rest of the urgent and emergency care system.
The NHS 111 minimum dataset, which will report these data for the west midlands and England, is due to be published on 7 June under the national statistical guidelines.
Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group has implemented a range of schemes to reduce pressures on accident and emergency (A&E) at Russells Hall, in partnership with Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, West Midlands Ambulance Service, Dudley metropolitan borough council (DMBC) and Primecare, the provider of walk-in centre and out-of-hours GP services. These schemes include:
extended weekend and evening opening hours at Dudley Walk-in Centre;
the commissioning of an Acute Medicine Unit Rapid Assessment Team which triages likely medical admissions within 30 minutes of arrival at Russells Hall A&E;
a first responder service in place with DMBC to reduce 999 calls and conveyances for vulnerable people; and
increased intermediate care capacity through increased beds numbers.
The local NHS in Dudley has established a project board to implement recommendations made by the NHS Emergency Care Intensive Support Team. A multi-agency group has also been set up to monitor performance and develop the local urgent care model to address continuing pressures and lead the development of a local recovery and improvement plan, as required by NHS England.
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being made to improve the quality of service offered by the 111 line. [158294]
Anna Soubry: We recognise that the service has not been good enough and we are working closely with NHS England to ensure improvement in performance.
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NHS England has put a number of measures in place already; NHS England area teams have been keeping a close oversight of the issues and are supporting local clinical commissioning groups and individual providers to ensure the service improves.
In addition, NHS England has close monitoring arrangements, including, where necessary, daily monitoring, and also reports weekly on performance to the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt). They will continue to do so until the key performance indicators are routinely met.
It is for clinical commissioning groups, with their local clinicians, and supported by NHS England, to continue to work with all parts of their urgent care system to improve responsiveness and quality of services locally. We expect to see continued improved performance week on week into the summer.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payment has been received by his Department for paid-for mobile telephone calls to the NHS Direct 111 telephone number since the inception of that service. [158430]
Anna Soubry: No payment has been received by the Department for paid-for mobile telephone calls to the NHS 111 telephone number since the inception of the service.
NHS 111 is free to the caller from landlines, mobiles and payphones. The cost of this is picked up by NHS England.
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations are responsible for the NHS 111 service in each part of England. [158937]
Anna Soubry: NHS 111 services are locally commissioned by clinical commissioning groups; the service is being delivered by a range of different providers, including NHS Direct, ambulance trusts and a number of out-of-hours providers.
The following table shows the full list of providers.
| NHS 111 area | Contracted provider |
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Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the criteria required of each provider of NHS 111 under their contract. [158957]
Anna Soubry: NHS 111 has been entirely locally commissioned, so specific criteria have been set by local clinical commissioning groups. However, the Department has worked with the NHS to agree the NHS 111 National Service Specification (NSS) that applies to the NHS 111 service across all areas.
The NSS is based around four key principles:
Completion of a clinical assessment on the first call without the need for a call back;
Ability to refer callers to other providers without the caller being re-triaged;
Ability to transfer clinical assessment data to other providers and book appointments where appropriate; and
Ability to dispatch an ambulance without delay.
The “NHS 111 National Service Specification” ensures that the public experience the same high quality of service, wherever they are. A copy has been placed in the Library.
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NHS Walk-in Centres
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of walk-in centres that have closed in each English region since May 2010. [157993]
Anna Soubry: No information on walk-in centre closures is held centrally.
Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning walk-in centres locally based on an assessment of local need.
NHS: Disclosure of Information
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people are employed by his Department to investigate whistleblowing cases in the NHS; [158570]
(2) what process his Department initiates when it is made aware of a whistleblowing case in the NHS. [158571]
Dr Poulter: Staff working in the Department are not directly employed to investigate whistleblowing cases in the national health service. All whistleblowing cases received by the Department are logged and reviewed by officials, whose role is to ensure that concerns raised are referred on to an appropriate organisation with statutory or lead responsibility for the issue being referred.
The Department has a team responsible for overarching policy on whistleblowing in the NHS.
NHS: Pensions
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on allowing (a) clinical and (b) non-clinical staff to buy additional years for their pensions. [158951]
Dr Poulter: The facility for NHS pension scheme members to purchase additional years was withdrawn from 1 April 2008 following a review of the scheme. Transitional arrangements permitted applications received before this date for contracts starting on a member's birthday that falls in the 2008-09 scheme year.
Additionally, members who had a refund for any membership before 6 April 1978, or had general practitioner membership at any time, may be able to purchase additional service equal to that refunded period if an application is made when re-joining the scheme following a break in service.
Added years were replaced from 2008 with the facility to buy additional pension. Members can currently purchase up to £5,000 per annum of additional pension.
NHS pensions have produced a factsheet on added years which can be found at the following link:
www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Pensions/Documents/Pensions/Added_Years_factsheet_1995_all_members.pdf
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NHS: Social Enterprises
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to promote a social enterprise in delivering services within the NHS. [158110]
Norman Lamb: The Department is committed to enabling all types of provider to deliver national health service-funded services. This includes public, not-for-profit and for-profit providers, including social enterprises. The Department sees a particularly important role for social enterprises, charities, and voluntary sector organisations in delivering innovative, tailored and personalised services. Provisions in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 prevent the Department, Monitor, and NHS England from giving preferential treatment to any provider type.
The Department's right to request and right to provide initiatives have enabled staff in organisations across health and social care to set up staff-led social enterprises that have spun out of the NHS or a local authority. This has resulted in contracts worth nearly £1 billion being delivered by social enterprises, which translates to around 11% of the NHS community services budget.
The Department's Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF) has invested more than £110 million in nearly 600 social enterprises across health and social care. The SEIF was set up in 2007 to stimulate the role of social enterprise in health and social care. It provided investment to help new social enterprises start up and existing social enterprises grow and improve their services.
Nurses
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what comparative assessment he has made of the nurse-to-patient ratio in (a) the UK, (b) France, (c) Germany, (d) Italy, (e) the US and (f) Australia. [157812]
Dr Poulter: No international comparisons of nurse-to- patient ratios have been made. Patient numbers fluctuate on a daily, weekly and monthly basis whereas work force data are snapshots at the end of each month. Nurse-to-bed ratios are therefore more generally used. Although the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development publishes data on nurse-to-bed ratios this cannot be used for meaningful international comparisons because of inconsistencies in the basis and coverage of the data.
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2013, Official Report, column 49W, on nurses, how many nurses, excluding midwives and health visiting staff, there were (a) in the NHS and (b) in County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust on (i) 1 May 2010 and (ii) 1 May 2013. [158295]
Dr Poulter: The table shows the full-time equivalent figures for qualified nursing staff, excluding midwives and health visitors in the national health service in England and County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust for May 2010 and February 2013, the latest month for which figures are available.
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These figures do not include nurses working in general practitioner practices, who are not collected in the monthly workforce statistics.
Health visitors are qualified nurses who have done an additional post graduate qualification. They work with children under the age of five.
| NHS hospital and community health services provisional monthly statistics : Qualified nurses(1) in England, the North East Strategic Health Authority area and each specified . organisation as at 31 May 2010 and 28 February 2013 | ||
| Full-time equivalent | ||
| May 2010 | February 2013 | |
| (1) Figures are for qualified nursing staff, and exclude registered midwives and health visitors. Notes: 1. Provisional monthly workforce figures for May 2013 are due to be published in August 2013. 2. Full time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 3. As a consequence of TCS (Transforming Community Services) the former provider arm of some primary care trusts (PCTs) may have transferred into local acute trusts. This can be seen in the large increase in staff numbers at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, which subsumed staff from Darlington PCT in September 2011. 4. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre 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. 5. Monthly data: As from 21 July 2010 the Health and Social Care Information Centre has published provisional monthly NHS workforce data. As expected with provisional statistics, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. The monthly workforce data is not directly comparable with the annual workforce census; it only includes those staff on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) (i.e. it does not include Primary care staff or Bank staff); There are also new methods of presenting data (headcount methodology is different and there is now a role count). This information is available from September 2009 onwards at the following website: www.hscic.gov.uk Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics | ||
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2013, Official Report, column 49W, on nurses, how many midwives, excluding nurses and health visiting staff, there were (a) in the NHS and (b) in County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust on (i) 1 May 2010 and (ii) 1 May 2013. [158296]
Dr Poulter: The following table shows the full-time equivalent figures for midwives in the national health service in England and County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust for May 2010 and February 2013, the latest month for which figures are available.
| NHS hospital and community health services provisional monthly statistics: Registered midwives in England, the North East Strategic Health Authority area and each specified organisation, as at 31 May 2010 and 28 February 2013 | ||
| Full-time equivalent | ||
| May 2010 | February 2013 | |
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| Notes: 1. Provisional monthly work force figures for May 2013 are due to be published in August 2013. 2. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 3. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre 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. Monthly data: As from 21 July 2010 the Health and Social Care Information Centre has published provisional monthly NHS workforce data. As expected with provisional statistics, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. The monthly workforce data is not directly comparable with the annual workforce census; it only includes those staff on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) (i.e. it does not include primary care staff or bank staff). There are also new methods of presenting data (headcount methodology is different and there is now a role count). This information is available from September 2009 onwards at the following website: Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics. | ||
Nutrition: Health Education
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the provision of advice through the NHS to the public about the importance of diet. [158591]
Anna Soubry: Government dietary advice is encapsulated in the United Kingdom's national food guide, ‘the eatwell plate’. Organisations and individuals, including the national health service, are encouraged to use the eatwell plate to help ensure everyone receives consistent messages about the balance of foods in a healthy diet.
The Government provide dietary advice through the NHS to the public through the NHS Choices website, which provides a wealth of consumer-based dietary information and advice.
Dieticians and other health professionals also have a key role within the NHS, by providing lifestyle and dietary advice during consultations.
Obesity: Drugs
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been prescribed with weight loss drugs on the NHS in (a) 2013 to date, (b) 2012 and (c) each of the preceeding five years. [158293]
Norman Lamb: Information is not held centrally on the number of people prescribed particular medicines. Information is available on prescription items dispensed in the community in England. The following table provides figures in the latest available period from 2007, for medicines as defined by the British National Formulary section 4.5 ‘Drugs used in the treatment of obesity’.
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| Number of prescription items for medicines used to treat obesity, written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England | |
| Items (thousand) | |
| Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre | |
Organs: Donors
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to encourage people to join the Organ Donor Register. [158407]
Anna Soubry: We have a number of initiatives to encourage people to add their name to the Organ Donation Register (ODR). Much of this work is led by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) in conjunction with a number of partners in the private, public and third sectors. For example, people may sign up to the ODR when they register with a new general practitioner, when applying for a new passport, when applying for a European Health Insurance Card, and when applying for a Boots advantage card. We have established a prompted choice scheme, working in partnership with the Department of Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, which requires people applying for a driving licence online to consider organ donation.
NHSBT also runs multi-media campaigns, education programmes in schools and community engagement programmes to raise awareness of organ donation and promote registration on the ODR. It also organises National Transplant Week, an annual event to raise awareness of organ donation, to motivate people to act and join ODR and discuss their wishes with their loved ones. Transplant Week 2013 will take place between 8-14 July.
HSBT is in the process of developing its post-2013 strategy—building on the organ donation task force recommendations and identifying new ways to make sure that as many people as possible in the United Kingdom receive the transplant they need.
We have also set up the National Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Transplant Alliance to increase the number of black, Asian and minority ethnic people on bone marrow and whole organ registers, and to increase donation rates in those communities.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to mark National Transplant Week. [158408]
Anna Soubry:
National Transplant Week is an annual event organised by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and is being held this year between 8-14 July. The week aims to raise awareness of organ donation and to motivate people to act and join the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR). National Transplant Week 2013 will be the second year that NHSBT has led campaign activity in collaboration with the wider transplant community under the theme of "Pass it On". Through a range of events, case studies, media engagement and the
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use of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter, the campaign will encourage individuals to tell loved ones about their donation wishes and to raise awareness of the issue of organ donation and motivate people to sign up to the ODR.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will liaise with the Secretary of State for Education to encourage local schools to take up their Give and Let Live resources which allow teachers to incorporate education about organ and blood donation into the curriculum. [158409]
Anna Soubry: Give and Let Live is an award-winning educational resource produced by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to promote donation to 14 to 16-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is designed to be delivered by teachers in science and religious education, as well as personal social and health education lessons. The resource is available as a hard copy teaching pack, supported by a dedicated website
www.giveandletlive.co.uk
from where the materials may also be downloaded. A total of 9,171 packs have now been requested since Give and Let Live was launched in 2007.
The new NHSBT strategy includes specific-action to
'explore with education departments the possibility of incorporating organ donation and transplantation issues into school curricula'.
Departmental officials will work with colleagues from NHSBT to explore with officials in the Department for Education how organ donation and transplantation issues could be further promulgated within schools.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2013, Official Report, column 316W, on organs, what progress is being made to improve the allocation system for lungs donated for transplant to achieve greater equity and outcomes for patients; and if he will make a statement. [158431]
Anna Soubry: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is currently working with clinicians and transplant centres to assess whether improvements can be made to the current lung allocation system. Several models are being considered and the outcome of this assessment is planned to be available by the end of 2013. In the interim, NHSBT continues to monitor patient outcomes and is reassured that there is no significant difference in patient survival across the United Kingdom lung transplant centres.
Prescription Drugs
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made on commissioning dedicated withdrawal services for patients involuntarily addicted to prescribed medication; which services have been commissioned so far; how those services are centrally recorded; and whether addiction to medicines withdrawal services are intended to set drug-free goals. [157303]
Anna Soubry:
Services to treat dependence are commissioned locally. Information about whether dedicated or integrated services are commissioned is not collected centrally. Clinicians treating addiction to medicine are
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expected to follow the “UK guidelines on clinical management of drug misuse and dependence” and other relevant guidance.
Drug-free goals are the norm for this form of treatment. Local areas should assess clinical guidelines and develop local protocols for clinicians in that area to help them reduce doses safely and comfortably for each individual patient.
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for (a) benzodiazepine tranquillisers, (b) Z drug tranquillisers and (c) SSRI antidepressants were issued in each quarter of 2012. [157305]
Norman Lamb: Information on the number of prescriptions written is not available and can be provided only on the number of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England. The number of prescription items dispensed for each of these drug groups is given in the following table.
| Thousands | ||||
| 2012 | ||||
| Prescription items | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 |
| (1)As classified within British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.1 hypnotics and anxioytics (2 )As classified within BNF section 4.3.3 selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre | ||||
Primary Care Trusts: Merseyside
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was returned to the Government by primary care trusts in Merseyside before their dissolution. [158575]
Dr Poulter: The latest published forecast outturns for primary care trusts (PCTs) in Merseyside are shown in the following table. However the actual financial situation is not yet established.
| Merseyside PCTs | 2012-13 quarter 3 surplus (£000) |
| Source: Department of Health, The Quarter 20 12-13, Quarter 3. | |
An underspend in 2012-13 would not be lost to the national health service, and would be made available to NHS England for high-quality sustainable health services. Carrying a surplus provides the NHS with flexibility to respond to unexpected cost pressures. Plans assume a steady use of the underspend over a number of years, funded from the wider departmental budget. As for other Government Departments, departmental underspends are returned to HM Treasury to help in wider fiscal deficit reduction.
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Sign Language
Sir Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the equality of access available for deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language in communicating with (a) the health and social care professionals and (b) the agencies and public bodies which support his Department; and if he will make a statement; [157374]
(2) what measures his Department has in place to ensure that deaf people have the opportunity to communicate in British Sign Language with (a) local health and social care professionals and (b) the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible. [157458]
Norman Lamb: We have made no such assessment. However, individual national health service bodies and the Department's arm's length bodies have a public sector equality duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. This duty requires a public authority to have due regard to eliminating discrimination between those with and without a protected characteristic; and to advancing equality of opportunity between those with and without a protected characteristic. This means removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people in protected groups, and considering steps to meet the needs of protected groups where these are different from those of other people.
Public authorities are also under a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people to make sure that a disabled person can use a service as close as reasonably possible to the standard usually offered to non-disabled people. The duty is anticipatory which means that authorities cannot wait until a disabled person wants to use their services, but they must think in advance (and on an ongoing basis) about what disabled people with a range of impairments might reasonably need, including communication support for deaf people.
To help the NHS meet the requirements of the Equality Act, including the public sector equality duty, the equality delivery system has been introduced to drive up equality performance and embed it into mainstream NHS business. Further guidance on reasonable adjustments is also available in the Equality Act 2010: public functions and associations statutory code of practice.
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure the services it offers are accessible to British Sign Language users. [157933]
Norman Lamb: The Department and its arm's length bodies have a public sector equality duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. This duty requires a public authority to have due regard to eliminating discrimination between those with and without a protected characteristic and to advancing equality of opportunity between those with and without a protected characteristic. This means removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people in protected groups, and considering steps to meet the needs of protected groups where these are different from those of other people.
Public authorities are also under a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people to make sure that a disabled person can use a service as close as
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reasonably possible to the standard usually offered to non-disabled people. The duty is anticipatory which means that authorities cannot wait until a disabled person wants to use their services, but they must think in advance (and on an ongoing basis) about what disabled people with a range of impairments might reasonably need, including communication support for deaf people.
Further guidance on reasonable adjustments is also available in the Equality Act 2010: public functions and associations statutory code of practice.