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Acrylamide
Lord Harrison asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, as suggested by David Byrne, the European Union Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, there is a potential risk of cancer to consumers, especially children, from frozen chips and crisps containing the chemical Acrylamide.[HL114]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Acrylamide has been found to occur in a wide range of home-cooked and processed foods, including chips and crisps. It has not been found in uncooked or boiled foods, and appears to be formed during cooking by methods such as frying and baking.
Acrylamide has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. However, this it not a new risk as it is likely that we have been exposed to acrylamide in food for generations.
The Food Standards Agency is commissioning research and surveillance to ascertain the reason for, and extent of, acrylamide formation, but in the meantime has advised that on the basis of current evidence people should eat a balanced diet, including a variety of fruit and vegetables, and that as part of a balanced diet people should moderate their consumption of fried and fatty foods.
Care Trusts
Baroness Noakes asked Her Majesty's Government:
- (a) what progress has been made in setting up care trusts; (b) which care trusts are being developed; and (c) when these are expected to operate as care trusts.[HL122]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Five care trusts have so far been established, four in April 2002 and one on 1 October 2002. These were in April 2002, Bradford District Care Trust, Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, and Northumberland Care Trust; and in October 2002, Witham, Braintree and Halstead Care Trust.
Two further sites are planning to establish care trusts in April 2003 and one in October 2003. These are based in Sheffield, Sandwell and Bexley respectively. A further 13 sites have notified the department of their interest in setting up care trusts beyond 2003.
NHS: General and Acute In-patient Activity
Baroness Noakes asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 29 July (WA 156), whether they are yet able to publish final figures for general and acute activity, analysed into elective and non-elective, for the year ended 31 March 2002.[HL123]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Figures for general and acute in-patient activity in National Health Service trusts in England will be available from Hospital Episodes Statistics 2001–02. These will be published shortly and made available on the department's website.
Private Care Homes
Lord Ashley of Stoke asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will ensure that the National Care Standards Commission regulates minimum standards for contracts between private care homes and residents.[HL133]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Regulation 5 of the Care Homes Regulations 2001 requires all care home providers to produce a service user's guide, within which there should be a standard form of contract for the provision of services and facilities by the registered provider to service users.
Compliance with these and other regulatory requirements is examined and reported upon by the National Care Standards Commission.
Lord Ashley of Stoke asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What percentage of elderly people requiring residential care are in private care homes.[HL134]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This information is not available centrally. At 31 March 2001, 84 per cent of residential care home places for people aged 65 and over were in independent care homes in England.
Hearing Aid Services
Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they know when the National Institute for Clinical Excellence will complete and report on its review of the Institute of Hearing Research project to modernise hearing aid services; and what form this review will take.[HL143]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Institute of Hearing Research is undertaking a research project on behalf of the Department of Health which we expect to report in early 2003. Once this report has been made available we will consider whether it is appropriate for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to undertake any further work on this topic.
Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many of the existing sites chosen for the second phase of the Modernising Hearing Aid Services project are currently fitting digital hearing aids.[HL144]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The process of modernisation has begun in all sites chosen for the second phase of the project. Site visits have been completed, equipment needs and additional funding determined and agreed. In addition, the vast majority have now received their equipment. Four of the second wave sites are now regularly prescribing digital hearing aids, and that number will be inceasing on a monthly basis. The Royal National Institute of Deaf People is co-ordinating the project on our behalf and expects the majority of the sites to be prescribing digital aids by the end of January 2003.
Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
- In view of the demands of leading edge technology, what plans are in place to improve the skills of existing technicians in the National Health
- Service's hearing aid service who will be needed to fit digital hearing aids now that there are plans to make these available to National Health Service patients.[HL145]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Training has been incorporated as an integral part of the process of modernising hearing aid services. Staff at each site will be trained to use the information technology and audiological equipment when they join the project. In addition, some National Health Service trusts have already provided training for their own staff and are already able to access the digital hearing aids contract without being part of the project.
Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What estimates have been made of the need for additional highly skilled technical staff to be recruited and trained to fit new digital hearing aids successfully; and what plans have been made to close the skills gap that is likely during the years before new graduates start working in this area.[HL146]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The staffing and training requirements of a modernised hearing aid service providing digital hearing aids is being analysed as part of the Modernising Hearing Aid Services Project. The analysis of the project will be completed early in the new year. Provision for additional staff and training has been made in the funding allocations to each of the sites participating in the Modernising Hearing Aid Services Project. In addition, the Department of Health is carrying forward work on skill mix, recruitment and retention of staff in audiology departments.
Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their assessment of the pilot private finance initiative schemes with private hearing aid consultants currently in operation; and whether they intend to develop these further.[HL147]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The small pilot project involving high street retailers in the supply of National Health Service digital hearing aids in Shrewsbury and Leeds is not yet completed. However, preliminary results suggest that it can be worth while involving the private sector in the provision of NHS hearing aids.
Diabetes
Lord Harrison asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will announce the publication date of the national service framework delivery strategy for diabetes; and what additional resources will be provided to ensure its successful implementation.[HL153]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We shall be publishing the delivery strategy for the Diabetes National Service
Framework in the next few weeks and we shall make announcements on funding for the National Health Service shortly.NHS: Early Retirement Provision
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What sums of public money have been, or are to be, allocated to the National Health Service Pension Fund to provide concessionary pension benefits for health service employees who have been granted early retirement in the financial years 2001–02 and 2002–03 to date.[HL157]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The amount recharged by the National Health Service Pensions Agency to employers in England and Wales in respect of early retirements for the financial year 2001–02 was £1.56 million. Data for financial year 2002–03 are not yet available.
Early retirements include those from age 50 on the grounds of redundancy and retirements in the interests of the efficiency of the service.
Osteoporotic Surgery
Lord Fearn asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many patients underwent osteoporotic surgery in the last two quarters for which figures are available.[HL202]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with an operation and a primary diagnosis of osteoporosis (defined by ICD10 codes M80-M82) in National Health Service trusts in England was 1,579 in the quarter to 30 June 2001 and 1,687 in the quarter to 30 September 2001.
An FCE is defined as a period of patient care under one consultant in one healthcare provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as one person may have several episodes within the year.
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