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Suicide
6. Mr. Lock: What targets he proposes to set for reducing deaths from suicide and undetermined injury. [34374]
11. Mr. Levitt: What targets he proposes to set for reducing deaths from suicide and undetermined injury. [34379]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. Paul Boateng): The Green Paper "Our Healthier Nation" sets out the Government's proposed mental health target, which is to reduce the death rate from suicide and undetermined injury by at least a further sixth by the year 2010.
Mr. Lock: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that answer. Does he accept that suicide rates among the socially disadvantaged are higher than those in the rest of the population? Does he agree that taking appropriate action to reduce suicide rates would be one of the best
ways of getting rid of the appalling legacy of health inequality that we inherited from the previous Government?
Mr. Boateng: My hon. Friend is right to point out the impact of inequality, which affects that area of health like every other. We are particularly concerned that, while the overall suicide rate is decreasing, it is increasing among young men between 16 and 25. We are addressing that problem as a matter of urgency.
Mr. Levitt: My hon. Friend has pointed out that the Green Paper says that we should address health problems by getting the social conditions right. Will he explain how we will tackle social conditions to reduce the suicide rate, which runs at 16 unnecessary deaths a year in north Derbyshire alone?
Mr. Boateng: Socio-economic conditions, not least unemployment, have clearly contributed to the stress that impacts on young men, which inevitably affects their suicide rate. We aim to reduce that rate through economic regeneration. The health action zones will provide ample opportunity for that.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley: I warmly welcome the fact that the Government have chosen similar mental health targets to ours--our target was a 15 per cent. reduction in such deaths by 2000, while they have chosen a 17 per cent. reduction by 2010.
More people take their own life than are killed on the roads. There should be a bipartisan approach to reducing that appalling loss. Does the Minister agree that the issue requires not just resources--in social services as much as in health--but partnership between Government agencies, voluntary bodies and employers? New legislation is required. There was resistance to the introduction of supervised discharge and supervision registers, but if people in the community are to get the care they need to reduce that loss of life, we need to look again at the mental health legislation.
Mr. Boateng:
The right hon. Lady had an opportunity to review that legislation. She did not take it.
Mrs. Ann Winterton:
Does the Minister agree that mental health provision continues to be the Cinderella of the national health service? Does he further accept that care in the community is a mixed blessing and has been proven not to work in many cases? Will he ensure that Government policy focuses particularly on reducing loss of life among the young? Will he consider the example of VISYON--the Voluntary Initiative Supporting Youngsters' Ongoing Needs--which is an organisation in my constituency that seeks to help young people with mental health problems?
Mr. Boateng:
I should be happy to consider what we can learn from the hon. Lady's constituency to tackle the problem. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made it clear that we believe that care in the community has failed large numbers of our fellow citizens. We are determined to get it right. We shall bring forward proposals on the issue in due course.
NHS Anniversary
8. Mr. Dismore: What resources he is making available to schools to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NHS. [34376]
Ms Jowell: The Department has produced a national health service 50th anniversary education pack, which is available to schools and colleges throughout England on request.
Mr. Dismore: Does my hon. Friend agree that, as part of the celebrations, schoolchildren should learn the history of the NHS in their area? Will she make resources available so that children in my area can learn about the history of Edgware hospital, which was closed by the previous Government in its 49th year, but which, thanks to the efforts of the local community, will be reborn in its 50th year as the new Edgware community hospital, with widespread local support?
Ms Jowell: I entirely accept that local history is as important as the proud history of the national health service created by a Labour Government 50 years ago, and rescued and renewed 50 years later by another Labour Government.
Sir Peter Tapsell: Does the hon. Lady think that the Secretary of State is wise to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the national health service by closing Horncastle hospital, especially bearing in mind the fact that more than 2,000 school children are bussed into Horncastle every day from an extensive rural area, and that, if that much-valued hospital is closed, they will be more than 20 miles away from any other hospital, along difficult winding country lanes that are sometimes almost impassable in the winter months?
Ms Jowell: The hon. Gentleman asked me in particular about the Secretary of State's wisdom. My right hon. Friend is infinitely wise, as is evident from all his decisions.
Mr. Grocott: Does my hon. Friend agree that an important part of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the national health service will be to remind the people of this country, especially the young people, which party established it, and which party opposed its establishment?
Ms Jowell: I recommend that hon. Members with an odd moment to spare read the report of the Second Reading debate on the National Health Service Bill, which makes my hon. Friend's point entirely clear: the national health service was created in the teeth of the opposition of the Conservative party.
Mr. Nicholls: Would not school children really have something to celebrate for the 50th anniversary if Ministers would stop pretending to have a better record on funding the national health service than their Conservative predecessors, and pledged instead to bring their funding up to the previous Administration's average increase of 3.1 per cent. per annum? That would be a pledge worth celebrating. Why does the hon. Lady not give it?
Ms Jowell: As we have improved on the Conservative Government's funding record on every count, that comment comes ill from the hon. Gentleman.
South Humber Health Authority
9. Mr. Mitchell: What proposals he has for reform of health service structures in South Humber health authority area. [34377]
Mr. Milburn: Our plans for modernising the national health service were set out in the recent White Paper, "The new NHS", which envisages fewer but larger health authorities, more co-operation between NHS trusts, and the development of new primary care groups. As part of that process, we shall work with health authorities and the professions to determine the best configuration of local services.
Mr. Mitchell: May I express the hope that my hon. Friend will look favourably on the sensible proposals for reorganisation of the health service that the South Humber health authority has now finally produced? Those envisage reducing the number of provider trusts from three to two, setting up two primary care groups to take charge of community services, and putting mental health services, which have always been the Cinderella of the service both locally and nationally, under a wider provider, preferably from the north bank.
Mr. Milburn: On the face of it, those proposals sound consistent with the policy directions set out in the White Paper, and I look forward to receiving the representations of the health authority. I assume that there will be a period of public consultation before the proposals are agreed. It is important that such proposals meet the needs of the local community, and I know that my hon. Friend and others of my hon. Friends have been in negotiations and discussions with the health authority and others over recent weeks, and I look forward to receiving their representations, too.
Cancer Deaths
10. Mr. Corbett: What targets he proposes to set for reducing deaths from cancer among people aged under 65 years. [34378]
Ms Jowell: A reduction in deaths from cancer among people under 65 will be achieved by improving access to treatment and the quality of treatment, and by widening the scope for prevention.
Mr. Corbett: I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Will she confirm that the death rate from cancer is twice as high among the unskilled as among professionals, and that one third of the people who die from cancer are under 65? Can she assure me that efforts will be focused on offering deprived communities extra health care and advice to ensure that we overcome the inequalities in health provision?
Ms Jowell: My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is estimated that about a third of cancers are in some way linked to poor diet, and half of all those who smoke are likely to die of cancer. Against any measure, the poorer you are, the greater your chance of contracting cancer. That is why, as part of our drive to tackle health inequality and to improve healthy years of life, we will focus resources and efforts on the most deprived communities.
Rev. Martin Smyth: I welcome the Minister's early response on steps to help cancer victims, but, having
almost deified the Secretary of State for his infinite wisdom, can she tell us what steps have been taken to help mortal man who may be afflicted with prostate cancer?
Ms Jowell: The hon. Gentleman may be aware of the proposals under consideration on the case for screening of prostate cancer. Recently, I was involved in discussions about the importance of an improved focus on men's health. It may not be a matter for discussion on the Floor of the House, but it was put to me that self-examination by men as a preventive step in relation to prostate cancer should be undertaken in the same way as women undertake breast examinations to detect early signs of breast cancer.
Mr. Sheerman: Does my hon. Friend accept that the great increase in smoking among young women in particular is a cause of great concern? We are waiting for the Government to launch a hard-hitting advertising campaign which goes on and on and on, until the consciousness of young people is raised to the real dangers of blighting their lives and their health through smoking. Will we see an early start to that campaign, as we are getting impatient?
Ms Jowell: My hon. Friend will be aware of the recent advertising campaign--which was successful and was well received among young people--on the risks of smoking, which targeted in particular young people aged 16 to 24. He is absolutely right; we are deeply concerned about the rise in the numbers of young people--particularly young women--who smoke. One in three 15-year-old women are regular smokers.
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