House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 26 Apr 2006 (pt 31)

Children's Hospices

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received on the funding of children's hospices; and if she will make a statement. [62752]

Mr. Byrne: We have received a number of representations about the funding of children's hospices. On 15 March 2006, Official Report, column 1454, the Prime Minister answered a question from the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink). I have answered a number of questions on the funding of children's hospices and it was debated on 13 December 2005, Official Report, column l385WH. The hon. Member for Castle Point also presented a petition from the residents of Essex and others on 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 1476. There have been a number of early day motions and letters to Ministers. I met with my hon. Friend, the Member for Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland (Dr. Ashok Kumar) on 14 February 2006.

On the 9 February 2006, a number of commissioners of palliative care for children and young people, representatives of the children's hospice movement and other interested parties were invited to discuss a range of issues affecting the provision of palliative care and I

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attended another seminar on 22 March. I also understand the Sun Campaign petition was presented to the Prime Minister on 16 March.

Our manifesto commitment to double funding for end of life care will give more families the choice to have their child or young person with a life-threatening or life-limiting condition to be treated at home. An announcement about this funding will be made in due course.

Community Hospitals

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding the closure of local community hospitals in (a) South West London, (b) Surrey, (c) Middlesex, (d) Greater London and (e) England. [58917]

Mr. Byrne: Providing an exhaustive list of representations in the format requested would be of a disproportionate cost.

However, a brief search has identified representations from the public and hon. Members relating to a number of community hospitals across the country including:

Edward VII in Chichester;

Surbiton;

Epsom;

Townlands in Oxford;

Ludlow;

Telford;

Walnut Tree in Suffolk; and

Keswick.

Connecting for Health Computer System

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department has (a) spent on and (b) committed to the NHS Connecting for Health computer system. [65943]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 25 April 2006]: The value of contracts let for the original core components of the programme amounts to £6.2 billion over 10 years. Payments made for work completed under those contracts totalled £502.58 million as at 21 April 2006.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department expects to be the completion date of the NHS Connecting for Health computer system. [65963]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 25 April 2006]: The Department's NHS Connecting for Health Agency is aiming to achieve substantial integration of health and social care information systems in England under the national programme for information technology by 2010. Information technology systems will need to be upgraded in the light of new technology and new national health service requirements beyond that date.

Continuing Care Assessments

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to prevent a Director of Finance sitting on a primary care trust review and funding panel which collates the eligibility assessments for continuing care from health and social care professionals. [65145]

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Mr. Byrne: Review panels have independent chairmen who lead members appointed by the relevant national health service and local government bodies.

We will soon publish for consultation a national framework for NHS continuing care which will give further clarity and consistency on the responsibilities of NHS and social services for long term care. The national framework will include guidance on the processes and considerations to take into account when making decisions on the responsibility of the NHS and social services for long-term care.

We will carefully consider all responses to the consultation when preparing the final version of the framework.

Dentistry

Ms Diana R. Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of the (a) adult and (b) child population of (i) East Hull and West Hull

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primary care trust area, (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iii) England was registered with an NHS general dental practitioner in each year since 1997; [64095]

(2) how many NHS patients were registered with NHS general dental practitioners in the Eastern Hull and West Hull primary care trust area in each year since 1997. [64092]

Mr. Byrne: The information requested is set out in the tables.

Table 1 shows the number of adults and children in England, North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire strategic health authority (SHA) (and Eastern Hull and West Hull primary care trusts (PCTS)), West Yorkshire SHA and South Yorkshire SHA who were registered with an national health service dentist as at 31 December in each specified year.

This is expressed as an estimated proportion of the populations for each of these areas. Table 2 shows the number of NHS patients who were registered with NHS general dental practitioners in the Eastern Hull and West Hull PCT area in each year since 1997.
Table 1

Percentage
England North and East Yorkshire and STET and Northern Lincolnshire Eastern Hull PCT West Hull PCT West Yorkshire South Yorkshire

1997

Adults 53 53 ⁽⁴⁰⁾— ⁽⁴⁰⁾— 60 61

Children 69 72 ⁽⁴⁰⁾— ⁽⁴⁰⁾— 68 74

1998

Adults 46 48 ⁽⁴⁰⁾— ⁽⁴⁰⁾— 54 55

Children 62 67 ⁽⁴⁰⁾— ⁽⁴⁰⁾— 62 67

1999

Adults 45 48 ⁽⁴⁰⁾— ⁽⁴⁰⁾— 53 54

Children 62 67 ⁽⁴⁰⁾— ⁽⁴⁰⁾— 62 67

2000

Adults 46 48 ⁽⁴⁰⁾— ⁽⁴⁰⁾— 52 55

Children 63 68 ⁽⁴⁰⁾— ⁽⁴⁰⁾— 62 68

2001

Adults 45 48 36 69 52 56

Children 63 68 55 101 62 69

2002

Adults 45 48 33 67 51 56

Children 63 66 51 98 63 68

2003

Adults 44 47 29 71 51 56

Children 62 65 44 102 63 68

2004

Adults 45 46 33 73 53 57

Children 63 66 47 103 66 69

2005

Adults 45 48 36 84 51 55

Children 64 67 46 113 65 69

⁽⁴⁰⁾ Population estimates are not available at PCT level prior to 2001
Notes:
1. Patients may be registered with a dentist outside the area in which they live. This explains why the number of children registered with dentists in some areas exceeds the size of the children's population for those areas.
2. The drop in registrations between December 1997 and December 1998 is mostly attributable to the reduction in re-registration period from two years to fifteen months.
3. Registration rates, that is the percentage of the population registered with a dentist, have been estimated by including registrations in the area of the dentist, that is according to the postcode of the dental surgery and not the patient's address. So the registration rates for some areas may be affected by some patients receiving dental treatment in a different area from the one in which they live. This can lead to figures being unusually high, even over 100 per cent., for child registrations, whilst other areas may have estimated rates which are lower than the actual (but unknown) proportion of residents who are registered with a dentist in or outside their own area.
4. Personal dental services (PDS) schemes have varying registration periods. To ensure comparability with corresponding general dental services (CDS) data, PDS registrations for established PDS practices are estimated using proxy registrations, namely the number of patients seen by PDS practices in the past 15 months.
5. Data for 2003 and earlier do not include those PDS schemes that do not have any registrations (for example dental access centres), and is therefore not directly comparable with 2004 and 2005 data.
6. Official 2005 population data are not yet available. 2005 data have therefore been estimated using office for National Statistics 2004 mid-year population estimates based on the 2001 Census as these are the latest available.
7. Prison contracts have not been included in this analysis
Source:
NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre and Business Services Authority

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Table 2 Number of patients registered with a NHS dentist in Eastern Hull and West Hull PCTs as at31 December in each specified year

Eastern Hull West Hull

1997 48,017 105,091

1998 43,959 97,447

1999 42,719 95,698

2000 44,746 101,664

2001 49,076 98,908

2002 44,565 95,449

2003 39,025 99,961

2004 43,812 102,509

2005 45,763 115,716

Notes:
1. The drop in registrations between December 1997 and December 1998 is mostly attributable to the reduction in re-registration period from two years to fifteen months.
2. PDS schemes have varying registration periods. To ensure comparability with corresponding GDS data, PDS registrations for established PDS practices are estimated using proxy registrations, namely the number of patients seen by PDS practices in the past 15 months.
3. Data for 2003 and earlier do not include those PDS schemes that do not have any registrations, (for example dental access centres), and is therefore not directly comparable with 2004 and 2005 data.
4. Prison contracts have not been included in this analysis.

Percentage
	England	North and East Yorkshire and STET and Northern Lincolnshire	Eastern Hull PCT	West Hull PCT	West Yorkshire	South Yorkshire
1997
Adults	53	53	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	60	61
Children	69	72	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	68	74

1998
Adults	46	48	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	54	55
Children	62	67	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	62	67

1999
Adults	45	48	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	53	54
Children	62	67	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	62	67

2000
Adults	46	48	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	52	55
Children	63	68	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	⁽⁴⁰⁾—	62	68

2001
Adults	45	48	36	69	52	56
Children	63	68	55	101	62	69

2002
Adults	45	48	33	67	51	56
Children	63	66	51	98	63	68

2003
Adults	44	47	29	71	51	56
Children	62	65	44	102	63	68

2004
Adults	45	46	33	73	53	57
Children	63	66	47	103	66	69

2005
Adults	45	48	36	84	51	55
Children	64	67	46	113	65	69

	Eastern Hull	West Hull
1997	48,017	105,091
1998	43,959	97,447
1999	42,719	95,698
2000	44,746	101,664
2001	49,076	98,908
2002	44,565	95,449
2003	39,025	99,961
2004	43,812	102,509
2005	45,763	115,716

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