here - United Kingdom Parliament

899W
Written Answers
1 DECEMBER 2010
Written Answers
900W
Medical Schools: Public Expenditure
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
what estimate he has made of the number of medical
school places that will be available in each year of the
Comprehensive Spending Review period. [26543]
Anne Milton: There are no current plans to change
numbers but they will be kept under review based on
forecast future demand with the advice of the Centre
for Workforce Intelligence.
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus: Screening
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
what progress has been made towards meeting his
Department’s 2011 deadline for the screening of
non-elective patients for MRSA. [26390]
Mr Simon Burns: As outlined in the “NHS Operating
Framework 2010/11”, there is a requirement to introduce
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening.
Good progress is being made by organisations to implement
screening for this cohort of patients, with some organisations
already having declared full implementation of the policy
and all organisations planning to implement emergency
screening for relevant emergency admissions within the
expected time scale. Strategic health authorities will
continue to monitor delivery towards the requirement
by 31 December 2010.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
what steps his Department is taking to reduce the
incidence of MRSA. [26392]
Mr Simon Burns: This Government are determined
to do all they can to support the health and adult social
care providers reduce Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA). From the outset, through the Coalition
Agreement, this Government made clear that they expected
the national health service to adopt a zero tolerance
approach to all health care associated infections (HCAIs),
including MRSA.
In the revision of the 2010-11 Operating Framework
published in June, it was made clear that the NHS
should continue prioritising the achievement of the
MRSA objective. The successful implementation of this
objective will deliver both an overall reduction nationally
and, importantly, will reduce variation by moving all
organisations towards the performance of the best.
At the same time, the revision of the Operating
Framework confirmed that it expected and required the
NHS to implement MRSA screening of all relevant
emergency admissions by the end of this year.
[n terms of using the availability of data as a driver to
supporting further reductions in MRSA, we have introduced
weekly data publication of both MRSA blood stream
infections and Clostridium difficile infections at hospital
site level.
We are also committed to ensuring that the NHS
continue to have access to evidence based guidance in
order that they can reduce the number of all HCAIs,
including MRSA, through the implementation of effective
infection prevention and control practices. This guidance
is available on the Department of Health’s “Clean, Safe
Care” website.
The Health and Social Care Act 2008 “Code of
Practice for health and adult social care on the Prevention
and Control of Infections and related guidance”, which
the Care Quality Commission use as a basis for assessing
compliance with the registration requirement on cleanliness
and infection control has been a driver for improvement
in the hospital setting. The scope of the Code has
already been extended to adult social care settings and
will include primary care in due course so that we can
ensure that all settings where patients receive care and
treatment operate comparable infection prevention and
control practices.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Screening
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
what information his Department collates for the
purpose of monitoring rates of MRSA. [26391]
Mr Simon Burns: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia are subject to mandatory
reporting to the Health Protection Agency. The Department
uses the outputs from this system to assess and monitor
rates of MRSA bacteraemia at both national and local
levels.
Multiple Sclerosis: Health Services
Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
(1) what the membership is of the independent scientific
advisory group of the multiple sclerosis risk-sharing
scheme; [26893]
(2) how many patients have taken part in the multiple
sclerosis risk-sharing scheme; and what estimate he has
made of the cost to the public purse of administering
drug treatments under the scheme; [26894]
(3) which organisation is responsible for monitoring
outcomes for patients involved in the multiple sclerosis
risk-sharing scheme; and when the results of the
scheme will be published. [26895]
Mr Simon Burns: The scientific advisory group of the
multiple sclerosis risk sharing scheme (MS RSS) comprises
individuals with expertise in clinical research, epidemiology
and trials and health economics. The group is chaired
by Richard Lilford, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology
at Birmingham university and receives specialist advice
from neurologists who specialise in the treatment of
multiple sclerosis.
The MS RSS collects data from a cohort of over
5,000 patients. There are an estimated 12,000 people
receiving drug therapy in the United Kingdom through
the scheme. Total national health service spend in England
on the four drugs covered by the scheme is estimated at
£50 million a year. The Department contributes £200,000
per year to running the scheme.
Parexel Ltd, a specialist clinical research organisation,
is responsible for data collection, management and
analysis for the MS RSS. Analysis of four year data
from the scheme is due to be completed in 2011.