here - United Kingdom Parliament

913W
Written Answers
1 DECEMBER 2010
Written Answers
914W
NHS Commissioning Board
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for
Health whether the NHS Commissioning Board will
commission salaried primary dental care services.
[27167]
Mr Simon Burns: Yes, that is our intention. The
White Paper “Equity and excellence: Liberating the
NHS” proposed that the NHS Commissioning Board
would commission primary care dental services.
NHS Foundation Trusts
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State
for Health what steps he plans to take to ensure that
NHS trusts continue to provide equal access for all
patients upon becoming foundation trusts; and if he
will make a statement. [27094]
Mr Simon Burns: Each primary care trust (PCT)
needs to ensure equality of access to national health
service services through the providers it contracts with,
including NHS foundation trusts (NHSFTs). Through
contracting with a plurality of health service providers,
PCTs should be able to secure improved access for the
patients they serve.
In the future, general practitioner consortia will
commission the services that patients receive, helping
them to navigate the system and ensure they get the best
care.
The general right to access NHS services will remain
unchanged as NHS Trusts become authorised to operate
as NHSFTs.
NHS Litigation Authority
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
whether the NHS Litigation Authority will provide
insurance cover for private providers of NHS services
after the implementation of the proposals in the NHS
White Paper. [27160]
Mr Simon Burns: The NHS Litigation Authority
does not currently provide insurance cover, but provides
a discretionary indemnity to members of the statutory
schemes established under section 71 of the National
Health Service Act 2006. Membership of the schemes is
voluntary.
The Department is committed to making sure the
same arrangements that provide clinical negligence cover
to NHS bodies are also available to other providers that
deliver NHS care, including other public sector providers
and private providers. Changes will be implemented
alongside the White Paper reforms.
Osteoporosis: Health Services
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for
Health what estimate he has made of the number of
GP practices which have met the minimum thresholds
set out in the Osteoporosis Directed Enhanced Service.
[27181]
Paul Burstow: The Department does not hold
information on the number of practices that participate
in the Osteoporosis Directed Enhanced Service. The
information is held by primary care trusts (PCTs) who
hold a contract with those general practitioner practices
who have chosen to enter into an arrangement with a
PCT to provide this service.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for
Health if he will fund a national programme of audits
of falls and bone health in primary care. [27186]
Paul Burstow: We already fund a national clinical
audit of falls and bone health, delivered by the Royal
College of Physicians. The audit measures the organisation
of services and care provided to older people for falls
prevention, bone health and fracture management. It
provides national benchmarking data, using evidence
based quality standards, for a variety of healthcare
settings: acute, primary care, care homes and mental
health care.
Strokes: Health Education
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
(1) when he plans to release the remaining tranche of
funding for the Act F.A.S.T. campaign; [27168]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the
effectiveness of his Department’s Act F.A.S.T. campaign
in raising stroke awareness. [27169]
Mr Simon Burns: Approval has been received recently
from the Cabinet Office Efficiency and Reform Group
for a further wave of the Act FAST Stroke awareness
campaign to go ahead. The current intention is for the
television adverts to run in March 2011, supported by
distribution of other materials locally.
The evaluation we commissioned from the advertising
agency which was awarded the contract for developing
the stroke awareness campaign, showed that the campaign
successfully achieved a rapid change in behaviour: within
a year, an estimated 9,864 more people reached hospital
faster, 642 of whom were saved from death or serious
disability by receiving thrombolysis. The evidence
demonstrated that the campaign achieved a payback of
£3.16 for every £1 spent. On this basis the agency
submitted an entry to the 2010 Institute of Professional
Advertisers Effectiveness Awards and, in November,
achieved a Gold Award.
Tobacco: Sales
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
what timetable he proposes for implementation of any
proposals requiring the sale of tobacco products in
plain packaging; and if he will make a statement.
[27434]
Anne Milton: The Government’s consideration of
policy on the plain packaging of tobacco products is in
its early stages. The Government will look at whether
the plain packaging of tobacco products could be an
effective way to reduce further the numbers of young
people taking up smoking and to help those who are
trying to quit smoking. The Government want to make
it easier for people to make healthy choices, but will
clearly need to consider both the benefits and the costs
of any new policy.