§ Mr. Churchillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his best estimate of the numbers of kidney patients in the United Kingdom who die each year due to the non-availability of transplant organs or dialysis.
§ Mr. John PattenI shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Churchillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what categories and age-groups of patients suffering from kidney failure are regarded as ineligible for provision of dialysis or organs for transplant; and why.
§ Mr. John PattenThe decision on the treatment to be offered to any patient is a clinical one for the doctor concerned.
§ Mr. Churchillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current average cost of the provision of dialysis treatment for a kidney patient for a year (a) within the National Health Service and (b) by outside contract.
§ Mr. John PattenFor costs within the National Health Service I refer my hon. Friend to the reply of my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Mr. Finsberg) to the hon. Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones) on 2 March.—[Vol. 38, c.159–61.] So far as I am aware, no health authority at present arranges for dialysis to be provided by outside contract and we have no direct information about costs. In comparing them with those of directly provided services, it would be necessary 68W to take account of any costs such as those of treating complications which the health authority still had to meet itself. I understand that two pilot projects are under consideration, which I hope will provide useful information on the provision of contractural dialysis generally. We strongly support such developments where they can be shown to be a cost effective means of meeting patients' needs.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will ensure that cuts in public expenditure will not affect facilities for the treatment of end stage renal failure.
§ Mr. John PattenI shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients were accepted for treatment for end stage renal failure in 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982; and what percentage of these were treated by continuous ambullatory peritoneal dialysis.
§ Mr. John PattenFollowing are the figures for the United Kingdom supplied by the European Dialysis and Transplant Association:
Total New Patients New Patients Treated by CAPD (per cent.) 1979 1206 63 (5.2) 1980 1373 292 (21.3) 1981 1491 412 (27.6) Patients treated by continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis include a number who were transferred to this method after an initial spell on intermittent peritoneal dialysis. Figures for 1982 are not yet available.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in the light of the research carried out by the renal unit of Guy's hospital London into the successful treatment of end stage renal failure of patients over 55 years, he will take steps to improve the care and facilities for this age group.
§ Mr. John PattenThe decision about the treatment to be offered to any patient is one for the clinical judgment of the doctors concerned, who will no doubt take account of the conclusions of the research to which the hon. Member refers. As facilities for treating end-stage renal failure have expanded, so an increasing proportion of older patients has been accepted for treatment. For example, the proportion of new patients in the United Kingdom who were aged over 50 has risen from 9 per cent. in 1971 to 20 per cent. in in 1976 and 38 per cent. in 1981.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of renal failure patients in the age group 55–65 years and over 65 years received treatment in 1980, 1981 and 1982 in (a) West Germany, (b) France, (c) Italy and (d) the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenThe following table, based on data supplied by the European Dialysis and Transplant Association, shows the numbers of new patients accepted for treatment for end-stage renal failure expressed as rates per million total population in each age group:
69W
Male Female 55–64 65–74 75+ 55–64 65–74 75+ 1980 West Germany 138.2 118.7 22.9 84.2 56.6 12.5 France 129.2 131.4 57.3 85.5 66.3 17.3 Italy 94.0 113.2 33.3 76.2 65.1 8.0 United Kingdom 52.7 9.7 3.8 31.3 2.7 1.1 1981 West Germany 139.8 104.7 36.2 98.3 71.3 14.4 France 135.2 145.0 79.2 87.1 58.7 27.0 Italy 98.9 119.0 43.3 85.3 86.8 23.3 United Kingdom 73.5 17.4 13.8 34.4 7.8 0.6 Figures for 1982 are not yet available.