Asthma

HC Deb 22 July 1997 vol 298 cc566-7W

Sir Peter Emery

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the NHS expenditure on the treatment of asthma in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of the total NHS budget this represents; [8863]

(2) what was the cost to the NHS of providing acute care to adults suffering from occupational asthma attacks in the last five financial years; [8859]

(3) what was the cost to the NHS of treating adult occupational asthma sufferers, in each year since 1989–90; [8864]

(4) if he will list NHS expenditure on treatment for asthma broken down by sub-head in the latest year for which information is available; and what proportion of this expenditure was spent on prescriptions. [8862]

Mr. Boateng

The bulk of the costs of asthma to the national health service is attributable to prescriptions. Information on the cost of other NHS services is for individual conditions and is only available locally. However, the Department of Health's "Burdens of Disease" analysis estimated that the cost of services for asthma was 150 million in 1993. On this basis, asthma accounted for under 2 per cent. of NHS net expenditure—including drugs—in 1992–93. The net ingredient cost of national health service prescriptions for asthma medication in 1996 was £438 million, which is 11 per cent. of the total net ingredient cost of prescriptions in that year. It is not possible to separate out the costs to the NHS of occupational asthma.

Sir Peter Emery

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the net ingredient cost for preparations used in treatment of asthma(a) in total and (b) per health authority, in each of the last four years; [8861]

(2) how many prescriptions for the treatment of asthma (a) in total and (b) per health authority were issued in each of the last four years; [8860]

(3) what was the expenditure on general practitioner-prescribed anti-asthma medication and preparations in each health authority broken down by (a) net ingredient costs and (b) net ingredient costs per capita in England. [8856]

Mr. Milburn

The available information has been placed in the Library. Information on the use of specific drugs in hospitals is not available.