§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to NHS trust and social services departments on the care to be offered to those suffering from new variant CJD. [121137]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 10 May 2000]: Health Service Circular 1999/178 issued to National Health Service trusts, primary care groups, and others in August 1999, among other things drew attention to the resources available to health professionals when dealing with the care of patients suffering from all forms of CJD. The CJD Support Network, in collaboration with the Association of Directors of Social Services, has published good practice guidelines for social services professionals who care for variant CJD patients. In addition, we will shortly be publishing some new guidance intended for healthcare professionals. It will mention the importance of having a named 'key worker' in place after any diagnosis of CJD, whose role will be to co-ordinate all professional care. The National CJD Surveillance Unit, funded directly by the Department, also employs a care co-ordinator, to act as a source of advice and expertise to health care professionals.
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average cost of caring for a patient suffering from new variant CJD. [121139]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 10 May 2000]: The cost of caring for a patient suffering from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) varies considerably from case to case, but is generally considered to be in line with the cost of caring for a wide range of other terminally and chronically ill patients.
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that general practitioners are aware of the presenting symptoms of new variant CJD. [121138]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 10 May 2000]: The initial symptoms of variant CJD can be similar to much more common illnesses, and it is therefore difficult to diagnose the disease in its early stages. General practitioners presented with neurological or psychiatric symptoms in a patient would, however, be expected to refer such patients as necessary in the normal way to appropriate specialists, including neurologists. The National CJD Surveillance Unit, funded directly by the Department, keeps in regular touch with neurologists about CJD issues and has circulated to them details of those symptoms which would suggest that a case should be referred to the Unit for further investigation. In addition, the Unit disseminates information about variant CJD through the medical literature.