§ Mr. Carter—Jones asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, as a result of his Department's recent report "The Respective Roles of the General Acute 449W and Geriatric Sectors in Care of the Elderly Hospital Patient"; he will take steps to encourage wider use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for kidney patients; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg: The use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis—CAPD—has been growing steadily. The great majority of dialysis centers now make some use of it, and it is estimated that on 1 August 1981 nearly 700 patients in the United Kingdom were being treated in this way. Nevertheless, it has some disadvantages, particularly the risk of peritonitis. Figures compiled by the European Dialysis and Transplant Association for United Kingdom patients treated by CAPD show that only half of them were still receiving this form of treatment a year after starting it. Its role in the long—term treatment of chronic renal failure is therefore still to be determined.
§ The choice of treatment for any patient is a clinical matter for decision by the consultant concerned.
§ Mr. Carter—Jones asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of kidney patients who have died since 1978 because no specialised treatment was made available; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg: The number of patients developing potentially treatable chronic renal failure in any year has been estimated, on the basis of surveys carried out in the United Kingdom, at about 40 per million total population. This is equivalent to an annual total of about 2,200 for the United Kingdom. The numbers of new patients actually starting treatment were as follows:
new patients
million
population
§ The difference between these figures and the estimated need is not necessarily a reliable indication of the number of patients who would have survived if they had received specialised treatment. Mortality over two years among patients who have started treatment varies—according to age group—between 20 and 40 per cent. and the likely success of treatment will be one of the factors taken into account by a consultant in deciding whether a patient should be accepted. My hon. Friend referred to the steps being taken by the Government in this field in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Hannam) on 26 October 1981.