§ 66. Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider separate funding on a national basis for the treatment of kidney ailments within the National Health Service.
§ Mr. John PattenAs stated in my reply to the hon. Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones) on 14 November 1983—[Vol. 48, c.333–4]—we are considering ways of improving this service. It is not clear that separate national funding would necessarily be the most effective method.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many patients with renal failure are deselected for treatment each year;
434W(2) which categories of patients with kidney failure are refused treatment;
(3) if he is satisfied with the variety of ways in which regional health authorities decide whether to make treatment available to patients with chronic kidney failure;
(4) what steps he is taking to ensure that continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is made available to more patients who have renal failure.
§ Mr. John PattenAs stated in my reply to the hon. Member on 8 November — [Vol. 48, c.76] — the decision about the treatment to be offered to any patient is one for the clinical judgment of the doctors concerned. We do not seek to influence the choice between different methods of treatment although we help where we can in disseminating relevant information.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of Stare for Social Services if he will set up a public inquiry into the resources available for the treatment of chronic kidney failure and the ways in which they are deployed.
§ Mr. John PattenThe Department already has access to a wide range of expert advice.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether his decision to make central funding available for the treatment of children with kidney disease has brought about an increase in the number of lives saved;
(2) pursuant to his answer of 26 July, Official Report,. c 1040, how the revised lower cash limits on centrally financed services will affect the provision of treatment for children suffering from kidney failure.
§ Mr. John PattenWe have not reduced allocations for renal services for children. The number of children under 15 starting treatment for end stage renal failure in the United Kingdom has increased from 41 in 1977 to 65 in 1981. We are not aware of any children failing to receive treatment for this condition through lack of the necessary finance. The effect of funding this as a supra-regional service is that the cost of further development will be spread among all regions instead of having to be met entirely by those in which paediatric renal services are located.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report the amounts of public funds that have been given to the National Federation of Kidney Patients Associations in each of the past three years.
§ Mr. John PattenThe National Federation of Kidney Patients Associations received grants from the Department of £2,632 in 1981–82 and £3,000 in 1982–83. The level of grant for 1983–84 has yet to be decided.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why not all patients with renal failure may obtain treatment by central funding; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenThe great majority of the finance allocated for hospital and community health services is distributed to health authorities who have to assess priorities in the light of local needs and the Department's guidance. Separate arrangements have been made for financing certain supra-regional services including renal services for children for which a single centre may serve a number of regions. From next year these services will 435W have allocations separately identified by the Department instead of being financed from the normal budgets of the health authorities concerned. Renal services for adults do not meet the criteria for supra-regional funding because they need to be, and are, provided in all regions.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of people who died in the last year as a result of not receiving treatment for renal failure.
§ Mr. John PattenI refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Davyhulme (Mr. Churchill) on 9 November.—[Vol. 48, c.184–85.]
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patients with chronic kidney failure are treated by dialysis machine, kidney transplant and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, respectively.
§ Mr. John PattenFigures from the European Dialysis and Transplant Association show that on 31 December 1981, the latest date for which information is available, 3,569 patients in the United Kingdom were being treated by dialysis machine—including haemodialysis, both in hospital and at home, and intermittent peritoneal dialysis —3,538 patients had a functioning transplanted kidney, and 779 patients were being treated by continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he expects that the revised lower cash limits for hospital and community health services will result in a reduction in facilities available to treat kidney failure patients by dialysis.
§ Mr. John PattenI refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 14 November 1983.—[Vol. 48, c.333–4.]
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the latest available figures for kidney dialysis machines per 1,000 population and the number of patients receiving treatment by dialysis in the United Kingdom and each other country of the European Community; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation on the number of kidney dialysis machines per 1,000 population is not available. According to data from the European Dialysis and Transplant Association, the numbers of patients being treated for end stage renal failure by all forms of dialysis in each member state, on 31 December 1981, were:
Numbers Belgium 1,670 Denmark 580 Federal Republic of Germany 11,752 France 10,560 Greece 777 Ireland 198 Italy 10,494 Luxembourg 63 Netherlands 1,718 United Kingdom 4,348
§ Mr. Churchillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in the light of his reply to the hon. Member for Davyhulme of 9 November, Official Report, c. 184–5, he will now take steps to establish how many individuals 436W are dying each year of potentially treatable end stage renal failure due to the non-availability of necessary treatment through the National Health Service.
§ Mr. John PattenIt is doubtful whether a precise figure could be established since it would depend on the clinical judgment formed in each individual case of whether the condition was potentially treatable.