§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) to what extent hospitals are meeting the guidelines suggested in "Welfare of Children and Young People in Hospital" regarding(a) the provision of a named nurse for each child admitted, (b) the provision of accommodation for parents of children admitted to hospital, (c) education and play facilities for children, (d) separate facilities for adolescents and (e) the provision of separate facilities for children in (i) accident and emergency departments and (ii) out-patients departments;
(2) what plans she has for monitoring child health services; and if she will make a statement;
(3) what progress is being made towards ensuring that all children admitted to hospital are accommodated in separate wards.
§ Mr. YeoThis information is not available centrally. A recent study by the Audit Commission, "Children First" (HMSO 1993), concluded that the standards set in our good practice guide, "Welfare of Children and Young People in Hospital" have not been fully implemented. We intend to address this through the review procedure whereby the national health service management executive holds health authorities to account for specified aspects of their performance.
§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to reduce inequalities in child health.
§ Mr. YeoThe Government's approach to variations in the health of children and other groups was set out in "The Health of the Nation" Green and White Papers (Cm. 1523 and 1986), copies of which are available in the Library. The five key areas include accidents as the most common cause of death in children over the age of one year, but the White Paper recognises that in other fields too success with children will be crucial to the long-term success of the strategy.
Our aim is to reduce variations by tackling specific issues and needs which can be targeted for effective action. Examples of such action within the field of child health include national and local initiatives to reduce perinatal death, including cot deaths, which area is already showing significant results; improved immunisation, already at record levels, to ensure protection against death and disability from preventable disease; and increased participation by general practitioners in child health surveillance, thereby providing screening and health promotion for children individually as part of integrated family health care.
In making such changes, the Government will continue to make the best use of improved arrangements for the delivery of health care. We have provided guidance and are undertaking monitoring to support health authorities in assessing children's health care needs locally, and in integrating family, community and hospital services.
§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that children engaged in sufficient levels of physical activity to establish good health in later life.
§ Mr. SackvilleWe have recently announced the setting up of a "Health of the Nation" task force on physical activity which will consider how to encourage people to 603W obtain lifelong benefits from such activity. The task force will be able to build on the Government's recent initiative whereby physical education is a compulsory subject for all pupils in maintained schools between the ages of five to 16. It serves to give young people a knowledge of the long-term benefits of a healthy lifestyle and encourages the practice of health-related exercise.