Palliative Care

HC Deb 05 December 1994 vol 251 cc89-90W

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the responsibilities of health authorities with regard to the funding of palliative care.

Region	1990–91 £000s	1991–92 £000s	1992–93 £000s	1993–94 £000s	1994–95 £000's
Yorkshire	602	1,276	2,892	3,446	3,788
Northern	530	1,124	2,329	2,712	3,012
Trent	756	1,603	3,443	4,019	4,304
Mersey	420	890	1,940	2,356	2,489
Oxford	365	774	1,737	1,966	2,128
East Anglia	317	672	1,589	1,922	2,129
Wessex	462	979	2,513	2,861	3,025
North East Thames	697	1,478	2,807	3,410	3,864
North West Thames	596	1,263	2,469	2,848	3,240
South East Thames	658	1,395	3,233	3,664	4,000
South West Thames	520	1,102	2,473	2,913	3,145
North Western	697	1,478	3,105	3,846	4,099
South Western	532	1,128	2,835	3,408	3,648
West Midlands	848	1,798	3,828	4,560	4,858
Total	8 million	16.96 million	37.2 million	43.9 million	47.7 million

ensure the national health service pays reasonable prices for medicines.

Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her calculation of the total number of people who have become addicted to medicinal drugs during the past 15 years; and how many of them remain addicted.

Mr. Bowis

A patient is considered to be addicted to a medicinal drug on the basis of a clinical diagnosis by a doctor. Information on the number of such diagnoses is not available centrally.

Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her calculation of the numbers of people who died as the result of the use of medicinal drugs in each of the last 10 years.

Mr. Sackville

The table shows the number of people who have died as a result of poisoning by drugs, medicaments, and biological substances—¹ICD 960–979—in the last 10 years in England and Wales, under the headings of accidental, suicide and self-inflicted injury, and injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted. Whether or not these were prescribed drugs is not recorded at death. However, most of the categories of these substances are available only on prescription. Major exceptions are "analgesics, antipyretics and antirheumatics"—¹ICD 965—and "other unspecified drugs and medicaments"—¹ICD 977.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the responsibilities of health authorities with regard to the funding of palliative care.

Mr. Sackville

Health authorities are responsible for contracting with those who provide specialist palliative care services in order to meet the health needs of their populations.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will specify the funding received for palliative care by individual authorities in each of the last five financial years.

Mr. Sackville

The information required is not available in the form requested. Central funding received by regions for palliative care in each of the last five financial years is shown in the table. This does not include funding from other national health service resources.