§ Mr. AustinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of visits and repeat visits to GPs in England occasioned by osteoporosis. [37303]
§ Ms JowellInformation on the number of visits made to general practitioners about specific conditions is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. AustinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the projected number of osteoporotic fractures in England in the next 12 months and the number of (a) orthopaedic beds and (b) days of hospitalisation required to treat them. [37331]
§ Mr. AustinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the incidence of osteoporosis; and what estimate he has made of the cost of osteoporosis to the NHS in England in the last 12 months. [37311]
§ Ms JowellNo estimate of the incidence of osteoporosis or the cost of osteoporosis to the National Health Service in England has been made in the last 12 months. In 1995 the advisory group on osteoporosis estimated that osteoporosis affected approximately one in four women and one in twelve men, and cost £742 million a year in England, based on 1992/93 prices.
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§ Mr. AustinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health authorities have an osteoporosis strategy in place; and if he will list them. [37307]
§ Ms JowellThe Department does not hold a list of the health authorities which have an osteoporosis strategy.
§ Mr. AustinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has evaluated into the correlation between osteoporosis and social deprivation; and if he will make a statement. [37315]
§ Ms JowellWe are aware of the devastating effect that osteoporosis can have on all those who suffer from it, regardless of social class. That is why we have pledged our commitment to tackling the condition through a new strategy on osteoporosis.
§ Mr. AustinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage and number of(a) accidents and (b) orthopaedic hospital admissions in England are directly attributable to osteoporosis. [37324]
§ Ms JowellInformation on the number of accidents directly attributable to osteoporosis is not collated centrally. The table shows the number of admissions to National Health Service hospitals in England in 1995–96 (the latest date for which figures are available), where the main diagnosis was osteoporosis and the consultant specialty was 'Trauma & Orthopaedics'. It shows that just over 0.1 per cent. of admissions in that specialty involved a primary diagnosis of osteoporosis.
Ordinary admissions and day cases combined: number of admissions by specialty and primary diagnosis, NHS hospitals in England, 1995–96 Trauma and Orthopaedics Admissions with primary diagnosis given as osteoporosis 852 All admissions 750,195 Percentage admissions with primary diagnosis given as osteoporosis 0.114
§ Mr. AustinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of treating osteoporotic fractures in the last 12 months. [37317]