§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the North of London Breast Screening Unit based at Edgware Community Hospital; and what proposals he has arising out of that assessment.(126161)
§ Yvette CooperAs part of its regular visiting programme, the London Region Breast Screening Quality Assurance Reference Centre visited the North of London Breast Screening Service on 25 November 1999. Following that visit, a number of recommendations were made to strengthen the service and improve quality. An action plan taking account of them is due to be submitted shortly to the region's quality assurance director.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what date and at what location a mobile breast screening unit last operated in Brent;(126082)
(2) what bids he has received from Brent and Harrow Health Authority for funding from the New Opportunities Fund to provide additional mobile breast screening units;(126081)
(3) on what date and at what location a mobile breast screening unit last made a visit in the Brent and Harrow Health Authority Area;(126081)
(4) how many mobile breast screening units serve the Brent and Harrow Health Authority area; how many of these are fully functioning; and how many of the fully-functioning mobile breast screening units serving that area have been mobile in the year 2000 to date.(126164)
§ Yvette CooperThere is currently one mobile breast screening unit that serves the Brent and Harrow Health Authority area. This unit is fully functional and forms a part of the North of London Breast Screening Service based at Edgware Community Hospital, which is managed by the Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals National Health Service Trust. The service provides breast screening for the population of Brent and Harrow, Barnet and part of West Hertfordshire Health Authorities. Following a successful bid from the Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust, the New Opportunities Fund notified the trust in December 1999 that it would provide the capital necessary for the replacement of this and one other unit and for the purchase of one additional trailer. The London Regional Office of the NHS Executive has agreed to meet capital costs for associated equipment.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what delays there have been in(a) assessing women who have been found to have abnormal mammograms and (b) reporting results to such women in the Brent and Harrow Health Area in the past year.(126163)
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§ Yvette CooperThe national standard is that women should be assessed within three weeks. During the period 1 April 1999 to 31 August 1999, the time taken for assessment of women in the Brent and Harrow Health Authority area whose mammograms were abnormal was
less than three weeks: 30 women (23.62 per cent.)four weeks: 55 women (43.30 per cent.)five weeks and over: 42 women (33.08 per cent.)Source:NHS Breast Screening Programme—London Quality Assurance Reference Centre.All women should be given an outline of the diagnosis on the day of assessment and, if any further results were to be given, would return within a week to receive them.
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the spending(a) in the current financial year, (b) committed and (c) projected on breast screening, assessment and surgery of (i) Brent and Harrow Health Authority, (ii) Barnet Health Authority, (iii) Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Health Authority, (iv) Hillingdon Health Authority, (v) Camden and Islington Health Authority and (vi) Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster Health Authority. [126159]
§ Yvette CooperData in the form requested are not held centrally. The following figures are for individual health authorities spending in 2000–01 on breast screening services:
£000 Brent and Harrow Health Authority 343 Barnet Health Authority 245 Ealing Hammersmith and Hounslow Health Authority 547 Hillingdon Health Authority 202 Camden and Islington Health Authority 292 Kensington Chelsea and Westminster Health Authority 290
§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of women (a) nationally and (b) in the Brent and Harrow Health Authority Area receive regular screening within the time periods recommended by his Department for the different age groups. [126165]
§ Yvette CooperWomen in the target age group 50 to 64 are invited for breast screening every three years. Information about coverage of the target age group for 1999, the latest year available, is in the table.
Eligible population (thousand) Coverage percentage1 England 4,261.5 67.6 Brent and Harrow HA 39.2 58.3 1Less than three years since last test source:
Form KC62
Statistics Division SD2B