§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of homeless people are addicted to(a) alcohol and (b) drugs. [87204]
§ Mrs. RocheI have been asked to reply.
In 1998, the Social Exclusion Unit's report into rough sleeping stated that 20 per cent. of rough sleepers were misusing drugs. In July 2002, research by the charity Crisis found that 83 per cent. of single homeless people were drug users. Figures for people misusing alcohol were at around 30 to 50 per cent. in the SEU report, and recent anecdotal evidence suggests that this figure is still around the same.
On 4 December 2002, the Home Office's Drug Strategy Directorate and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Homelessness Directorate published new guidance entitled "Drug Services for Homeless People: a Good Practice Handbook", which is aimed at addressing these figures through mainstream and specialised drug services.
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Homelessness Directorate is taking to improve the health care of homeless ple. [87435]
§ Mrs. RocheI have been asked to reply.
The Homelessness Directorate's report, "More than a Roof", set out a new approach to tackling homelessness, focused on the problems that homeless people face in the places where they live. It identified addressing health needs as critical in helping homeless people, as well as preventing homelessness.
In the Cross-Cutting Review on health inequalities, which the Government published on 20 November 2002, inequalities faced by vulnerable groups, including homeless people, were identified as a top-line priority. As part of Government's response to this through measures to improve access to health services for vulnerable groups and others, the Government have put in place more than 1,300 Personal Medical Service Pilots and 42 NHS Walk-in Centres. Local authorities are expected to work with a range of organisations to deliver their homelessness strategies, including primary care trusts on appropriate health services.
In addition, all local housing authorities are now required, under the Homelessness Act 2002, to conduct a review of homelessness in their district and to adopt a strategy, by July 2003, which must include plans for ensuring that accommodation and support are available for homeless people. As made clear in the statutory Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities, published jointly by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department of Health, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects local housing authorities to work with a range of organisations to deliver the aims of the homelessness strategy and ensure that all the support needs of homeless people are taken into account. This includes working with primary care trusts (PCTs), to deliver appropriate health services to this client group.
884W
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what training general practitioners receive in relation to the health needs of homeless people. [87436]
§ Mr. HuttonGovernment do not specify the content of the general practitioner training curriculum. This is the job of the joint committee on postgraduate training for general practice (JCPTGP), which is the competent authority for general practice training in the United Kingdom. The JCPTGP is an independent professional body, and it is required by section 9(3) of the Vocational Training Regulations 1997 to determine and publish the curriculum to be followed by a GP registrar, a trainee GP.
The Regulations do specify seven competencies which must be tested, and which the curriculum must therefore teach:
factual medical knowledge sufficient to enable the doctor to perform the duties of a GP;the ability to apply factual medical knowledge to the management of problems presented by patients in general practice;effective communication, both orally and in writing;the ability to consult satisfactorily with general practice patients;the ability to review and critically analyse the practitioner's own working practices and to manage any necessary changes appropriately;clinical skills; andthe ability to synthesise all the above competencies and apply them appropriately in a general practice setting.GPs are expected therefore to learn in training the skills needed to deal with all their patients.