§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of homeless people suffered from tuberculosis in each year since 1997. [87187]
§ Ms BlearsIn the year 2001–02, there were 10 admissions for tuberculosis with a home address of no fixed abode. This totals 0.1 per cent. of admissions for all diseases with a home address of no fixed abode.
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has carried out on the longevity of homeless people. [87188]
§ Ms BlearsNo recent assessment has been made of the longevity of homeless people, although research by Crisis (1996) found that the life expectancy of someone who sleeps rough is 42 years.
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of homeless people used accident and emergency units at hospitals in the last 12 months. [87190]
§ Ms BlearsThe homeless people interviewed as part of the recent research carried out by Crisis (December 2002) found that homeless people were over four times more likely than the general public to turn to accident and emergency when they could not access a general practitioner, 43 per cent., compared to 10 per cent.
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of homeless people suffered from(a) chest infections (b) leg sores and (c) asthma in the last 12 months. [87191]
§ Ms BlearsIn the year 2001–02, there were 46 admissions for asthma and 75 admissions for chest infections with a home address of no fixed abode. Data are not available for leg sores. This totals 0.6 per cent. and 1 per cent. of admissions for all diseases with a home address of no fixed abode for asthma and chest infections respectively.
1047W
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in NHS hospitals are homeless, broken down by health authority. [87202]
§ Ms BlearsIn the year 2001–02 there were 7,620 admissions with a home address of 'No Fixed Abode'. A breakdown by health authority is shown in the table.
1048W
Admissions (2001–02) for those with a home address 'No Fixed Abode' broken down by health authority Name Count of admissions Hillingdon HA 22 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 133 Redbridge and Waltham Forest HA 106 Bedfordshire HA 55 Berkshire HA 78 Buckinghamshire HA 50 Croydon HA 16 East Kent HA 38 West Kent HA 55 Kingston and Richmond HA 16 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 962 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth HA 60 East Surrey HA 5 West Surrey HA 104 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove HA 61 West Sussex HA 32 Barking and Havering HA 20 Brent and Harrow HA 30 Camden and Islington HA 753 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 402 East London and The City HA 152 North Essex HA 92 South Essex HA 61 South Lancashire HA 9 Liverpool HA 163 Manchester HA 92 Morecambe Bay HA 43 St, Helens and Knowsley HA 51 Salford and Trafford HA 7 Sefton HA 57 Stockport HA 17 West Pennine HA 14 Northamptonshire HA 74 Oxfordshire HA 77 Suffolk HA 84 Barnsley HA 50 North Derbyshire HA 13 South Derbyshire HA 63 Doncaster HA 66 Leicestershire HA 93 Lincolnshire HA 161 North Nottinghamshire HA 71 Nottingham HA 135 Rotherham HA 51 Sheffield HA 88 Bury and Rochdale HA 17 South Cheshire HA 35 East Lancashire HA 73 North West Lancashire HA 248 North and Mid Hampshire HA 32 Southampton and South West Hampshire HA 237 Somerset HA 36 South and West Devon HA 83 Wiltshire HA 20 Avon HA 212 Birmingham HA 126 Wigan and Bolton HA 40 Wirral HA 49 Bradford HA 58 County Durham HA 16 East Riding HA 83 Gateshead and South Tyneside HA 43
Admissions (2001–02) for those with a home address 'No Fixed Abode' broken down by health authority Name Count of admissions Leeds HA 170 Newcastle and North Tyneside HA 8 North Cumbria HA 29 South Humber HA 26 Northumberland HA 65 Tees HA 37 Wakefield HA 36 North Yorkshire HA 70 Calderdale and Kirklees HA 94 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly HA 1 Dorset HA 51 North and East Devon HA 40 Gloucestershire HA 51 Coventry HA 53 Dudley HA 10 Herefordshire HA 20 Sandwell HA 4 Shropshire HA 10 South Staffordshire HA 38 Walsall HA 19 Warwickshire HA 10 Worcestershire HA 5 Cambridge HA 213 Norfolk HA 107 Isle of White, Portsmouth and Southampton HA 126 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey HA 59 Hertfordshire HA 54 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich HA 24 Total 7,620
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that homeless people are able to register with a general practitioner; [87205]
(2) if it is his Department's policy to encourage homeless people to register permanently with a general practitioner. [87189]
§ Mr. HuttonNational Health Service medical primary care services are available free to all persons who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, including those who are homeless. To that end patients do not need a permanent address to register with a general practitioner.
Primary care trusts can also provide targeted primary care services for homeless people through a tailored personal medical services contract, or general medical services local development scheme or through provision of a walk-in service.
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of homeless people suffered from diabetes in the last 12 months. [87208]
§ Ms BlearsIn the year 2001–02, there were 46 admissions for diabetes with a home address of no fixed abode. This totals 0.6 per cent. of admissions for all diseases with a home address of no fixed abode.
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients whose address was listed as no fixed abode were admitted to NHS hospitals between(a) December 1998 and January 1999, (b) December 1997 and January 1998, and (c) December 1996 and January 1997. [87209]
1049W
§ Ms BlearsInformation on the number of patients admitted to national health service hospitals between December 1996 and January 1999 with an address listed as no fixed abode is shown in the table.
Year Number of patients December 1996-January 1997 557 December 1997-January 1998 758 December 1998-January 1999 895
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the dates since 1997 when he and his officials have met representatives of homeless charities and voluntary organisations to discuss the health needs of homeless people. [87446]
§ Ms BlearsMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and officials have had numerous meetings with charitable and voluntary organisations since his appointment in October 1999. These meetings have discussed a range of topics including health issues which affect homeless people.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to encourage a greater take-up of GP services by homeless people. [87473]
§ Mr. HuttonNational health service medical primary care services are available free to everyone who is ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, including anyone who is homeless. We have in place a range of initiatives to improve access to general practitioner services for homeless people. These include the development of a model general medical service local development scheme for primary care trusts to use to develop such and the promotion of locally agreed personal medical services (PMS) contracts with a similar focus. There are now more than 80 PMS pilot schemes, which include the homeless as a priority objective.