HC Deb 21 October 2002 vol 391 cc126-8W
Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants specialising in renal medicine were employed in the NHS in each of the last five years. [75539]

Mr. Lammy

Between Sept 1997 and March 2002, the number of consultants in renal medicine increased by 35 per cent.

The information requested is shown in the table.

Hospital, medical consultants within the renal medicine specialty by year
Year Numbers
2002 270
2001 260
2000 230
1999 210
1998 210
1997 200

Note:

Figures are rounded to the nearest ten

Data for 1997–2001 is at 30 September and 2002 data is at 31 March.

Source:

Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.

Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which renal units in hospital trusts in England and Wales operate at weekends. [75535]

Mr. Lammy

We do not collect this information, but it is normal practice for main renal dialysis units, and most satellite dialysis units, to dialyse patients on Saturdays.

Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish his NSF on renal conditions. [75534]

Mr. Lammy

Advice on the renal national service framework is being developed by an external reference group in four modules covering, dialysis, transplantation, prevention and primary care, and end of life care. These will be published in due course.

Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the assessment is of his Department of the proportion of kidney failure cases linked to diabetes. [75533]

Mr. Lammy

The latest information is from the December 2001 Report from the United Kingdom renal registry covering the year 2000, copies which are available in the Library. This shows that diabetes accounted for 16 per cent. of new cases of end stage renal failure and 10 per cent. of prevalent cases.

Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received dialysis treatment in the NHS in each of the last five years. [75537]

Mr. Lammy

The information in the table is derived from survey data commissioned by the Department for the years 1993, 1995 and 1998 and shows the prevalent patients receiving dialysis. A further survey is planned for 2002.

England 1993 1995 1998
Dialysis 9,045 10,988 13,405

Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is being funded by his Department into the prevalence of renal complaints amongst ethnic communities. [75532]

Mr. Lammy

We are not funding research specifically into the prevalence of renal complaints among ethnic communities although there are other research projects on related aspects of renal disease. There is already good evidence to show that the prevalence rates for most kidney diseases are three to five times higher among the Asian and African/Caribbean minority ethnic groups.

We are presently investing £0.5 million on two major publicity campaigns, and we have provided a three-year grant of £65,000 to the national kidney research fund's "A Better Life Campaign", all aimed at raising awareness of kidney disease among minority ethnic groups.

Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost is to the NHS of providing annual dialysis treatment for patients with kidney disorders. [75538]

Mr. Lammy

The average cost data in the reference costs collection for renal dialysis is collected on a session, not a patient basis. The figures in the table are based on the four main categories currently used for analysis of these costs. The data is for the 2000–2001 financial year, and is based on data submitted by all National Health Service trusts in England.

Most haemodialysis patients dialyse three times a week although some may require fewer dialysis sessions depending on the severity of their condition. Patients on peritoneal dialysis will normally exchange fluids three of four times a day and patients using automated peritoneal dialysis will carry out exchanges at night.

Reference Costs 2000–01: Renal Dialysis No of Sessions Mean Average £
Hospital Based Haemodialysis (including, inpatients, outpatients and ward atttenders) 1,276,797 145
Home Haemodialysis 92,045 104
Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) 3,736,733 21
Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD) 899,800 18

Source:

Reference Costs 2001 Publication