§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has developed a model to assess the impact of waiting times on sexual health outcomes; and if he will make a statement. [122740]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe Department of Health, the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales are funding the Medical Research Council (MRC) to develop a programme of research to contribute to the evidence base for the Sexual Health and HIV Strategy. Through this programme we are656W language therapists and (c) physiotherapists (i) began and (ii) finished training in each year since 1997. [126532]
§ Mr. HuttonInformation on the number of occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists entering training each year since 1997 is shown in the table.
Since 1996–97, the number of training places for occupational therapists have been increased by 77 per cent., physiotherapists have increased by 97 per cent., and, since 1998–99, the number of speech and language therapist training places have been increased by 31 per cent.
supporting research being undertaken by a team from University College London to explore the effects of delayed access to treatment on the transmission dynamics of gonorrhoea, chlamydia and non-specific urethritis. A model will be developed which will quantify the impact of delayed access to services, failed partner notification, and flow to primary care on transmission dynamics. This research, funded by the MRC, will provide us with better evidence of effective interventions to reduce transmission of infection through improved access to services.
§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome was of the audit of genito-urinary medicine waiting times; and if he will make a statement. [122741]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonAn audit undertaken by professional bodies in 2002 shows that the median time to first appointment in genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics was 12 days for men and 14 days for women. Accurate data on GUM waiting times is not currently collected centrally and we are therefore funding the Health Protection Agency to roll-out the collection of patient specific data. This is in conjunction with the development of a minimum data set for GUM, which will enable an accurate calculation of waiting times to be made for both individual patients and primary care trusts.
We are also working with representatives of professional bodies to develop a service review process for GUM. This will involve a multi-disciplinary team visiting each clinic to review data, staffing and working practices including auditing waiting times.
§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether additional resources are being invested to improve genito-urinary medicine services in the current financial year; and if he will make a statement. [122742]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe Department of Health has invested a further £8 million in genito-urinary medicine services this year to reduce waiting times and improve capacity. This funding is recurring and is additional to the £5 million we invested last year. Allocations have been made to clinics based on their workload. In addition, we have a further £2 million to 657W invest in around 20 development schemes to pump-prime the establishment of new services or further develop those already in existence. We will be shortly seeking bids from primary care trusts that meet specific criteria.