§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs have applied for specialist drug addiction training programmes in(a) 2002 and (b) to date in 2003. [113788]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 16 May 2003]The Royal College of General Practitioners is delivering Department of Health-funded training in the form of a certificate programme on the Management of Drug Misuse in Primary Care.
In 2002, 440 general practitioners attended the training, including 40 prison doctors.
In 2003, just under 200 GPs attended the course, as it was agreed with the Department that around 150 places would be made available to other primary care professionals who work with drug users, including nurses, pharmacists, psychiatrists, and prison medical staff.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the(a) availability and (b) effectiveness of treatment for drug addicts in Shropshire. [116342]
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§ Mr. LammyShropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority report that drug misuse treatment services in Shropshire are being developed within the Models of Care framework, which was published by the National Treatment Agency (NTA) in autumn 2002.
The NTA also has responsibility for overseeing the pooled drug treatment budget and is monitoring all drug action teams to ensure that both the availability and effectiveness of treatment continues to improve.