HC Deb 19 April 2004 vol 420 cc190-1W
Mr. Paul Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths in care homes were attributed to notifiable infectious diseases in each year since 1997, broken down by disease. [165240]

Dawn Primarolo

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Paul Burstow, dated 7 April 2004:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths in care homes were attributed to notifiable infectious diseases in each year since 1997, broken down by disease. (165240)

The latest year for which data are available is 2002. The figures in the table below relate to deaths occurring in care homes from diseases which are notifiable under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 and the Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1988. Only those diseases for which there]

Number of deaths
Tuberculosis

and late effects

of tuberculosis

 Other Total
1997 31 16 47
1998 30 10 40
1999 33 9 42
2000 21 12 33
20011 20 21 41
20021 19 21 40
1The introduction of the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) for coding case of death in 2001 means that data for 2001 onwards may not be completely comparable with data for years before this date. Analysis of data for tuberculosis suggests that figures for ICD-9 and ICD-10 are broadly comparable, but detailed analyses of other notifiable diseases has not been undertaken. The data should therefore be interpreted with caution.
Notes:
1. Care homes were defined as NHS and non-NHS nursing homes, local authority residential homes and private residential homes
2. Figures are based on deaths occurring in each calendar year.

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of hospitals had implemented a ward housekeeping service in England at the latest date for which figures are available. [165244]

Mr. Hutton

The most recent data collected at the end of September 2004 by NHS Estates from national health service trusts show 40 per cent. of all hospitals have introduced housekeepers. 53 per cent. of larger hospitals (those having 100 beds or more, and accounting for 86 per cent. of all beds), have already implemented the service.