§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of(a) an electro-cardiogram, (b) a blood pressure test, (c) an electron beam tomography scan, (d) a lung function test, (e) a blood test, (f) a mammogram, (g) bowel cancer screening, (h) an X-ray and (i) a cervical smear test. [174455]
§ Mr. HuttonCurrent cost data, for the specified tests are detailed, where available. No data are available for blood pressure tests of lung function tests.
(a) Electro-cardiogram or ECG.
for tests undertaken as part of an out-patient consultation, the national average cost is £101.where the test is undertaken as a direct access test (general practitioner request), the national average cost is £29.48.(b) Electron beam tomography scan.
No data are available centrally for this specific scan. Data are available for computer tomography scans, of which electron beam tomography is one type.
CT scans, are undertaken in a wide range of specialties.
the national average cost for CT scans undertaken in an outpatient setting range from £164–£209 depending on specialty;the national average cost of a CT scan undertaken as a direct access test (GP request) is £102.(c) Blood test.
These are undertaken in a variety of pathology specialties, depending upon the reason for undertaking the test. The national average cost of a blood test undertaken as a direct access test (GP request) is detailed by specialty as follows:
£ Phlebotomy test 10.63 General pathology test 1.72 Chemical pathology test 2.48 Haematology test 3.32 Histology/Histopathology test 17.87 Immunology test 7.45 Microbiology/Bacteriology test 7.09 Neuropathology test 14.00 Virology test 7.82 Biochemistry test 2.05 Other test 5.43 (d) Mammogram
The cost of a mammogram undertaken in a direct access setting is £31.67.
(e) Bowel Cancer screening.
A faecal occult blood test (FOB) test for bowel cancer costs £5.2 per cent. of all tests are positive and require a subsequent diagnostic colonoscopy, at a cost of £127.
At present, the FOB test is being piloted with two sites.
There is currently no national programme for bowel cancer screening.
1599W(f) X-ray.
The national average cost for a direct access test (GP request) is £14.97 for a standard (Band A) X-ray.
(g) Cervical smear test.
The cost of a cervical smear test is £37.50 (uplifted for inflation from data source).
Data sources:
Items (a, b, c, d, f): National Schedule of Reference Costs Appendix 1, Payment by Results Core Tools Publication. The information requested has been placed in the Library.Item (e): "The Evaluation of the UK Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot—Final Report, revised May 2003"—a report undertaken for the national screening programme.Item (g): "The NAO report on the Performance of The NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England", published in 1998, and adjusted for inflation.