Written question asked by Lord Lansley (Conservative) on Thursday, 27 January 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 23 February 2005. It was answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Labour) on Wednesday, 23 February 2005 on behalf of the Department of Health.
Dept of Health
- Question
- To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of whether Wockhardt's production of diamorphine will be sufficient to meet NHS requirements; and if he will make a statement; if he will list the alternative medicines his Department has recommended for use in the NHS for pain management whilst supplies of diamorphine are being addressed; whether these alternative medicines require additional equipment in order to administer them; and what additional resources are being made available to the NHS for pain management; what arrangements he has made with alternative (a) UK and (b) foreign suppliers of diamorphine to the NHS.
- Answer
-
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of whether Wockhardt's production of diamorphine will be sufficient to meet NHS requirements; and if he will make a statement; [213270] (2) if he will list the alternative medicines his Department has recommended for use in the NHS for pain management while supplies of diamorphine are being addressed; whether these alternative medicines require additional equipment in order to administer them; and what additional resources are being made available to the NHS for pain management; [213271] (3) what arrangements he has made with alternative (a) UK and (b) foreign suppliers of diamorphine to the NHS. [213272] Ms Rosie Winterton: The national health service Purchasing and Supply Agency is continuing to monitor the supply situation closely. Wockhardt has increased its production and these extra supplies are being distributed to the NHS. The decision about transferring patients to alternative medicines is a clinical one and needs to be determined by the prescribing doctor, taking into account all the circumstances of a particular case. Interim clinical guidance was issued to healthcare professionals on 23 December 2004 and this is being updated by the Association for Palliative Medicine. Equipment for administration of medicines is available through the normal channels. The Department allocates revenue funding to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. In the allocations for 2003-04 to 2005-06, none of the substantial growth money has been identified for specific purposes. It is for PCTs, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use these funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. Departmental officials are in close contact with manufacturers of diamorphine regarding United Kingdom supply. However, the details are commercially confidential.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 431 c683-4W;431 c679-80W; 213270;213271;213272
- Session
- 2004-05
- Subjects
- NHS Medical treatments Procurement Pain Diamorphine
- Link
- View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2013-11-25 21:27:32 +0000
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