Answers to the Written Assembly Questions for answer on 3 March 2010

[R] signifies that the Member has declared an interest.
[W] signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh.

Contents

Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services

To ask the Minister for Health and Social Services

Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister make a statement on waiting times and Welsh Assembly Government targets for bowel cancer screening. (WAQ55707)

Answer issued on 04 March 2010

Bowel cancer screening in Wales is the responsibility of Health Commission Wales, which commissions the service from Public Health Wales NHS Trust.  

The waiting times target requires that people who are diagnosed with bowel cancer following a referral form the bowel cancer screening programme must start their definitive treatment within 31 days of being diagnosed.

Bowel cancer specific performance statistics against this target are not centrally held, but this data is included in the statistics on lower gastro-intestinal cancers. Latest statistics are published on the StatsWales website at http://www.statswales.wales.gov.uk/index.htm.

Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What was the total spent on the Health Challenge Wales programme in each year since its inception broken down by local authority area. (WAQ55709)

Answer issued on 04 March 2010

The information that you requested is not held centrally.

Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What action is the Minister taking to tackle childhood obesity in Wales. (WAQ55710)

Answer issued on 04 March 2010

The Welsh Assembly Government recognises that poor nutrition and lack of physical activity in children and young people can lead to a greater risk of health problems later on in life. We are taking action to prevent obesity through our Food and Fitness 5 Year Implementation Plan for Children and Young People. The plan sets out some of the ways in which we are helping to support parents and children and young people in their efforts to eat well and stay fit. Specifically to address obesity in young people the Welsh Assembly Government is supporting the piloting of the MEND programme in Wales, investing £1.2m over 3 years. MEND, "Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do it!” is a family focussed community based obesity referral programme for overweight and obese children aged 7-13. In addition we are currently consulting on a draft all Wales Obesity Pathway. Once finalised it will be used as a tool for Health Boards, with their partners, to review local policies, services and cross-departmental multi-agency activity on overweight and obesity.

Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What performance indicators are in place in respect of the Health Challenge Wales programme. (WAQ55712)

Answer issued on 04 March 2010

Health Challenge Wales includes a number of programmes, each of which has its own performance indicators.  Key examples are the National Exercise Referral Scheme and the Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes.

National Exercise Referral Scheme indicator:

• The number of participants who start the national exercise referral scheme (the measure will be the number who attend the first consultation).

Welsh Network of Health School Scheme indicators:

• Ensure that all LEA-maintained schools participate in the Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes by March 2010.

• 60% of all maintained schools to have achieved Phase 3 of the WNHSS & 3% of all maintained schools to have achieved the WNHSS National Quality Award by 2012.

• 95% of all maintained schools to have achieved Phase 3 of the WNHSS & 10% of all maintained schools to have achieved the WNHSS National Quality Award by 2015.

Further examples are available on Welsh Assembly Government websites.

Janet Ryder (North Wales): Given that all trainee doctors should have one afternoon for GP training, in hospitals which have GP registrar training posts, how many trainee doctors have done their full allocation of training, and what percentage of the total half-day release is taken. (WAQ55713)

Answer issued on 04 March 2010

In the larger GP training schemes such as Cardiff and Swansea (with 60 plus trainees) it is not feasible for all trainees to regularly attend half day release programmes in addition to their departmental teaching. The reasons for this include shift patterns, rotas, European Working Time Directive and Postgraduate Centre and teacher capacity.

Overall attendance will vary from year to year and there are no 'all Wales' figures available for these attendances.