HC Deb 15 February 1990 vol 167 cc397-8W
Ms. Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ask the chairman of North Yorkshire family practitioners committee to investigate and report on the circumstances in which 120 patients have been removed from the list of patients and the practice in Filey, Yorkshire, of Dr. P. Garnett and partners; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave her on 12 February at column28. The address of the North Yorkshire family practitioners committee is Ryedale house, 60 Piccadilly, York YO1 1PE.

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much extra funding will be available to each of the three general practitioner practices in Calderdale who have applied to become budget holders.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

To date, practices have been invited only to register their interest in fund holding, since the legislative provision for the operation of the scheme is not yet in place. It is not possible, therefore, to give any estimate of the level of funds which might be available to individual practices.

Practices which volunteer to join the scheme will be able to claim an annual management allowance of up to £32,000 to meet expenses legitimately incurred in running a fund. In 1990–91 an allowance of half that level will be available in recognition of the preparatory work which practices will have to undertake before entering the scheme.

Mr. Robin Cook

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much time he considers that each doctor should spend on medical audit in addition to that currently spent; and what steps he is planning to take to provide additional resources to ensure that that time is not at the expense of patient care.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Medical audit is essentially a professional matter. Doctors will be advised by their professional bodies, including the royal colleges, on how much time should be spent on it. The Government are making available additional resources—£31 million in 1990–91—to ensure that medical audit is adequately supported and that doctors are able to participate in it without detriment to their other duties.