Commission for Health Improvement (Hansard, 6 June 2000)

§ 12. Jean Corston (Bristol, East)
What role the Commission for Health Improvement has in tackling differences in health service provision between postcode areas. [122873]

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Ms Gisela Stuart)
Tackling unacceptable variations in health care is a key challenge for the national health service.
The Commission for Health Improvement will regularly review the steps being taken in the NHS to address unjustifiable variations in the quality of, or access to, treatment and care, including action taken to implement national service frameworks and the uptake of guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

§ Jean Corston
It is clearly early days for the commission, which has been operating for only two months. Does my hon. Friend agree, however, that while it is right and proper for local health authorities to be given responsibility to provide for the health needs of their populations, people do not understand the disparity in the availability of some services? I am thinking of, for instance, infertility treatment, and the prescribing of beta interferon and certain cancer drugs. Will the commission have a role in addressing those disparities?

§ Ms Stuart
Not only will the commission be able to reassure patients and the public that effective systems are in place to deliver high quality; it will work with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, which was created to ensure that every patient has fair access to quality treatment. That is done by identifying the best practice, and spreading it quickly.

§ Mr. David Tredinnick (Bosworth)
Does the Minister agree that one of the greatest disparities across the country is in the use and provision of complementary and alternative medicine? Surveys show that 75 per cent. of the population want such medicine to be available on the health service. Does the Minister agree that now is the time for her Department to consider how it can be provided by the health service, at the point of delivery, throughout the nation?

§ Ms Stuart
The hon. Gentleman is right: there is a move in favour of complementary medicine. NICE has terms of reference for an investigation based on science and evidence which will focus mainly on the major killers, but, as I am sure that the hon. Gentleman knows, bodies such as NHS Direct will be able to advise on where people can find alternative and complementary medicine. We have not closed our minds to that.