HL Deb 15 November 1990 vol 523 cc439-40

3.2 p.m.

Lord Ennals asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the new hematology ward for AIDS patients at the Hammersmith Hospital, funded by the National Health Service and charitable money, is now to be used for private patients.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Hooper)

My Lords, this unit is not being used for private care. Although I understand that the Hammersmith Special Health Authority had planned to treat private patients in the unit, none has been admitted. As from next week the unit is to be used for its originally intended purpose —to treat National Health Service patients who have infectious diseases, including AIDS.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, I thank the Minister for her Answer. It is very reassuring. Will she accept that there will be much satisfaction that the ward is to be used for AIDS patients, for which it was originally provided both with NHS and private funding? That is good news. Will the Minister also accept my thanks for the fact that the unit is not now to be used for private patients and that it will be used for the NHS? From the statement that the noble Baroness made, I assume that that position is not likely to change within the next two or three weeks and that the Answer she has given has some finality.

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, I simply answer yes to the noble Lord.

Lord Winstanley

My Lords, leaving aside for the moment the doctrinal question of private patients, important though that may be, perhaps I may focus the Minister's attention on the crucial issue of whether the resources of the unit are adequate to meet the needs of AIDS patients. Can the noble Baroness advise the House whether the hematological resources in the unit are wholly adequate to meet the needs of AIDS patients as we now know them to be, or will there be a shortfall, whether caused by private patients or otherwise?

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, as always in these matters, the special health authority is the authority responsible for the spending of the budget. The money being made available for this unit is from the central AIDS budget, which is initially reserved for the use of special health authorities. The agreement as to the amount of funding in this case has been the result of discussions between officials of the Department of Health and the Hammersmith Special Health Authority in response to the formal bid for funds from the special health authority.

Lord Kilmarnock

My Lords, will the noble Baroness accept that, if there is any change in the future and the beds are used as private beds, the hospital will have to make a refund to the charities which contributed money for a different purpose?

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, I should be grateful to the noble Lord if he could advise me which charities contributed to this purpose. My understanding is that the funds for the capital costs of the building of the unit were essentially National Health Service funds. Nevertheless, the principle is that in certain cases pay-beds have been allowed in National Health Service hospitals; that has been true since the inception of the National Health Service. However, careful consideration is always given beforehand.

Lord Gisborough

My Lords, if the unit is to be run in anything like a business manner, I am at a loss to understand why it is not an advantage to increase the turnover and the amount of money coming in from private patients.

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend. It is true that it is better to use facilities to earn money which can then be redistributed than to leave facilities lying idle.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, as matters are progressing so well this afternoon, is it possible for the Minister to say whether the report in the Observer last Sunday is true, that there was a similar alleged transference of funds for AIDS patients in the Riverside Health Authority?

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, I assume that the Observer article to which the noble Lord refers is alleging that the Riverside, which receives funds from the North-West Thames Region expressly for the purpose of providing services for people who are HIV positive or who have AIDS, proposes to use the £1 million underspend for purposes other than HIV/AIDS. The region is discussing the position with the district and seeking ways of correcting the situation. The department is also looking at ways in which the monitoring of earmarked funds can be improved so that no such problem occurs in the future.