§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many further heart patients it is planned to transfer from Merseyside to London for treatment;
(2) when he expects there will be no further need to transfer heart patients from Merseyside to London;
(3) if heart patients from Merseyside have been transferred for treatment in hospitals other than those in London; and, if so, how many and to where.
§ Sir George YoungI understand that Liverpool area health authority (teaching) has no plans at present to transfer any further heart patients to London or elsewhere. No patients have been transferred to hospitals other than to those listed in my reply to the hon. Member of 13 March.—[Vol. 980, c.676.]
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the total cost to the National Health Service of the transfer of heart patients from Merseyside to London; how much of this has been borne by the Mersey regional health authority; and how much of the total has been paid to private clinics and hospitals.
§ Dr. VaughanInformation on the total cost to the National Health Service is not readily available. The costs of treating patients under the NHS are borne by the health authorities providing the treatment, but inter-regional patient transfers are taken into account in determining490W revenue allocations. The patients transferred to private clinics were treated free of charge to the NHS under special arrangements with a private medical organisation except for the cost of the heart valves which was met by the Liverpool area health authority (teaching). In all cases the patients' travelling expenses to and from London were met by the AHA(T).