HC Deb 29 June 1989 vol 155 c545W
Ms. Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will pay the contract fee when a general practitioner budget holder refers a woman to a hospital for maternity services under his White Paper proposals.

Mr. Mellor

Inpatient maternity services fall outside the scope of the general practitioner practice budget scheme and therefore district health authorities will be responsible for securing such services through contracts.

Ms. Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) who will pay the contract fee when an employee of the local education authority refers a child for psychiatric services under the proposals of his White Paper;

(2) who will pay the contract fee when a social worker refers a child patient for care at a psychiatric hospital under the proposals of his White Paper.

Mr. Mellor

Under the proposals in the White Paper "Working for Patients" contracts for hospital and community health services will be between NHS bodies. We do not propose that agencies outside the NHS such as social services departments or education authorities should enter into contracts or be charged for services.

The responsibility for arranging the provision of psychiatric services, including those to which social workers or education authority employees refer children, remains that of district health authorities, which will in future secure this provision by placing appropriate contracts.

Mr. Cartwright

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions have taken place between his Department and the Greenwich health authority about the possibility of hospitals in the area being run as self-governing trusts.

Mr. Mellor

None, so far.

Mr. Fearn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the units which expressed interest in self-governing status include or provide maternity services.

Mr. Mellor

[holding answer 28 June 1989]: We understand that about 90 of the units which have expressed an interest in self-governing status include or provide maternity services.

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