§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will increase levels of staffing and resources for community health councils to meet the increased demands on its service resulting from the citizens and patients charters.
§ Mr. SackvilleRegional health authorities are responsible for allocating resources to community health councils (CHCs), and for determining the appropriate staffing levels. The deputy chief executive of the national health service management executive wrote to regional general managers on 6 March about the role of CHCs and reminded them to ensure that CHCs were properly resourced.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to review cases where a community health council considers that its observers are being unreasonably excluded from(a) trust, (b) district health authority and (c) regional health authority meetings; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleCommunity health councils (CHCs) have the right to attend any national health service authority or trust meetings which are open to the public. It is matter for decision by authorities and trusts whether CHCs will be invited to attend meetings which are otherwise closed to the public. We have no plans to change these arrangements.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action her Department is currently carrying out to increase the public's awareness of community health councils; and if she will make it her policy to fund a campaign for this.
§ Mr. SackvilleCommunity health councils (CHCs) are independent statutory bodies and are responsible for their own publicity.
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§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will reconsider extending the current terms of office of community health councils to three four-year terms; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleMembers of community health councils (CHCs) are ineligible for reappointment after the completion of two consecutive four-year terms of office. We believe that this encourages a combination of experience and fresh enthusiasm among the membership of CHCs. We have no plans to change these arrangements.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce legislation to improve the statutory rights of community health councils in their relationship with(a) purchasers, (b) improved access to information, (c) automatic observer status on district and regional health authorities public and closed meetings and (d) membership of appropriate health authority working groups.
§ Mr. SackvilleLegislation is not necessary. My hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and the deputy chief executive of the national health service management executive have both written to regional health authorities to remind them of the importance of ensuring that community health councils play a full part in the reformed NHS.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy for community health councils to have full responsibility for their non-staff budget with full details of budgets being submitted in annual reports of the community health councils; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleRegional health authorities are responsible for allocating resources to community health councils. The detailed arrangements for managing community health council budgets are for local decision.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will amend the Community Health Council Regulations 1985 to provide those councils with the right of inspection of those parts of general practitioners' premises where minor surgery is performed under general practitioners' contracts; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleCommunity health councils do not have a statutory right of access to general practitioners' premises, and we have no plans to change these arrangements.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue immediate guidance to health authorities regarding their relationship with community health councils.
§ Mr. SackvilleExisting guidance was issued in 1990. In addition, my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and the deputy chief executive of the national health service management executive wrote to health authorities in February and March about the role of community health councils in relation to health authorities.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action she is taking to ensure that community health councils have sufficient knowledge of the terms of672W the relevant contracts covering patients who are placed with national health service funding under trusts or privately-run services; and if she will make a statement;
(2) if she will issue guidelines to health authorities encouraging them to supply community health councils with the relevant terms of contracts so as to facilitate accurate monitoring by them of the care of patients being treated by a particular service; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleContracts between health authorities and providers are public documents available to community health councils. The deputy chief executive of the national health service management executive wrote to health authorities in March emphasising the importance of community health councils having access to district health authority contracts with providers.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce legislation so that community health councils could nominate specific members to monitor the national health service purchaser/provider split in local planning and purchasing functions with different specified members to monitor the providing process; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleExisting legislation enables community health councils (CHCs) to monitor all services purchased and provided by the local district. It is for individual CHCs to decide how to deploy their members on different tasks.