GP Fundholding

HC Deb 16 February 1995 vol 254 cc810-1W

Sir Andrew Bowden

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many total purchasing general practitioner fundholding practices have been given the ability to purchase residential nursing home care.

Mr. Malone

There are four existing national total purchasing pilots, in which general practitioner fundholders purchase all hospital and community health services for their patients. A further 49 sites are now to join the national evaluation programme. The pilot sites are listed below. Fundholders and health authorities working in partnership are demonstrating what can be achieved, and have made clear their commitment to this important project.

Total Fundholding - All Regions
Region	Pilot Site	Number of Practices	Population covered
Anglia and Oxford5	Berkshire Integrated Purchasing Project1	6	65,000
	Bucks	4	55,423
	Thatcham	1	25,000
	North West Anglia (Kings Lynn) Attleborough	1 1	18,086 13,900
Northern and Yorkshire7	Wakefield	5	54,000
	Newcastle	2	25,300
	North Bradford Health Gain Consortium	3	30,000
	Durham	3	46,053
	Worth Valley1	8	60,000
	North Yorks (York)	1	21,027
	Tynedale	12	55,700
North West8	Runcorn1	1	12,000
	Ellesmere Port	7	67,000
	Newton Le Willows (St. Helens)	8	45,664
	Liverpool Neighbourhood	8	48,600
	Clitheroe and Whalley	3	31,600
	South Lancs (South Bank)	5	24,000
	South Cheshire	3	20,000
	Wilmslow	4	35,000
1 Existing Projects

Mr. Devlin

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the north of England are registered with fundholding general practitioners.

Mr. Malone

Some 34 per cent. of the population in the north of England as defined by the area covered by the Northern, and Yorkshire, and North West regional health authorities and Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield family health services authorities, are served by a fundholding general practitioner.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the research her Department has done or commissioned in each of the last eight years, on fundholding.

Mr. Malone

Research on fundholding has been carried out by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, King's Fund Institute and individual researchers. No research has been carried out internally.