§ 20. Mr. ChisholmTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the proportion of time spent by NHS consultant doctors in the private sector.
§ Mr. MaloneIt is a statutory requirement and an underpinning principle of the conduct of private practice in national health service hospitals, agreed with the medical profession, that private practice work should not significantly interfere with a hospital's NHS contracts. Within this framework, consultants are free to undertake private work in addition to their NHS duties and in their own time, sometimes using resources bought from the health service. The combination of private practice and NHS treatment means that, overall, more patients are treated than if health care was only available through the NHS.
§ 28. Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to reduce the cost to NHS trusts of dispensing with the services of consultants who do not meet the required professional standards.
§ Mr. MaloneIt is for individual national health service employers to taken decisions about their staff. They should exercise this responsibility with full regard to probity and accountability. They need to ensure that every 545W effort is made to keep the infrequent costs of dismissal of consultants under control.