§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when members of the Heywood Associations of Small Practices will hear if their application to be part of the primary act pilot initiative has been approved. [6844]
§ Mr. MilburnThere are two stages to the application process to enter the personal medical services pilot scheme under the National Health Service (Primary Care) Act 1997. Firstly an expression of interest should have been made by 1 May followed by a formal application. Everyone who has submitted an expression of interest to pilot new contractual arrangements will receive individual feedback on their proposal from their local health authority and will be given the opportunity to re-visit their proposal in light of comments made. A formal application to enter into a personal medical services pilot will need to be submitted to health authorities before 1 November. Applicants will be notified as to whether their application has been approved before the end of December.