§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health which clinical procedures currently do not meet his Department's clinical effectiveness criteria published in 1996. [11025]
§ Ms JowellThe Department of Health does not maintain lists of clinical procedure which have been judged to be "effective" or "ineffective".
Health professionals must use research knowledge about potential effectiveness, their knowledge of the patient, and own professional judgment in order to decide what treatment to provide for any particular patient within their own particular circumstances. Some interventions will be appropriate for certain conditions, but inappropriate for others. The Department, in partnership with the health professions, sponsors a wide range of programmes which aim to bring forward the best possible research-based professional advice and make it available to the NHS.
The Government intend that the NHS should concentrate on the quality and success of treatment, so that effectiveness of services, and outcomes for patients, will become the standards by which we measure the performance of health services.
§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement listing for each health authority(a) the clinical services which they purchase, (b) the amount spent on each service and (c) the amount spent per patient for each clinical service purchased in the last year for which figures are available. [11031]
§ Mr. MilburnInformation on the national health services purchased under these headings is not held centrally.