Mr. RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many copies of "Fit for the Future?" were(a) printed and (b) requested; if he will increase the number of copies available; and if he will make a statement. [117344]
§ Mr. Hutton10,000 copies of "Fit for the Future?" were printed and over 8,000 copies have been sent out in response to requests. We have no plans to print further copies. The document was also made immediately accessible on the Department's internet website, and as at 26 March the "Fit for the Future?" web had been accessed over 46,000 times.
The consultation period ended on 21 January. We are currently carefully considering the comments received on the proposals. "Fit for the Future?" identified over 260 possible standards. We believe that some of the proposals may have only a marginal impact on the quality of care and it is highly unlikely that this many standards will be needed. We intended to publish the final standards and a timetable for implementing them later this year.