§ Mr. David TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the implementation of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease. [127430]
§ Yvette Cooper(holding answer 23 June 2000]: The National Service Framework (NSF) which sets national standards for improved prevention, diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) was published on 6 March.
Action is progressing on a number of fronts:
National Priorities Guidance (NPG) identifies developing and implementing local prevention policies on CHD and stroke by March 2001, increasing the number of coronary revascularisations (CABG/PTCA) by 3,000 by April 2002 and achieving the NHS milestones for April 2001 as priorities for the National Health Service.
We have appointed Dr. Roger Boyle as National Director for Heart Disease. Dr. Boyle's first priority is to work with NHS and Regional Offices on drawing up plans for guidance on the immediate priorities including plans for expenditure of £50 million (announced last October) to increase the numbers of heart operations.
Plans are also being worked up for spending the further £50 million (announced on 6 March) for establishing rapid access chest pain clinics, speeding up ambulance response times and purchasing defibrillators and other equipment.
£3 million of the £50 million will also be used to reduce waiting times for treatment by developing projects to test out better and more streamlined ways of delivering services, the CHD partnership programme. Plans to take this forward are in hand.
Health authorities and their partner organisations are establishing local implementation teams to draw up comprehensive local delivery plans, to be completed and agreed by October 2000
We are in the process of setting up the National Coronary Heart Disease Implementation Group which will oversee national progress on implementation.