§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision has been made by the Neo-Natal In-services Commissioning investigation for NHS North Thames Region in their examination of the most suitable locations for natal intensive care unit services in the region, for audit of the cost and current usage data being submitted to them by the individual trusts. 1114572]
§ Yvette CooperThe London Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive was established on 1 January 1999 and this covers most of the health authorities of the old North Thames Region. Under the auspices of the London Regional Specialised Commissioning Group, a consortium of London health authorities has recently been established to commission neo-natal intensive care services for the residents of London.
This new consortium is gathering information about the cost and volume of neo-natal intensive care activity currently provided by NHS trusts in order to identify the amount of money needed from health authority budgets to fund the required level of service.
708WInformation provided by trusts is being cross-checked with information provided by health authorities to ensure that appropriate levels of service are funded to meet the needs of the London population. The consortium is not at this stage considering changes to the configuration of neo-natal intensive care services.