§ 25. Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the ability of the health service to meet national clinical standards for acute hospital emergency admissions in remote rural areas. [137661]
§ Ms StuartAdvances in healthcare and changes to the practice of medicine, particularly the increasing sub specialisation of doctors, results in changes to the way healthcare is delivered to patients. The Government are keen to see that patients have access to services at as local a level as possible but against this desire must be balanced the need to ensure that patients receive the highest levels of clinical care, wherever that care is provided. It is up to local health communities to determine the best way to provide the highest standards of clinical care for their patients.