HL Deb 15 January 2002 vol 630 c150WA
Lord Chan

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is being done in response to the findings of the national surveys of National Health Service patients, Coronary Heart Disease 1999, National Report, published in March 2001, regarding the experience of ethnic minority patients. [HL2050]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Since the 1999 coronary heart disease survey was carried out, the Government have published the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease (NSF for CHD). The NSF for CHD was produced with the need to address inequalities in healthcare firmly in mind, and sets out to ensure that top quality treatment and care are available in all parts of the country and to all communities. The NSF for CHD requires National Health Service organisations to take into account the impact of ethnicity on the heart disease risks to which patients are exposed and to ensure that they meet people's needs in ways that are culturally, religiously and linguistically appropriate. Expansion in heart disease services combined with a greater sensitivity to patients' backgrounds will improve both access to services and the experiences of ethnic minority patients.