§ Dr. StoateTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend the primary care collaborative which was launched in 2000 by the National Primary Care Development Team; and if he will make a statement. [28223]
§ Mr. HuttonThe National Primary Care Development Team of the Modernisation Agency has demonstrated that it is possible to balance demand with capacity to ensure patients are looked after by the clinician best placed to 963W meet their needs and that staff are less likely to feel overwhelmed by demand. They are actively disseminating the "advanced access" model developed by the collaborative across the country, which covers nearly 1,000 practices who provide care for seven million patients.
In December 2001, we announced the introduction of 11 new national primary care development centres across England. These new centres are being developed to roll out the benefits of the collaborative to every primary care organisation across the country.
We have provided an earmarked increase of £83.5 million to the primary care trust primary care access fund in 2002–03 to help primary care trusts work with their practices to improve primary care access.