§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the maximum distance is a patient might be expected to travel to a coronary care unit in(a) miles and (b) minutes. [31646]
§ Yvette CooperThere is no specified maximum time or distance that patients might be expected to travel to a coronary care unit. Our aim is that in time the national health service should be able to offer all heart patients fair access to the surgical and other specialist services they need in a local unit and within an acceptable time. This is why we have developed a national strategy to expand the capacity to perform heart operations.
This capital investment programme means that we are investing £230 million in 12 schemes to provide new and bigger heart surgery facilities.
In addition we have announced the patient choice scheme which means that from July appropriate patients who would otherwise have to wait more than six months will be able to choose to be treated in a different hospital so that they get treatment more quickly. This may involve travelling further, but only if the patient decides that is what they want to do.