§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the secretary of state for Health how many patients have travelled to EU countries specifically for NHS funded treatment in each of the last four months.
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 28 February 2002]: Under the pilot scheme to send national health service patients abroad currently under way in south-east England 18 patients travelled in January and 41 in February. 12 patient are due to travel on Friday 1 March. We expect up to 200 patients to travel overseas for treatment as part of the pilot.
The Department has authorised a total of 327 E112 applications since the beginning of November 2001, permitting patient to receive treatment, maternity care or continuing care in other countries of the European Economic Area, funded by the NHS. 85 applications were authorised in November, 72 in December, 94 in January and 76 have so far been authorised in February. (These figures are GB figures, as the Department administers this scheme on behalf of Scotland and Wales.) However, the fact that a given period does not actually received treatment overseas in that period.