§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients who have been treated for joint replacement in continental hospitals have received follow-up consultation by staff in the United Kingdom; and how many of these consultations have been commissioned by his Department outside the original contractural terms with overseas hospitals. [120377]
§ Mr. HuttonSince the overseas treatment pilot, a total of 251 National Health Service patients have been referred to hospitals in France and Belgium for major joint replacement surgery.
All of the 245 patients who were treated in France have received follow-up care in the United Kingdom in line with the contractual agreements. The majority of these follow-up assessments were carried out by overseas consultants. 54 patients were followed up in France prior to their return to the UK. These patients received a further follow-up consultation carried out by UK consultants (contracted on a private basis), in order to maintain consistency with other projects. The cost of this was contained within the overall contractual budget.
The six patients who have received treatment in Belgium have only recently returned to the UK, and are due for follow-up assessments with an overseas consultant in the next 4–6 weeks, in line with contractual agreements.