§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the findings of his visit to the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system in the US, with particular reference to the costs of the system. [138834]
§ Dr. John ReidDuring my visit to Washington DC in October, I visited the West End Medical Centre to meet staff and patients and to see at first hand how Kaiser Permanente serves its members. At the medical centre, I learnt about the way in which Kaiser involves patients in their own care, and heard a presentation about the prevention and treatment of diabetes. I was given a tour of the medical centre and talked to staff and patients. The costs of the Kaiser system have been studied by independent researchers whose comparison of the national health service and Kaiser was published in theBritish Medical Journal last year. Departmental officials are working with Kaiser to explore how we might learn from their approach in the next stages of NHS reform.