§ Jim DobbinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will launch the modernisation programmes he announced to support the implementation and delivery of the first part of the Renal Services National Service Framework; whether the programmes will take account of the views of all stakeholders involved in the renal 1209W field; whether his Department will be running implementation workshops for primary care trusts; and whether the programmes will be designed to help primary care trusts to meet the standards that need to be met by (a) 2006 and (b) 2014. [152965]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe national service framework (NSF) for Renal Services—part one: dialysis and transplantation set out plans for five modernisation programmes:
- re-designing the workforce
- re-engineering elective dialysis access surgery
- re-designing hospital access (patient transport)
- re-designing care plans for partnership and choice
- re-designing the built environment
Work is in hand to develop the programmes together with key stakeholders.
Expressions of interest are presently being sought from renal units, with the support of their strategic health authorities, to establish two pilot sites to develop effective workforce models for renal services, focusing particularly on elective dialysis access surgery.
Pilot sites for improving patient transport services for people needing haemodialysis treatment will be sought later this year. This programme will complement other work to develop a framework of eligibility criteria for all people who use patient transport services.
A patient conference on care plans and choice was held in December 2003 and the outputs from that are informing the next stage of this programme.
A new Health Building Note on satellite dialysis units was published on 14 January and further guidance on main renal units and transplant centres will follow later this year.
We have announced that a renal advisory group is being set up ensure that part two of the NSF is prepared with implementation in mind, and to provide national advice to support the pilot programmes, which will be key to implementation of part one. The advisory group will be able to form a view on how local arrangements are developing and how renal networks are shaping up.