§ Mr. Shersbyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the long-term financial allocation for heart transplants; what assessment he has made of growth in numbers of and demands for this type of operation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Whitney£1,600,000 has been allocated to the heart transplant programmes at Papworth and Harefield hospitals in 1985–86. The report of an evaluation of the costs and benefits of heart transplantation, commissioned by the Department and undertaken by Mr. Martin Buxton and Professor Roy Acheson, was published in April 1985 and a copy placed in the Library; I refer my hon. Friend to chapter 11 of this report, which considers the difficulty inherent in estimating potential demand for the operation. Following the publication of the report, my right hon. Friend asked the supra regional services advisory group to make recommendations on how the development of heart transplantation within the National Health Service might 505W best be taken forward; he has now received these recommendations and will announce his decisions very soon.